Our Story

Lys Akerman-Frank
Artist CV
St. Paul, Minnesota, USA
Artist Statement
A First-generation Brazilian immigrant who considers Brazil and the United States her homes. As an Artist, I work in multimedia, creating sculptures, puppets, and masks. I am drawn to the stories they can tell without someone performing them. In Masks and the Selfie Projects, they tell stories that always have an underlying theme of how the world sees you, how you see yourself, and how you want others to see you. As an immigrant, a woman of color, and queer, my looks are something that I rarely show to reveal who I really am. My goal is to continue this journey of experimenting with new materials, creating new work, and showing my face.
As a professional, I was not able to move as fast as I wanted; being an immigrant, the barriers were immense, as the invisible bias played a huge role. I do believe being queer plays a bigger role in having barriers than being an immigrant or even a person of color.
Education
M.S. Instructional Design & Technology
FullSail University, FL — 2023
B.A. Graphic Design
St. Catherine University, MN — 2001
A.S. Occupational Therapy Assistant,
Mount Ida College, MA — 1998
Industrial Design Studies
Faculdade de Belas Artes de São Paulo (FEBASP), Brazil
Grants & Residencies
2026 – Creative Individuals Grant — Minnesota State Arts Board
Faces Behind the Masks: Exploring Identity, Perception, and Immigration
2023 – Mask & Performing Object Workshop Residency — MASS MoCA
2010 – Women’s Art Institute — Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD)
Selected Exhibitions
2026 – Threaded Stories / A Future by Hand
Conkling Gallery, Mankato, MN
2024 – Latina and Latinx MN: Re/Claiming Space in Times of Change
Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2022 – Shaping a Creative Life
Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2017 – Vision + Vocation: Alumnae Invitational Exhibition
Catherine G. Murphy Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2013 – Fluid (Solo Exhibition)
Art & Frames Gallery, St. Paul, MN
2012 – Self Portrait
Twin Cities Pride Art Exhibition, Minneapolis, MN
Public Art & Special Projects
2015–2016 – Selfie Mural –
Minneapolis Institute of Art (Mia), Minneapolis, MN
Community-based participatory installation celebrating Mia’s 100th anniversary.
2017 – Arnold – Puppeteers of America Festival Exhibition
University of Connecticut
2015 – The Naked Puppet Exhibit
National Puppetry Festival, Puppeteers of America
Professional Artistic Practice
Adjunct Professor, Art & Humanities
Metro State University — Minneapolis, MN
Teaching Artist
Heart of the Beast Puppetry & Mask Theatre — Minneapolis, MN
Lifelong Learning Programs Coordinator,
Walker Art Center — Minneapolis, MN