JoAnne Ruggeri JoAnne Ruggeri is an American artist, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. She studied at the School of Visual Arts in New York (BFA, 1981) and at Bennington College in Vermont. JoAnne is a mixed media artist who works in materials such as ceramic, wood, fabric, acrylics, and photography. With her current encaustic and collage work, she utilizes layers, texture, language, and color to explore the dichotomy between the ‘real and the unreal’. By investigating themes such as memory, dreams, and fantasy, her work draws the viewer into the subtle realm of the subconscious. Her goal is to create imagery that stimulates the mind’s eye, allowing the viewer to access internal narratives, either imaginary or recollected, from the level of mind which one usually accesses only in the dream state.