Ryan Stopera

Ryan Stopera is a mixed race, Chinese American, photographer, filmmaker, producer and educator based in Minneapolis. He’s worked with community organizations for over 15 years, including with individuals experiencing homelessness, children and families, and foster care youth, as well as in program development and affordable housing development. Ryan’s background in social work and his relationships across communities make collaboration essential to his work, whether in creative projects such as filmmaking, or making space for connection, such as producing community events or program development. Working in community, creating connections, and sharing stories with one another is what drives Ryan’s work. Ryan has exhibited work at The Walker Art Center, Minnesota Museum of American Art, Gamut Gallery, Public Functionary, Indigenous Roots Cultural Art Center, Third Place Gallery, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art. His films have been screened across the country and the world. Ryan is a recipient of the 2018 Artist Neighborhood Partnership with CURA at the University of Minnesota, the 2019 MN State Arts Board Cultural Community Partnership Grant, and the 2021 and 2022 MSAB Artist Initiative Grant. He was a 2020 Creative Community Fellow with National Art Strategies and a 2021 Upstream Photography Fellow. He is the Founder and Co-Director of Free Truth Media, a media company using art as a tool for liberation. Ryan is also part of the team at Public Functionary, an arts organization supporting grassroots cultural organizing and production across disciplines through the development of highly visible and resourced spaces that lead to creative collaborations and economic opportunities for early career and emerging artists.