I'm curious about how to be human well, how to meet myself and others complexly and to interrupt violence and live in healing.
Minna Jain (They/Them) is an artist, writer and social justice worker interested in collective sense making, liminality, and liberation. They work with alternative photographic process printmaking, wearable sculpture and storytelling.
Minna is a child of Finnish Indigenous Saami and South Asian Indian immigrants and they hold the burning lands, the frozen sky and the swollen Mississippi in their blood and belly. Minna is a Sōtō Zen Buddhist priest and writes as a Modern Mythographer Publishing Fellow. Additionally, they head up Learning & Development at Real Transformation Today. They are a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Access (DEIA) consultant and educator, working with such organizations as the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the San Francisco Zen Center, and American Public Media Group.
Minna’s art has been presented at such sites as the Open Shutter Gallery - Durango, Colorado, The American Swedish Institute - Minneapolis, MN, The Umbrella Gallery - Dallas, Texas, Käsityö Museo of Finland - Jyväskylä, Finland, The Oriental Theater –Denver, Colorado, Studio & Gallery -Durango, Colorado, Eggman & Walrus Gallery –Santa Fe, New Mexico and The Minneapolis College of Art and Design –Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Artist CV
Exhibitions and Performance Installations:
2022 Invitational Group Exhibition, Trigger, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Tim Kapustka)
2021 Invitational Group Exhibition, Through, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Tim Kapustka)
2020-Present Modern Mythography Publishing Fellow, with Nick Jaina and Chelsea Coleman
2020 Curatorial Advisory Committee Member, In the Presence of Our Ancestors: Southern Perspectives in African American Art,
Minneapolis Institute of Art, Minneapolis, MN
2020 The Future Risograph Residency, The Future, Minneapolis, MN
2019 Time Tested, Tradition Approved, American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis, MN (curated by The
Strand)
2017 Invitational Group Exhibition, From Word to Images: Texture and Sound Inspired by Walt Whitman - Textile, Poetry and New Music
Perpich Center for Arts Education, Golden Valley, MN (curated by Anita Jain)
2017 Invitational Collaborative Art Installation, Reaction/Action, Studio & Gallery, Durango CO (curated by Studio &)
2016 Invitational Group Exhibition, Celebrations of Light, American Swedish Institute, Minneapolis MN (curated by ELLA Studio)
Press
2016 Art Fair, Bizarre Bazaar - Studio & Gallery, Durango CO
2016 Storytelling Performance and Podcast, The Raven Narratives, Durango Art Center and Sunflower Theater, Durango and Cortez, CO
2016 Open Exhibition, The Passage Between: Art Celebrating Impermanence & Transition, Studio & Gallery, Durango CO (curated by Studio &)
2016 Invitational Group Exhibition, Picture Perfect: Contrarian Voices In Photography - Durango Arts Center, Durango CO (curated by
Arista Slater-Sandoval)
2016 Invitational Group Exhibition, May Sounds Contribute Toward Me: An Evening of Texture and Sound Inspired by the Poems of Walt Whitman (2) - Minneapolis Textile Center, Minneapolis MN (curated by Anita Jain of Common Strands International Fiber Art Exchange)
2016 Invitational Group Exhibition, May Sounds Contribute Toward Me: An Evening of Texture and Sound Inspired by the Poems of Walt Whitman (1) - Studio & Gallery, Durango CO (curated by Anita Jain of Common Strands International Fiber Art Exchange)
Press
2016 Invitational Group Exhibition, Dance Partners: Collaborative Wearable Sculpture Exhibition - Umbrella Gallery, Dallas TX (curated by Abby Bagby)
2016 Invitational Group Exhibition, Accumulation: An Examination of Process Through Textiles - Studio & Gallery, Durango CO (curated by Minna Jain)
Press: Print
Press: Television
2016 40th Annual Durango Arts Center Juried Exhibit, Durango Arts Center, Durango CO (juried by Holly Roberts)
2016 10x10: A Fundraiser for Studio & - Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO
2016 Invitational Group Exhibition, Under Pressure: The Art of the Hand-Pulled Print - Durango Arts Center, Durango CO (curated by Maureen May)
Press
2015 Art Fair, Bizarre Bazaar, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO
2015 Open Exhibition, Revival of Lost Souls, Studio & Gallery, Durango CO (curated by Shay Lopez)
2015 Group Exhibition, Sweet Tart Tiny Art, Sweet 11 Gallery, Durango CO (curated by Darcy Alden)
2015 Music and Contemporary Art Festival, I Am Music Fest, Various Locations, Durango CO (a fundraising festival for the non-profit music education organization I Am Music)
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2015 Invitational Exhibition, The Farm, Studio & Gallery, Durango CO (curated by Elizabeth Kinahan)
2015 2-Person Exhibition, How To Be a Practical Artist, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (in collaboration with Rachael Anderson)
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2015 Invitational Group Exhibition, Pivot Point, Durango Art Center Main Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Joan Russell)
Press: Print
Press: Television
2015 Contemporary Performance Project: Wearable Sculpture Costume Design, Wearing Through: Unraveling the Tapestry of the Betrothed, Durango, CO (20 Moons Live Music and Dance with Guest Director Suzy DiSanto)
Press
2015 Juried Exhibition, Deep Roots 2 Textile Artists of Nordic American Descent, Käsityö Museo of Finland, Jyväskylä, Finland
2015 Juried Exhibition, Deep Roots 1 Textile Artists of Nordic American Descent, Dassel History Center Gallery, Dassel, MN
Press
2015 Open Exhibition and Benefit, Furniture as Art, KDUR Radio, Durango, CO (in collaboration with Debra Greenblatt)
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2015 Juried Exhibition, Telluride Aids Benefit Fashion Show, Historic Sheridan Opera House, Telluride, CO (in collaboration with the Panoply Project)
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2015 Invitational Exhibition, Bound, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (in collaboration with Jeff Madeen & curated by Tim Kapustka)
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2015 2-Person Exhibition, Unquiet Things, Eno, Durango, CO (in collaboration with Brett Masse)
2015 Invitational Group Alternative Photographic Process Exhibition, The Handmade Photograph, Open Shutter Gallery, Durango, CO
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2014 Art Fair, Bizarre Bazaar, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO
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2014 Open Exhibition, Evening of the Dead: A Group Art Show Honoring the Past, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Shay Lopez)
2014 Solo Exhibition, Haunt, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO
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2014 Juried Exhibition and Competition, 2014 ManneqART Hair, Makeup, and Costume Challenge, ManneqART Sculpture on the Human Form, Laurel, MD (juried and curated by ManneqART)
2014 Invitational Exhibition, Down the Rabbit Hole, Eggman and Walrus Art Gallery, Santa Fe, NM and Durango Arts Center, Durango, CO (curated by Jeff Madeen, Sandra Butler and Joan Levine Russell)
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2014 Juried Art Subscription Program, 2014 Community Supported Art (CSArt) Durango, Various Locations, Durango, CO
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2014 4-Person Exhibition, Her Amazing Magnetic Pulling Closer Machine, Melange, Telluride, CO (in collaboration with the Panoply Project)
2014 Open Exhibition, The Backyard, Open Shutter Contemporary Fine Art Photography, Durango, CO
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2014 Invitational Exhibition, Extinct: The Art of Obsolescence, Studio &Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Tim Kapustka)
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2013 Art Fair, Bizarre Bazaar, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO
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2013 Open Exhibition, Play of the Dead: A Ritual of Remembering, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Shay Lopez)
2013 Juried 6-Person Exhibition, 2013 Studio & Group Show, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (juried and curated by Studio & Gallery)
Press
2013 Invitational Exhibition, Year: A Brief Underview of the History of Time, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Tim Kapustka)
2013 Juried Exhibition, Telluride Aids Benefit Fashion Show, Historic Sheridan Opera House, Telluride, CO (in collaboration with the Panoply Project)
About
2012 Invitational Exhibition, Previously Entitled: An Experiment in Collaboration and Process, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Tim Kapustka)
Press
2012 Invitational Exhibition: Art & Bike: Exploring the Overlap that is Art & Bike, Studio & Gallery and Velorution Cycles, Durango, CO (curated by Studio & Gallery)
2012 Open Exhibition, Dance of the Dead: Artwork of the Day of the Dead, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Shay Lopez)
2012 2-Person Exhibition, Light-Speak: Conversations with Cameras, Open Shutter Contemporary Fine Art Photography, Durango, CO (in collaboration with Brett Masse)
2012 2-Person Exhibition, Film VS Digital, The Danger Room, Durango, CO (in collaboration with Brett Masse)
2012 International Juried Exhibition, Toyed With, Open Shutter Contemporary Fine Art Photography, Durango, CO (curated by Holga Inspire/Christine So)
About
2012 Invitational Exhibition, Past Lives, Lost Dog Bar and Lounge, Durango, CO (curated by the Panoply Project)
2011 5-Person Exhibition, I am a Scientist, The Leland House and Rochester Hotel, Durango, CO (in collaboration with the Panoply Project)
2011 Open Exhibition, The Soul of All Souls: Artwork of the Day of the Dead, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated by Shay Lopez)
Press
Theatrical Performance:
2009 Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, Durango Arts Center, Durango, CO
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2009 Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, A Halloween Sideshow, Durango Arts Center, Durango, CO
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2010 Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, Twisted Fairytales, Durango Arts Center, Durango, CO
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2010 Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, Koto Doo-Dah, Telluride, CO
2010 Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, A Fool’s Fundraiser, Durango Arts Center, Durango, CO
2011 Colorado Tour, Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, The Elixir, Durango Arts Center, Durango CO, D.L. Parsons Theater, Northglenn, CO and Oriental Theater, Denver, CO
Press
2011 Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, A Fool’s Fundraiser, Ska Brewing Company, Durango, CO
2016 Raven Narratives, Forces, Sunflower Theater, Cortez CO and Durango Arts Center, Durango CO
Theatrical Art Direction and Production Design:
2009 Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, A Halloween Sideshow, Durango Arts Center, Durango, CO
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2011 Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, The Elixir, Durango Arts Center, Durango, CO, D.L. Parsons Theater, Northglenn, CO and Oriental Theater, Denver, CO
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Awards, Grants and Residencies:
2014 Durango Arts Center Microgrant top tier grant recipient
2012 Best Process Award, International Juried Exhibition, Toyed With, Open Shutter Contemporary Fine Art Photography, Durango, CO (curated by Holga Inspire/Christine So)
2012 Finalist, International Fine Art Photography Competition, Paris, France
Curatorial Projects:
2013-Present Regular Collection and Represented Artists, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated collaboratively by Studio & Gallery)
2016 Invitational Exhibition, Accumulation: An Examination of Process Through Textiles, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO
Press: Print
Press: Television
2015 Traveling Exhibition, Dreams and Memories: Aino Kajaniemi Contemporary Tapestry and Fiber Installation, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated collaboratively by Studio & Gallery and Anita Jain/Common Strands)
Press
2014 Invitational Exhibition, Afar: Clay Beyond Boundaries, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (curated collaboratively by Studio & Gallery)
Press
2012 Invitational Exhibition, Past Lives, Lost Dog Bar and Lounge, Durango, CO (curated collaboratively by the Panoply Project)
Jurying Experience:
2015 Juried Art Subscription Program, 2015 Community Supported Art (CSArt) Durango, Various Locations, Durango, CO (juried collaboratively by Studio & Gallery)
2014 Juried Art Subscription Program, 2014 Community Supported Art (CSArt) Durango, Various Locations, Durango, CO (juried collaboratively by Studio & Gallery)
2014 Juried 6-Person Exhibition, 2014 Studio & Group Show, Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (juried collaboratively by Studio & Gallery)
2011 Auditions, Colorado Tour, Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, The Elixir, Durango Arts Center, Durango CO, D.L. Parsons Theater, Northglenn, CO and Oriental Theater, Denver, CO
2010 Auditions, Salt Fire Circus and Bare Bones Burlesque, Twisted Fairytales, Durango, CO
Gallery Affiliations:
Related Experience:
Gallery Owner: Studio & Gallery, Durango, CO (2013-Present)
Board Member: Four Corners Rainbow Youth Center (2017-Present)
CSArt Durango Project Director (2015)
Graphic Design and Marketing Manager: Durango Natural Foods Co-op (2006-2013)
Art Studio Co-founder and Co-manager: The Danger Room, Durango, CO (2013-2015)
Freelance Design: Graphic design, branding, illustration (2005-Present)
Member: The Panoply Project women’s art collective (2011-Present)
Board Member: Common Strands: International Fiber Art Exchange