Hello! My name is Hannah Gelderman, my pronouns are she/her, and I am an artist, educator and arts-based community organizer. I am a settler of Dutch descent living on Treaty 6 Territory in Amiskwaciwâskahikan, a region also known as Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.  

I graduated with my Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta in 2012 and in 2020 I completed a Master of Education in Adult Education and Community Engagement from the University of Victoria. In my masters I focussed my research on the role of participatory visual arts in seeking climate justice.

I have worked in the arts sector for over a decade, as a programmer, researcher, educator and visual artist. I have worked with a variety of organizations to develop and facilitate art programs and classes for children, youth and adults. Currently I work as a visual arts instructor at the King’s University and for the City of Edmonton. I also organize with Climate Justice Edmonton and I bring extra enthusiasm for arts-based organizing.

The themes of my work centre around climate justice, social movements, nature appreciation, and human connections to the ecosystems we live in and to each other. As we live in an era of extreme injustice and climate crisis, my art creation is a tool that I use to navigate the pain and disruption of this moment, share meaning and connections that motivate me, and envision what change is possible. As such, my work is an invitation for the viewers to reflect their own connections, emotions and actions in the face of the world we live in. I work in 2D media, primarily with painting, collage, drawing, block printing and silk screen printing!

I am excited about artistic activism, illustration work, community engaged art projects, art education and programming, arts-based curriculum development and arts-based research. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with me at hannahgelderman@gmail.com or on Instagram @hannahgelderman if you want to chat about any of these things, or with any other questions, collaborations or projects!