Ytsma, Petronella Janneke Photographer Petronella Janneke (Nell) Ytsma passed away of natural causes, unexpectedly, at home in St. Paul on Friday, September 2, 2022. She was born December 09, 1948 in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Nell is widely known and beloved by the Twin Cities artist community for photographically documenting their artwork for more than three decades. Significantly known for her social activism work, Ytsma documented early Minneapolis community art projects, years of Park Square Theater productions and many political events. Nell's humanitarian heart, social and political conscience and activism are the basis of her widely exhibited art photographs. Deeply influenced by her lived experience, Ytsma's work speaks about the losses of AIDS and our shared loss of loved ones. In her best-known work, Nell consistently addresses the Viet Nam War and confronted its fallout, exploring how American chemical contamination affected generations of both American veterans and Vietnamese families and children. A public Memorial for Petronella Ytsma is being planned for early November 2022.

Published on September 18, 2022