Ensemble

Joan Forest Mage is a shamanic artist, healer and teacher based in Chicago. She founded Life Force Arts Ensemble (LFAE) in 1988, and has curated LFAE’s 39 art exhibits. Joan created the Life Force Arts Method, which uses the arts for spiritual healing, and is the basis for all the work of LFAE. A Certified Movement Analyst (Laban Institute, NYC), Joan has over fifty years of experience as a dancer, vocalist and director, including three music albums and 45 years of teaching dance, yoga and fitness. Joan received a Master of Arts Degree from De Paul University’s School of Continuing and Professional Studies, with the focus area “Creating Healing Ritual Through the Arts.” First awakened to energy work through her profound experience of the energy of music and dance, Joan began doing shamanic healing in 1995 and created the extensive Life Force Arts Shamanic Training program. She has studied shamanism and healing ritual with numerous teachers. Joan specializes in “training trainers”: artists, teachers and healers who want to develop the spiritual dimension of their professional work.

As she trained for years in various artistic disciplines, while also juggling motherhood, it became very clear to her that making art and expressing who she is through movement, dance, music, art and theatre was not only something she loved to do, it was something necessary to do for her physical, mental/emotional and spiritual well-being and that of her children. This launched her to explore the integration of the arts with the healing arts, shamanism, sound healing and yoga in more depth.

Then Life Force Arts Center opened its doors to Natalja and gave her a home and a community to continue to develop and share her gifts. Performing, collaborating and making others feel comfortable in their own skin is her passion and being a member of Life Force Arts Ensemble means doing all three.Natalja’s dream is to help people retrieve their unique gifts and build a safe and free world where all voices matter and respect each other, using all the artistic and healing tools in her toolbox. After all, isn’t it true, when we all live our dreams, our hearts are at peace and our minds are put to good use for the highest good of all? You can catch her in shows, leading classes and workshops or doing creative healing sessions. You can follow her on instagram@nataljatheselkie.

Linmayu Appavu is a dancer, visual artist, manifestation teacher, meditation circle facilitator, and real estate broker in Chicago, IL. She has performed with the Ensemble since 2010, and her visual artwork has appeared in several LFAE exhibits. Linmayu is passionate about the true love of the Divine for all people and the value and importance of each individual’s unique life path, and strives to help individuals connect to their internal spiritual guidance, get their needs met, and fulfill their dreams while on this planet. Linmayu has studied ballet with Yvonne Brown Collodi and University Ballet of Chicago, modern dance at Cornell University, Middle Eastern dance with June Seaney and Francine Passias, and shamanic practice with Joan Forest Mage. In her “spare time,” she is obsessed with cats, fashion, architecture, working out, Matchington Mansion, and Chicago style pizza.
www.attractionmanifestors.com • linmayuappavu.exprealty.com

Sharon Bechtold is a full time artist, writer, bard, and shamanic practitioner. She holds the status of Illinois State Artisan and is represented by museums, galleries and collections throughout the world. Sharon studied shamanism through Life Force Arts Shamanic Training, holds the Bardic Grade from the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, and is well versed in elemental energy work. She is a professional award winning pyrographer (burning into wood) who has published over a dozen books on pyrography and founded the largest and most comprehensive international online art school dedicated to pyrography. Sharon is the author and artist of the Cattitude Oracle Deck and Color My Day Mandala Coloring Book. She has been a columnist and writer for numerous international print magazines. www.burningwithsharon.com

Barry is an ex-pat from the Ozarks who has been in Chicagoland since 1993 and has been working with Joan Forest Mage off and on for two decades. In addition to that, Barry is a Jeff nominated maker of theatrical music and sound with over 40 world premieres, a multitude of albums under his own name (BarryBennettSounds) and as a band leader — with the seminal trance outfit, MiLkBabY and the art rock group he currently leads, GRAPE JUICE PLUS.

He is an artistic associate and resident composer for 16th Street Theater, Winifred Haun & Dancers, and the director of Impending Behavior Orchestra. Other companies he has worked with in Chicagoland include:

The Goodman, Victory Gardens, Lifeline, Chicago Dramatists (former associate artist), Mordine and Company, Something Marvelous, Writers’ Theatre, The Aardvark, Steppenwolf, The Art Institute, Emerald City, National Pastime, Cindy Brandle Dance Company, PROP THTR, Chicago Moving Company (former composer in residence), Estrogen Fest, Asimina Chremos and Breakbone Dance.

Since 1995, Barry has practiced the art of modern dance accompaniment. It is one of his joys and a constant source of inspiration to accompany classes at Columbia College Dance Center, Lou Conte Dance Studio and many other venues.

Barry plays percussion with a wide variety of groups across stages in the region which includes being the regular drummer for The Przmatics. Barry has no interest in “adulthood” and considers himself the luckiest boy in the world…say hello: barrybennettsounds.com

Mary Burton (B.A., SUNY Albany; M.F.A., School of the Art Institute of Chicago) the child of diverse parents (Northern European and Russian Jewish) grew up on a farm in upstate New York where she was blessed to be immersed in the beauty of nature and life forms. Observations of light and dark, trees, the seasons and natural phenomena as well as an ongoing quest for meaning inspired explorations of form and line in drawing, printmaking, painting, videography and video image processing. She has exhibited with the Chicago Artists Month, School of the Art Institute BareWalls, School of the Art Institute Fellowship Exhibition and others. A lifelong searcher and student of mysticism and spiritual sciences, her studies include comparative religion, mysticism, symbolism, yoga philosophy, spiritual astrology at the Temple of Kriya Yoga, A Course in Miracles at Unity Church in Chicago, music studies at Old Town School of Folk Music and New Tuners music theater workshop under John Sparks, as well as working for the Urantia Foundation. Mary is a graduate of the Life Force Arts Shamanic Training program. Mary’s family has been in what is now the U.S. since the 1600’s. Her ancestor, Mary Bliss Parsons, was accused and acquitted twice for witchcraft in Cambridge and Boston, Massachusetts. marybearart.com

James Cornolo has been playing guitar and percussion with LFAE since 1999. He has been active in the Chicago music scene for several decades in a wide variety of settings including accompanying for modern dance classes and performing in the styles of jazz, classical, and Latin jazz, notably with the Cuban singer Angel d’Cuba. He has a masters degree in guitar pedagogy from Northeastern Illinois University.

Kurt Fondriest is an expressive arts therapist at Misericordia home in Chicago, where he has worked for almost 30 years. He is an ordained nondenominational minister and certified pastoral counselor, holding a PhD in Holistic Ministries. His work is based on his life with a chronic pain condition called fibromyalgia. Dr. Kurt sees life as a ministry, a way of expressing one’s spiritual connection to others. One of the greatest gifts our creator gives us is the power to love unconditionally; it is through this gift we find ourselves and our work. Let us always remember to not keep the gift of unconditional love but to share this divine blessing with all. facebook.com/Healing-Seed-Expressive-Arts-Ministries

Dorothy Graden is an award winning contemporary artist whose art is inspired by Ancient Visions, prehistoric art of the Americas. Her mission is to bring awareness of these amazing places and to promote preservation and protection of ancestral sites on this continent, most of which are considered sacred to Native Americans. For over 30 years, Dorothy has traveled through the American West to photograph and draw prehistoric rock art images that were incised, pecked, abraded and painted on cave and canyon walls and boulders. Some sites are 30,000 years old. and hold spiritual powers. Dorothy has presented her field work on rock art at the Russian Academy of Science in Moscow and at University College Cork, Ireland. Her photographs have been published in the Theosophical Society’s journal, Quest. She presents, lectures and exhibits her drawings and ceramic sculptures throughout the Midwest. She draws with great admiration, respect and humility for the ancients who inspire her work. www.dorothygraden.com

Colleen Koziara grew up in northern Wisconsin on a farm, on an island. Seeing the magic of nature and the stories that it told filled her with a childlike sense of wonder, which she strives to capture in her artwork. Each of her works is a doorway through which the viewer may journey. Colleen attended the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and has illustrated more than 20 books. A Reiki Master and Ovate member of the Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids, she has been presenting, writing and providing art for Circle Sanctuary since 2002, and designed the Pagan Spirit Gathering logos for 2010-2018. Colleen is also in her 7th year studying as a Firekeeper. Colleen gives private art instruction from her home for all ages; creates Body Art and Custom Tattoo Designs; Visionary Art; and Commissioned pieces manifested from the visions and dreams of her clients. She works extensively with Elders teaching art and yoga, and has received for designing programs for seniors. mysticalwillow.com

I graduated from Ray Vogue School of Design, Chicago for Illustration and worked for a number of years as a full time graphic designer, including being the graphic designer for Life Force Arts Ensemble. Surreal worlds coming to my consciousness during sleep, daydreaming, yoga and living. My art is energy art reflecting positive and uplifting inner visions. In the landscape of my mind spin worlds unseen by the human eye. My goal is to spread light and joy in the images I draw and paint. I have co-created with my business partner Lisa Gniady a number of meditation tools including: a 45-card Soul Reflection Inspirational Oracle Card Deck, Clarity of Life Cards, Believe-In Affirmation Cards, Lemurian Code Activation Cards and my newest co-creation the Inner Child Meditation Cards with intuitive life coach, Sonia Prado and Lisa Gniady. GatheringVisions.com • www.etsy.com/shop/LearntobeHappy

Shaan Souliere is a member of Garden River First Nation Band of Ojibwes in Canada, and is a vocalist with Life Force Arts Ensemble. She gives Tarot readings based on the wisdom of the Ojibwe Medicine Wheel. These Medicine Wheel readings look at the energy of an individual, where they currently fit within the Wheel, and how the Wheel can aid them in their journey.

Raised in a home where sociopolitical issues among First Peoples were emphasized just as much as faith, music, and the arts, at a young age Shaan developed deep spiritual roots alongside a passion for equity for her people. Shaan believes passionately that profound change within a society begins with healing the heart of its people, and incorporates the principles of Mino Bimaadiziwin into her work as a victim’s advocate to create holistic, culturally informed practises.

Sujata Tibrewala is a self-taught artist who in 2009 gave up her electrical engineering career for her first love, art, and now uses her knowledge of science to spread art and issues close to her heart. Born in India, Sujata had successful solo exhibits and conducted many art workshops,some of which resulted in student exhibitions. Sujata moved to the U.S. in 2010 and currently resides in San Jose, CA. Her works are on display at many galleries including Regional Commission of Arts, St Louis and Marine Foundation, California. Her noted exhibitions include Life Force Arts Ensemble, Chicago IL; Gateway gallery, St Louis MO; Lalit Kala Academy; and Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, India. Sujata is an artist member of many artistic organizations including the St. Louis Artists’ Guild, Women’s Caucus for the Arts, and Art Concoctions. Starting from her school days, Sujata won many awards, and her art has received rave reviews in leading print and electronic media of India and USA. www.pratibimba.info

Prongs Apollo Chapa is a poet, priesten and scholar of textually and archaeologically supported pagan practice, who lives and writes in Chicago. Healing through obscure facts and poetry, they are a member of Life Force Arts Ensemble and priesten-in-training with the Fellowship of Isis Chicago Chapter. Prongs has written and performed in 20 unique LFAE performances and hopes to do many more! Look for their first book of poetry to be published in 2022.