Meet Sandie Coffman

Today we’d like to introduce you to Sandie Coffman.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Beauty surrounds us everywhere! I grew up with an acute appreciation for all color and textures around me. In my earliest years it was unknown to me and my parents that I had a 50/50 reverse curve hearing loss thus explaining in part why my visual senses developed as a safe place within all the misunderstandings that take place when you don’t “hear” the world around you. I loved any art medium that was introduced to me and “drank in” any lessons given me.

It wasn’t until my adult life that more blossomed when I was invited to join a home school group that met once a week for various subjects to teach the ART segment. For nearly 20 years I brought the art program for preschool to high school. It was in this situation that I became involved with the Holland Area Arts Council as I sought a place to exhibit my student’s work. The library wasn’t enough, I wanted an elevated experience for the students. We did display fabulously there (probably in about 2005) which led to a long volunteer and work history with the organization since that time. Today I am employed at the HAAC as the program director for Art4All which meets once a week year-round for special needs individuals. I also head up “ALL ABILITIES ART” or “ESSENTIAL ART” that was designed to meet the needs while Covid lock down and after math robbed our people and community of meaningful art expression. I worked hard to provide opportunities for people whatever age or wherever they lived, and whatever their art background was using the resources we had in our vast donations of materials stored in our basement. It meant packing boxes of supplies, creating “check in with Sandie” videos on our web site, making home visits masked and at the door and SO much more. Kind of like an “art without walls” experience.

This community involvement has led to countless new activities at HAAC to tour preschool-literally 99 years of age persons in our galleries and provide STUDIO time and projects pushing our vision outward. In turn, these relationships brought in awesome local artist connections, community volunteers, and provision for Hope College students to volunteer with us to receive class credit. I cannot do what I do without the help of these many amazing individuals.

Each month we see in the Studio…preschoolers- middle and high schoolers, young adults and seniors of all abilities.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Not really smooth but in progression. I’ve mentioned before that my hearing loss was significant and that played a part in my art appreciation but also provided challenges to do what I wanted to do with and for people in art. There is the constant frustration of not hearing what a person is saying. Phoning is difficult because I cannot at least try to read lips to fill in the missing consonants.

Hearing aids help a great deal but are not yet made to work for a person of “reverse slope”. (RS means that instead of the loss in high pitches which is most common, the loss is in the low pitches. Everything is geared to bump up high pitches but not the low as efficiently.)

So essentially, conversation can be embarrassing and has at times threatened to “shut me down” in frustration. To keep going and rise above this difficulty has been the largest struggle of my life. It also has caused me to be a much more caring and understanding person for persons of differing abilities due to physical, mental and psychological struggles. Our director, Lori Gramer at the arts council has been most accepting of all these things. Her attitude and constant support propels me to dream on. My parents have never singled me out as needing special attention because of my hearing loss and nerve damage.  My husband and family have always been encouraging and supportive of me to keep pressing on and in getting aids to help the loss.

So much of my story is wrapped up in “Who” or “How” God made me.  It really is the platform from which I have expanded in my life’s work of artistic expression to include others. During the pandemic there was a lot of talk about “sheltering”. I spent so much time taking walks and would see these little structures built everywhere.  I was acutely aware that I was “sheltering” in what I knew to be true about God. I was sheltering all my life in the shadow of His WINGS.  He was the one who gave me the strength to keep going and to take flight in dreams even higher than my own.  Where you shelter underscores who you are and who you were made to be.  Sheltering in God’s truth brings about a “purpose” for life in a special blend.  “Negatives” become “Positives”.  “Desperation” changes into your “leading role”.  You can’t manufacture this.  This comes from God alone and by His Spirit.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I have worked artistically outside of HAAC with other organizations currently and in the past providing weekly art class using variety of medium and expression:

The DayCenter of Evergreens for memory care

Thursday Learning Center (Home School Base)

Barnabas House of Zeeland at risk teens

Juvenile Detention Center

Holland Rescue Mission now called Gateway

My Church Northpoint Assembly of God

Our Michigan Network of the Assemblies of God in Women’s Ministries

Other churches

Consultant for teachers

* My work might be different than other artists because it involves a lot of collaboration and managing of volunteers. I LOVE that in working with Hope College profs to place their students in real life situations with our Art4All students we get to “speak” into their lives–help them on their path to discover what they are made to do–what classes professionally to pursue. etc. I’ve had an intern working with me from Hope College for the past 3 years–different persons each semester.   I also get to introduce and connect our local artists with people in our community.

I LOVE that our community volunteers enjoy coming alongside our students to assist them and be social with them.

* My work is special because I get to combine what is shown in galleries by artist with what individuals can try for themselves.

I put together lessons in a variety of theme and medium specific for the group coming to the Studio

Personally–

My first love is PHOTOGRAPHY! Watercolor and collage come next.

I have won awards in our Tulip City Camera Club and Southwest Camera Association in past years and 3rd in FOTOG 2020.

In 2022 I started to be more active in personal artwork and showing my work in galleries and contests.

In the summer an acrylic painting of “Greatness Oak” was shown and sold at the Sherrif’s department as part of the Ottawa County Art Trust exhibit.

During Fotog 2022, my photo “float” 20×30 sold on opening night.

Most recently, at the windmill Island ART GALA I received the “best of show” judge’s award for my piece entitled Dust to Rust a natural collage of island plants, floral, and an actual snake. This award was an amazing shock as I almost didn’t enter it as to not embarrass myself because it was a very unusual piece.

We’d love to hear about any fond memories you have from when you were growing up?
Anything OUTDOORS!  My dad is an adventurer and took our family on trips all over the USA to visit the National Parks.  Our hobby farm of 20 acres provided the most idealistic childhood where we were free to roam the fields and woods. Gardening, petting kittens or riding the pony were daily activities for my sisters and me.  Sledding, shoveling and snowmobiling filled our winter ticket for fun. Tapping maple trees in the spring and jumping in huge piles of leaves in the Fall marked the seasons.  We had the best sandbox and bag swing too.  Those were the days!