“Take Care of Your People”

Ryan Stopera

Chinese/Mixed Race| Minneapolis, MN | he/him/his | Private Sector

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Ryan Stopera is a photographer, filmmaker, producer and educator based in Minneapolis. He has worked with community organizations for over 15 years including with individuals experiencing homelessness, children and families, and foster care youth, as well as in program development and affordable housing development.  He has shown work at The Walker Art Center, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Gamut Gallery, Public Functionary, Indigenous Roots Cultural Art Center and Third Place Gallery.  Ryan’s photography has been featured in Time, The Guardian, VH1 and more.  He’s the recipient of the 2018 Artist Neighborhood Partnership with CURA at the University of Minnesota, the 2019 MN State Arts Board Cultural Community Partnership Grant, the 2021 MSAB Artist Initiative Grant, and he was a 2020 Creative Community Fellow with National Art Strategies.  He is the Co-Director of Free Truth Media, a media company using art as a tool for liberation.  Ryan is also part of the team at Public Functionary, an arts organization supporting grassroots cultural organizing and production across disciplines through the development of highly visible and resourced spaces that lead to creative collaborations and economic opportunities for early career and emerging artists.