Brad Goertz created several underground and likely illegal live/work studio spaces in Edmonton prior to co-founding Ficus, a cooperative art and craft studio that offered cheap rent, good light and community. These experiences shaped his views on art and community, place vs. space. Formally trained and failed as a furniture maker in the European tradition. Brad continues to experiment with guerrilla sculpture in unsanctioned places and nude(ish) welding and vertical fire stunts exploring the anonymous vulnerability of blue collar workers. After a successful stint as a local furniture bum, Brad retired to a career as a labour organizer and union representative.
Jeff Collins is a community-focused visual artist based in Edmonton with over 30 years of studio practice. He studied at Red Deer College and the University of Alberta. His accolades include the Telus Courage to Innovate in the Arts award and serving as Edmonton’s first Artist in Residence (2013–14). His paintings have been collected nationally and internationally. Since1995, Jeff has helped develop vibrant studio communities, including The Ellis Building, the Great West Saddlery Building, Hangar 11, and ArtsHab 1, where he later joined the Arts Habitat Association board (2003–2018). He currently lives in ArtsHub 118. In 2019, he founded the Collins Studio Gallery in the Alberta Avenue District, where he teaches oil painting, hosts exhibitions, and supports avant-garde music events. As an educator, Jeff fosters creativity, skill development, and personal growth through engaging instruction, continuing his dedication to building a strong, inclusive arts community in Edmonton.
Marlena Wyman is an established Edmonton visual artist who has exhibited across Canada for over 25 years, and is represented by Bugera-Lamb Fine Arts gallery in Edmonton. She has worked and volunteered in both the arts and heritage communities in Edmonton. She served as the City of Edmonton’s 5th Historian Laureate which she interpreted through her art practice, and was an Artist in Residence at Yorath House for the City of Edmonton. Marlena leased an artist’s studio in the City-owned Ortona Armoury Arts Building (now the ArtsHub Ortona) from 1992 to 2010. She was a founding member of the Ortona Armoury Tenants Association (OATA) formed in 1998, and is presently Director at Large for Advocacy with the Ortona Artists’ Reach Society (OARS) formed in 2023. OARS continues and expands the work of OATA to help artists in ArtsHub Ortona (past, present and future) as well as the broader arts community to come together for support, community, programming, and advocacy.