Robin Brooks
Bio
Robin is a Tai Chi teacher & visual artist whose joy is helping people of all ages and abilities to grow and learn in a safe, nonjudgmental atmosphere. By skillfully combining age-old forms and improvising, she helps young and old to reduce stress, improve inner and outer balance, and develop their Chi (energy) for health and well-being.
Robin works in a variety of media including collage, acrylic painting, and monotype printmaking. Her thematic interests include exploring the landscape as a means of creating more empathy. She is also reflecting on her personal history through what is left behind–photos, artifacts, and stories. Robin is a grandchild and great-grandchild of Jewish immigrants from the Pale of Settlement in Europe. She continues to explore what it means for her family to have settled in this country. “What did my ancestors bring along and what did they leave behind? How does my ancestral past inform my present?
Robin’s studio and home sit on traditional Wabanaki land. “Acknowledging this this means I wish to understand the history and great tragedies that have befallen First Nations peoples across the globe. With understanding and compassion, I commit to living as an ally with my Wabanaki neighbors.”
Robin has offered numerous art and tai chi workshops for children and adults. Please contact her to plan your next workshop or seminar. She is also available for speaking engagements and consulting..
photo by Jonathan Riggleman, 2020
Robin Brooks speaking at the opening of the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust Plein Air Exhibit, Thornton Oaks, June 2014
Personal
photo by Allison McKeen
Robin Brooks was born in Newark, New Jersey. She graduated with honors from West Orange High School in West Orange, New Jersey and has always been active in her community, volunteering and donating time to causes she believes in. A resident of Maine since 1987, Robin lives in Topsham with her husband Jon Riggleman, a high school English teacher, and their cat Toshi.
Education
Parsons School of Design, New York , N.Y. – M.F.A., Painting, 1984
Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts – B.F.A., Art Education, 1979
Resume
Articles and External Links:
Harlow Gallery (Kennebec Valley Art Association)
Maine Art Education Association (MAEA)
Maine Alliance for Arts Education (MAAE)
Plein air painting in the Katahdin Woods and Waters Park(video)
Intersecting Planes: The Collages of Robin Brooks (article)