Barb Kobe
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Bio

Barb Kobe is a Minnesota a one-of-a-kind art and healing doll artist. She remembers her childhood bedroom being filled with dolls on display. She also remembers being told that she was too sensitive and believes that she felt hers and others feelings deeply but didn’t know what to do with those feelings. When she had children of her own she learned about emotional intelligence and competence as she taught her children about their feelings. She developed and manufactured a set of puppets that helped others express anger, fear, sadness, happiness, stress, power, peace, shame and numb. While making them she noticed that as she would think about that feeling, where she felt it in her body and notice where she was expressing it in her life. She shared her creations with over 1000 children and learned that “when I hold a feeling doll in my hand or lap, in other words, outside of my body, the children would easily share a feeling story”.  Barb transferred this awareness to her own personal feeling, and healing dolls and has been making her emotional dolls ever since. Emotions and healing are her primary sources of inspiration and drive her doll and figurative art.

While Barb Kobe’s art and healing dolls have received of many ribbons and awards in art gallery shows, she loves to teach others the transformative power of making these emotional healing dolls for themselves. She completed her degree in psychology, as well as a certification in Neuro Linguistic Programming.

During her last class in college she researched dollmaking, art and healing and wrote a paper that later became the Medicine Dolls curriculum she still uses today and it evolved into her award winning book, The Healing Doll Way in 2019. She graduated in 1999 and has been teaching doll making and healing using the curriculum in retreat settings and as online classes ever since.
​
She was recently interviewed by Norma Smith Olson for Minnesota Women's Press Magazine. It was called
The Thread of Emotion: Barb Kobe's healing dolls transfer feelings from the inside to the outside.
Ms. Olson wrote:
"She works with archetypes and concepts such as guardians, scapegoats, loving kindness, talismen and inner healers. She uses a process called visual journaling--first creating flat images with watercolor or collage to depict an emotion or a story, and then creating a three-dimensional doll or figure."

Barb says, "I believe that making a figure--that you can hold in your hand--will mirror some aspects of yourself. It is really more powerful and transformative than making a flat drawing.

Resume

Born Davenport, Iowa 1949
Graduate of West High School 1967
B.A. in Psychology 1999
Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, MN

Company Visualize Studios LLC
 – 1984 to present
– Design and Manufacture therapeutic dolls
– Group Facilitator since 1985
– Workshop Presenter/Trainer since 1984
– Graphic Designer since 1973
– Dollmaker since 1989
​-  Author since 2019

Shows
The Healing Doll Way 2019
Robbin Gallery
Robbinsdale MN

Art of the Doll MN
Minnesota State Fair 2010, Fine Arts Building, St. Paul MN

Arts in Harmony 2010
National Juried Art Show
Award of Excellence February 8 – March 25 2010

MN State Fair Fine Arts Show 2009
St. Paul, MN
Honorable Mention

Internal Designs
Phipps Center for the Arts – Hudson, WI
Jan 20 – Feb 20, 2005

Art Therapist Art
College of St. Catherine St. Paul, MN
Jan 31 – March 2, 2003

TRILOGY
Hennepin Artists’ Association of Robbin Art Gallery
Feb 1-26, 2000 Robbinsdale, MN

By Many Hands 
Garden Show 2000 – Most Whimsical
Garden Show 2001 Crystal, MN
Show with Quilter Fall 2003

Minnesota State Fair
Fine Arts Fall 2000

Robbin Gallery Members Show
October 1998 Best of Show

Edina Art Center 
Stone Soup Dollmakers Show 1998

Visual Voices Explorations into the creative spirit 
Hennepin Artists’ Association of Robbin Gallery
September 1997

Dolls of Barb Kobe 
The Art Underground
October 7 – November 7, 1997

Ritual Play – Divine Muse
Paul Whitney Larson Gallery
July 8 – Aug 12, 1996
University of MN – St. Paul


Affiliations
WARM Mentor since 2013
(Women's Art Resource of MN) 

Certified ARTBundance Coach since 2010

 Journey Circles Facilitator since 2016


Certificates of Training
Jan 1983 – Group Facilitation Training
May 1986 – Educational Kinesiology
Jan 1988 – Project Charlie
June 1989 – Friendship Group
Aug 1991 – NLP Practitioner Certification
Sept 1992 – Girl Scout Trainer Training
Sept 2002 – Creativity Coaches Training w/Eric Maisel
Oct 2002 – Cognitive Coaching Training
Fall 2002 – Creativity Coaching Training
Dec 2009 – ARTbundance Creativity Coaching

Memberships
Minnesota Art Therapy Association
Creativity Coaching Association
WARM Women’s Art Registry of MN
Textile Center


Apr 2010 – Coordinated Art Doll Invitational Exhibit for Fine Arts Center at Minnesota State Fair for Aug 26-Sept 6, 2010
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www.thewarm.org
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Learn about this training
http://artellaland.com/act.html

What People say,

“Barb is a creative genius who goes out of her way to produce innovative, quality products. I cannot say enough for her skills and her work ethic! Her skills have helped countless people around the world.”   Kelly Guinan

“Barb is a fabulous teacher who loves to share her many years of experience making whimsical and soulful “dolls”. Her doll sculpting process is a form of creative expression that engages the psyche and brings healing and insight.”   Val Olson, Minneapolis

“She is not only unique, but compassionate, funny and knows exactly how to make learning about yourself a fun experience!”


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  • Home
  • About
    • Artist Statement
    • Training
  • Dolls
    • Why Make Dolls
    • Galleries >
      • Gallery - Most Recent
      • Gallery before 2015
      • Visual Journaling
      • Paper Dolls
    • Finding Pomegranate
    • Feeling Dolls
  • CLASSES
    • Online Classes >
      • Class Description
      • What Students Say
    • In Person Classes
    • Schedule
    • Resources >
      • Supplies
      • Books & Magazines
      • Creative Healing Theories
      • Paper Doll Resources
      • Patterns
    • Healing Dolls 2016 online
    • 2017 Healing Dolls online
    • Healing Doll Way 2018
  • Blog
  • MY ART
  • Contact
  • MEDIA