Council celebrates local artist Jamie Schumacher's community contributions
The Bloomington City Council held a "Notable Neighbor" recognition event on September 11 to highlight Jamie Schumacher Kalakaru-Mava, a local artist, author, and community leader who has shaped Bloomington's cultural landscape through her work in public art, children's literature, and strategic planning.
Schumacher shared her journey as a multifaceted creative professional who has called Bloomington home. Her career began in Southern California, where she practiced makeup artistry before moving to Minnesota and opening an art gallery. She has since become known in Bloomington for her work as an illustrator and author.
Schumacher's most recent project is a children's book titled "Half World Away," which she both wrote and illustrated. The book was inspired by a gap she noticed in children's literature—the lack of diverse stories representing Sri Lanka, her father's home country. The project received support through a Loft fellowship, a competitive arts grant program.
Beyond her individual creative work, Schumacher has become deeply embedded in Bloomington's civic life. She serves on the Creative Placemaking Commission, a city body focused on using art and culture to strengthen communities. She also volunteered for Bloomington's First Pride Festival, where she created a mural now displayed at City Hall. Additionally, Schumacher contributed to the core planning team for Bloomington's updated long-term strategic plan, helping shape the city's vision for the future.
Throughout her remarks, Schumacher emphasized the importance of community connection and ensuring that local art and culture reflect the values and identities of Bloomington's residents. Her work demonstrates how individual artists can contribute to broader civic goals around cultural vitality and inclusive community planning. The council's recognition of Schumacher underscores the city's commitment to celebrating residents who strengthen Bloomington through creative and civic engagement.
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[0:01] - I've always been interested in art.
[0:04] The decision to like officially
call myself an artist,
[0:07] has come in fits and spurts.
[0:09] I'm Jamie Schumacher, Kalakaru-Mava
[0:11] I am an artist, author, and
mom living in Bloomington.
[0:14] I was a theater nerd in
high school and a mathlete.
[0:16] And then as I got older, the visual side
[0:19] of the arts I became more involved in.
[0:20] I did makeup artistry when I
lived in Southern California.
[0:23] I did prosthetics, masks
and taught classes and that.
[0:26] And then moving to Minnesota,
I opened an art gallery
[0:28] and through that
[0:29] and also becoming a mom,
I started moving into less
[0:33] of the sculptural and more
of the visual styles of art,
[0:35] dipping into illustration.
[0:37] And then throughout all of
that, I've also been a writer.
[0:39] So this is my most recent
book. It's a children's book.
[0:42] It's called Half World Away.
[0:43] My oldest daughter, who's now
11, when she was in preschool,
[0:46] they did a section
[0:48] where every day they were
doing a different country when
[0:50] they were focusing on Asian countries.
[0:51] I'm like, Ooh, cool, I'll come.
[0:53] I'll talk about our family's
story. My dad's from Sri Lanka.
[0:56] I'll get some children's
books about Sri Lanka.
[0:58] I'll make some Sri Lankan snacks.
[1:00] And when I went to go
look for children's books
[1:02] for Sri Lanka, I found nothing.
[1:04] So that kind of planted a seed.
[1:06] I'm like, I wanna do something.
[1:07] And it's like the hardest
thing I've ever done in my life
[1:09] to make this book happen.
[1:10] It took a lot of things coming together.
[1:12] I received a loft fellowship.
[1:14] They have a really great program
for children's literature,
[1:16] which is meant to
encourage more diversity in
[1:19] children's literature.
[1:20] For this book. I wrote it
and did the illustrations.
[1:22] I even, at one point I had
most of the illustrations done
[1:26] and went back
[1:27] and the little girl, I'm like,
she doesn't look like me.
[1:30] Did a bunch of revisions.
[1:31] I did a bunch of drafts and I'm like,
[1:33] that little girl needs a big nose
[1:34] and she needs to look like
I did when I was little,
[1:35] which was this awkward kid
with big hair and big nose.
[1:38] So I updated that.
[1:39] Children's books often
have like a big crisis
[1:42] that's like the puppy got lost
[1:44] or you can't find your blanket.
[1:45] This one, it's like a softer thing
[1:47] where she's conflicted about
feeling at home in both places
[1:50] and having family in both places.
[1:52] Me and my dad reading. Over the
course of writing this book
[1:56] and finishing the illustrations,
my dad passed away,
[1:58] which put another big pause
and heaviness on the project.
[2:01] 'cause this is kind of a story for him
[2:03] and I'm glad that my dad got
[2:05] to see the manuscript before he passed.
[2:07] Yeah. I'm really lucky to get
[2:09] to serve on Bloomington's
Creative Placemaking Commission.
[2:11] We've got a really great
commission here. Placemaking,
[2:14] It can sound pretty jargony,
but it's really just art
[2:16] and culture that resonates with the people
[2:17] who actually live there.
[2:18] And then I also try to
serve on other committees.
[2:20] I volunteered with our
first pride committee
[2:23] for the First Pride
Festival in Bloomington
[2:25] and volunteered to do a mural,
which is now in city hall.
[2:27] I am grateful that I was able
[2:28] to serve on the Bloomington's
core strategic planning team
[2:31] for putting together a
Bloomington's updated long-term
[2:34] strategic plan for the city
community is so important
[2:36] and staying rooted and connected
to community is gonna be
[2:40] how we make our neighborhoods great.
[2:41] It's how we make the world a better place.
[2:43] All of these things sound so
cliche, but they're so true.
[2:46] You wanna be a part of
like creating the kind
[2:48] of community where you wanna live.
[2:50] And I'm excited to help
Bloomington help all
[2:53] of its residents be creative
[2:54] and have places to connect with art
[2:56] and culture that resonates with them.
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Community Engagement and Creative Placemaking in Bloomington
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