Ish Meets a Mermaid is a short film based on a reimagined Ojibwe story, directed by Jonathan Thunder, produced by Vera Bianchini, co-written by Tashia Hart, with cinematography by Jeff Saunders. This exhibition reveals the artistry of the cast and crew who brought Ish Meets a Mermaid to life.
As viewers enter the exhibition, they are guided through the journey of the film’s creation with behind-the-scenes moments from production, original props, storyboards, costumes, and stories shared by the cast and crew, finishing with an in-gallery viewing of the film itself. By expanding our view outward from the finished product, the exhibition reveals the many layers of artistry, collaboration, vision, and labor required to produce a project like Ish Meets a Mermaid. This exhibition encourages the viewer to follow their curiosity about the process of filmmaking, and recognize the invisible creative work that goes into an art form as accessible as film.
About the Artists
Jonathan Thunder director, co-writer, and co-star
Jonathan Thunder (b. 1977) attended the Institute of American Indian Arts – Studio Arts Program in Santa Fe (1999-2000) and received a B.A. in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics from the Art Institute International in Minneapolis (2005). His epic animated mural Manifest’o was installed in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport 2021 – 2023. Thunder has received numerous awards and fellowships, including the Jim Denomie Memorial Scholarship, the McKnight Foundation Fellowship, the Minnesota State Arts Board Grant, the Pollock-Krasner Foundation Grant, and the Tiwahe Foundation Leadership Grant. His work has been included in numerous one-person, two-person, and group exhibitions at All My Relations Gallery, the Duluth Art Institute, the Highpoint Center for Printmaking, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Muskegon Museum of Art, Rochester Art Center, and the Tweed Museum of Art. Jonathan Thunder: Good Mythology premiered on PBS American Masters in 2023.
Vera Bianchini producer
Vera Bianchini (she/her), a queer, first generation immigrant from Brazil, is the Film Program Director at Zeitgeist, where she leads initiatives that build a thriving film ecosystem in the region, connects audiences with bold storytelling, and fosters arts-based community building. With over a decade of experience in the film industry, she has worked with regional organizations such as MSP Film as the Development and Membership Manager, Flip The Script Queer Film Festival, and the Upper Midwest Film Office, as well as internationally-recognized, Oscar-qualifying festivals including Sundance, Chicago International Film Festival, Cleveland International Film Festival, and Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Her expertise in programming and education in both the nonprofit sector and film production has led to invitations to serve on festival juries and panels nationwide. A graduate of Full Sail University Film School, Vera began her career at an animation studio in Miami before working in post-production in Minneapolis and later producing a wide range of independent projects. Recent producing credits include A Kidnapping (2024, dir. Karl Gadjusek), I & Me (2024, dir. Elizabeth Chatelain), and Ish Meets a Mermaid (2025, dir. Jonathan Thunder). Currently Vera serves on the board for Flip the Script Queer Film Festival and Future Film & Sound: EDU Film Fest.
Tashia Hart co-writer
Tashia Hart is a writer and artist from the Red Lake Nation of Anishinaabe in northern Minnesota. Screenplays include The Gichigami Gazette (2025), Ish Meets a Mermaid (Co-writer, 2025), and Native Love Jams (2024). Video tales include Clay Woman Falls in Love with the Lake (2024) and Plants and Healing (2021). Her literary works include the contemporary romance Native Love Jams; The Good Berry Cookbook: Harvesting and Cooking Wild Rice and Other Wild Foods; the middle-grade illustrated book Gidjie and the Wolves; Girl Unreserved, a fictionalized retelling of my own coming of age tale; and Patrick DesJarlait: Fine Artist (August 2026). Her illustration work includes 5 books in the Minnesota Native American Lives series; as an assistant illustrator of Gaa-pi-izhiwebak; and illustrator/penciller for Gidjie and the Wolves. Her short works include recipes, essays, poetry, and short stories. She lives in Duluth, MN with her husband, son, and a box turtle named Humpy.