WHO AM I?

GALLERY HOURS: July 24th - August 15th Thurs, Fri, Sat 12-5pm or by appt (612-743-6664) with safety measures in place.

ABOUT THE SHOW 

Dana Sikkila's work is displayed through visual repetition, the obsessive relationships between a woman and her favorite things. Objects and animals provide her companionship, creating coves of comfort and ease, interacting in unconventional situations built inside the white-walled space. 

Through printmaking and large scale installation the viewer is confronted with these obsessive natures. Repeating images move from wall to wall, showcasing a larger form deriving from one single shape. 

These installations overtake the vertical surface, turning atypical tendencies into a humorous, almost adorable mental mess; which represents the psyche, conjuring these problems onto thousands of pieces of paper and products.

ARTIST RESUME

I received my Master of Arts in Printmaking, as well as my Non Profit Leadership Certificate from Minnesota State University, Mankato. At just 34 years old, I have been named as one of the most well-known creative leaders of Southern Minnesota. As an arts administrator, educator, and public speaker, I am known for my theory development within creative educational research and my developing and curating of numerous Minnesota grassroots cultural projects, exhibitions, and documentaries, such as Project Bike, 410 Project, and the “Project Bike Retrospective” to be held at the Minneapolis St. Paul International Airport. 

First known as a visual artist, my eight year creative practice has developed into a combination of printmaking, sculpture, and site specific installations with an impressive sense of scale and playfulness that pushes new ideas of contemporary art. My work has been shown and discussed all over the state in places such as the Minnesota Museum of American Art, Macy's Department Store, Hennepin Theatre Trust, University of Minnesota St. Paul, Minnesota Children's Museum, and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.

Over the past eight years of being Executive Director of the 410 Project Community Art Space, I have introduced numerous art programs and special events for both children and adults to help foster creativity, positive self-esteem, and art awareness in all of Southern Minnesota. I've lead and developed several community art murals and programs, such as the 410 Project Youth Mentorship Program, Fallenstein Playground Mural Project, Yarn Bombs on Front Street, and several others. 

Based in Mankato, I continue to hold adjunct professor positions teaching studio art, art education, and arts administration at Minnesota State University Mankato, and Gustavus Adolphus College. Since 2014 I have served as a board member for the Prairie Lakes Regional Arts Council, Minnesota Citizen's for the Arts, as well as a Grant Review Panelist, and Artistic Evaluator for the Minnesota State Arts Board. In 2019 I was brought on as an Artist Career Consultant for Springboard for the Arts in St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Alongside being a visual artist and arts administrator, I have developed my career as a public speaker. I have presented in front of crowds about the importance of arts advocacy, education, women's empowerment, and Minnesota landscape preservation. I have had the honor to be invited to speak at the Rural Arts and Culture Summit, the Minnesota Bike and Walk Conference, YWCA's Women of Distinction Ceremonies, and was the keynote speaker at Minnesota State University Mankato's Women of Courage and Vision event. 

I have received numerous awards, including the 2017 Women's Center and President's Commission on the Status of Women's “ Women's Courage and Vision Award”, Mankato Free Press 2016 “Outstanding Woman in Business”, 2015-2016 Art Educators of Minnesota "Distinguished Service Outside the Field" Recognition, 2015 Mankato's YWCA Young Woman of Distinction, and featured artist on PBS's Off 90 in 2017, and Post Cards, Pioneer's PBS Art TV Program in 2016.

More information about the artist and her work can be found on her website here.