hi… it’s draven:)

thanks for checking out my work. being an artist often feels like putting on your dad’s pants at age 6 - your legs fit but the pants certainly feel strange. i'm glad you’re with me on this.

well, my name is draven & I'm an artist and creative director based in Sioux City, Iowa. my insatiable love of art, meaning, and the human experience has taken me kinda all over and it' feels really special to have made it back to Iowa for this chapter.

for my day job, I stay creative :) I’m the executive director of an arts nonprofit and heavily focused on creative community building, community based art, and social practice. in my real full time gig (the other 120ish hours) I'm a brother, uncle, artist, and managing artist at The Hill House Art Collective in Sioux City <3

Education

Bachelor of Arts | New York University
Individualized Study: The Human Soul of the Visual Arts
Minor: Studio Art & Design
Concentrations: Art for Cultural Change & Visual Communication

Certifications/Awards
Nonprofit Arts Leadership | New York University (in progress)
Graphic Design | California Institute of the Arts, 2024
Modern Art & Ideas | Museum of Modern Art, 2023
Mastery of Design | New York University, 2021

Selected Showcases

[ 2023-Present ]

The MET Gala (New York, NY) in partnership with Venus Prototype, 2023
MUTUALS | Friends of Friends Collective (Los Angeles, CA), 2023 [two selections]
Juxtaposition | Untitled Art Gallery (Sioux Falls, SD), 2025
Perspectives (Solo) | Groetken Annual Trunk Show (Le Mars, IA), 2025 [solo]
Local Perspectives | Sioux City Art Center (Sioux City, IA), 2025-2026

We the Artists | Vangarde Juried Exhibition (Sioux City, IA), 2026 [two selections]

Previous
Open Galleries (Los Angeles, CA), 2022 | Student Showcase (New York, NY), 2022

Selected Curation, Community, and Design Projects

Branding, Typography, and Curation | LMAC 2024-2026

American Watercolor Society; Recuerdos de Santa Fe & Visual Interpretations; Siouxland Artists Traveling Showcase; Natural Affinities & Melange Collage; Captured; Neighbors (Henry Payer); Midwest: Movements; Solarium (Laura Hallen); OVER/UNDER (Mike Jones); SURFACE (collegiate showcase); Biophilia (Shelby Prindaville); Heiresy (Klaire Lockheart, Aaron C. Packard)

Community

Elementary Art Exhibitions (25, 26) | w/ LCSD and Gehlen Catholic Schools

“Hope” (2025)| Partnership with Crittenton Center and Northwestern College

Makers Markets (2025) | partnership with local businesses and artists

“Chalk the Town” (2026) | partnership with Rosecrance Jackson Centers, Sioux City, IA

UVB-712 (ongoing) | Hill House Collective

Professional Services & Jury Work

Juror | Sioux City Art Center, 2025

Juror | Western Valley Conference, 2025

Juror | Siouxland Artists, 2025

Lecturer | Sioux City Art Center, 2025

Adjunct Professor of Art | Morningside University, 202




Check out my art instagram below :)

this one has been in progress for a minute. lots@of revisiting atm. I call it freckles. freckles digital ink, 2026
this one has been in progress for a minute. lots@of revisiting atm. I call it freckles. freckles digital ink, 2026
I&rsquo;m honored to share that two of my pieces were selected for &ldquo;We the Artists&rdquo; at @vangarde_arts! Join me on the 27th to celebrate the artists creating such incredible, engaged, and socially conscious work. I&rsquo;m so fortunate to
I’m honored to share that two of my pieces were selected for “We the Artists” at @vangarde_arts! Join me on the 27th to celebrate the artists creating such incredible, engaged, and socially conscious work. I’m so fortunate to be selected among them 🥹
hi, it&rsquo;s me:) I&rsquo;ve thinking a lot about how hard it can be to find your own footing despite using the same feet, toes, and legs to land. the world feels like constant chaos and sometimes we can&rsquo;t quite land. that&rsquo;s feeling l
hi, it’s me:) I’ve thinking a lot about how hard it can be to find your own footing despite using the same feet, toes, and legs to land. the world feels like constant chaos and sometimes we can’t quite land. that’s feeling like a lot of what I’m feeling right now and maybe you are too. I wanted to share a couple pieces that maybe resemble that. I haven’t quite found my footing on these — maybe I never will but how lovely is it that I trust myself to land <3 lots of love to u!
&ldquo;fearless in oppression&rdquo; series 1-3 digital, 2026
“fearless in oppression” series 1-3 digital, 2026
&ldquo;regime changes&rdquo; digital, 2026 [edited bc apparently it&rsquo;s a new year.]
“regime changes” digital, 2026 [edited bc apparently it’s a new year.]
this one has been in progress for a minute. lots@of revisiting atm. I call it freckles. freckles digital ink, 2026 I&rsquo;m honored to share that two of my pieces were selected for &ldquo;We the Artists&rdquo; at @vangarde_arts! Join me on the 27th to celebrate the artists creating such incredible, engaged, and socially conscious work. I&rsquo;m so fortunate to hi, it&rsquo;s me:) I&rsquo;ve thinking a lot about how hard it can be to find your own footing despite using the same feet, toes, and legs to land. the world feels like constant chaos and sometimes we can&rsquo;t quite land. that&rsquo;s feeling l &ldquo;fearless in oppression&rdquo; series 1-3 digital, 2026 &ldquo;regime changes&rdquo; digital, 2026 [edited bc apparently it&rsquo;s a new year.]