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Allison Tunis is a visual artist living and working on Treaty 6 territory, in amiswaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). Allison has a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Alberta (2008) and a graduate diploma in art therapy from The Vancouver Art Therapy Institute (VATI) (2013). Allison uses her education and her experience as a community organizer and self-advocate to explore themes of personal and community healing through the art creation process. They also look to challenge norms and expectations around marginalized bodies—with a specific focus on queer, fat, and disabled experiences. Allison seeks to reimagine art materials, techniques, and collaborative processes to reduce barriers and harm, while contributing to critical conversations within and beyond traditional art spaces about accessibility, intersectionality, and strengths-based theory.
Allison has received the Edmonton Artist Trust award (2018) and the Alberta Craft Council Early Achievement award (2018), and was the 2018/2019 artist-in-residence at Harcourt House Artist-Run Centre. Her large collaborative series, The Chronic Illness Art Project is being shown from October 10 to December 2, 2023 at the McMullen Gallery in Edmonton, Alberta.
Responding to the content of the Fat Activism learning module, Allison has created a set of original illustrations.
Click into the gallery below for more information about each piece.
“All Bodies Deserve to Live Joyfully” by Allison Tunis. Loopy, stylized purple line drawings of seven fat people sitting, standing and embracing, in front of a Progress Pride Flag-inspired rainbow watercolor backdrop. “AntiFa Tank Division” by Allison Tunis. Original photo credit: Katie Loncke. Inspired by the work of Fat Rose and the AntiFa Tank Division, Allison included some real world activism in their illustration. She recommends that you check out their site to get your own Fatties Against Fascism shirt and other swag.“Do No Harm Means Shame-Free Care” by Allison Tunis. A line drawing accented by green, pink, orange and blue watercolours, showing a fat person sitting on an examination table with their back and bum exposed by a too-small hospital gown. This image comes from Allison’s experiences seeking shame-free and weight-neutral healthcare (mostly unsuccessfully), and it raises the question of how fat people seeking health care can feel safe and be vulnerable when doctors and other practitioners continue to judge, make assumptions, deny care, and ultimately cause real harm?“The Weight of Words” by Allison Tunis. A line drawing of a fat person with short hair and a goatee, wearing a tank top and shorts. The person stands on a medical scale next to the words “resistant, high risk, medicalization, BMI, stigma, obesity, healthism, anti-fatness, misfit, unhealthy.” Language around fatness and weight in healthcare settings often reveals anti-fat bias. Judgment and pathologization have negative impacts on health, leading to poorer health outcomes overall. A line drawing by Allison Tunis of community member and writer, Phillip Barragán, his partner, and friends at an accessibility conference. Phillip is using a power chair, two friends are using mobility scooters, and two are standing. The image shows disabled and able-bodied people living their lives and engaging in everyday fun.
