Art Form(s)
Connect
I am interested in collaborative work.
St. Paul
Artist Statement
The inclusion of colors and patterns is how I see my photography. When you look at my art, you don't know my background, see my skin color, know my sexual orientation, or my identity. You don't know where I came from, how old I am, or the path I traveled to be who I am today. You only know my art; you include me in your space through my art. Art is a personal challenge. Building puppets, the process, techniques, mistakes, energy, and emotions put into every aspect of art make it what it is. I love working with my hands, making, creating, and constantly learning.
Lys Akerman-Frank, a native Brazilian, has been living in the United States for the past 20 years and became a proud American citizen in 2015. She graduated from St. Catherine University in 2001 with a B.A. in graphic design. She also received a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant degree from Mount Ida College in Boston, MA, and a degree in industrial design from Faculdade de Belas Artes in Sao Paulo, Brazil. For over ten years Lys worked in the corporate world as a liaison between creative and marketing departments and managed the print production of large-scale advertising materials. In an effort to balance her work and family life, as well as create more time for her art-making, she started Art & Frames in 2010, her own custom frame shop and gallery in St. Paul. In addition to her framing business, she designs professional awards for companies and sells art made by local and international artists. Lys’s latest artistic endeavor includes designing, making, and selling puppets. She is the Technical Assistant at the Catherine G. Murphy Gallery at Saint Catherine’s University.