About Dana Todd Pope:
Dana Todd Pope, born Dana Todd, is a self-taught multi-disciplinary artist, author, illustrator, model, actress, and fashion designer from the South Side of Chicago. Influenced by notable brands/artists like American Girl, Keith Haring, and Paul Frank, she describes her work as encouraging, disruptive, and self-affirming. In addition to her fine art Dana is most noted for her children’s room home decor series, recently rebranded as Fearlessly Hue LLC, now available on the Walmart.com Marketplace.
Since 2019, her work has been featured in corporate exhibitions for Hyatt International, Northern Trust, Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Twitter. Permanent Exhibitions include the University of Illinois Chicago Mile Square Health Center Pediatric Clinic, Metropolitan Family Services Centers, and a twenty-one piece installation at the McKenzie Boys and Girls Club in Sun Prairie, WI. Prominent Exhibitions include Essence Magazine, The DuSable Museum- A Smithsonian Affiliate, the Museum of Contemporary Art via Common Ground Foundation, Afropunk Paris, the Richard and Tina Knowles Lawson Wearable Art Auction, Spectrum Art Fair- Art Basel/ Art Miami, and most recently the "Everyone's Neighborhood" Mural as a part of the Chicago #LoopMuralWalk located in the Chicago Pedway under Macy's on State.
Dana is a founding artist member of the Pigment International Arts Collective, a Paint the City Artist and a member of the Screen Actors’ Guild. She is the recipient of the Sunshine Enterprises Microgrant, the Digital Undivided Microgrant, the Odyssey Media Keys to Success Grant, the Black Girl Ventures x Nike Change Agent Grant, the SECC Equitable Investment in the Arts Artpreneur Fellowship Grant, and the 2021 VISA She's Next Grant in Partnership with IFundWomen. Dana currently lives in Chicago with her two children Emory and Exavier.
Dana Todd Pope
Artist Statement-
“I am encouraging by nature, an exhorter if you will. It's no wonder it carries on into my work. I don’t create work just to occupy space on the wall. I realize God gave me this gift to share and make aware. At the end of the day, I hope my work validates and stirs something on the inside of the viewer. For adults, I want them to remember their greatest hope for their life, born early childhood, and make the decision to rediscover the path to their greatest fulfillment. For children, I want them to dream, visualize themselves accomplishing their goals, and know that anything is possible.” ~Dana Todd Pope
POSITIONS-
Owner/ Lead Artist- Dana Todd Pope Fine Art
Co-Founder of Collaborative Mavericks: An Artist Coalition
Former Ministry Leader: Alpha Visual Arts Ministry of The Salem Baptist Church of Chicago
EXHIBITIONS AND FESTIVALS-
AFROPUNK LONDON, UK
2015 Official Artist- Chicago Jazz Festival
Work Featured on EMPIRE finale on FOX-TV 2015
ESSENCE Music Festival, New Orleans
2014 Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Midwest Semi-Finalist Juried Exhibition
The Museum of Science and Industry (Juried Exhibition)
The Albany Institute of History and Art, Albany, New York
DuSable Museum, Chicago
Permanently on display at The University of Illinois Mile Square Center
Permanently on display at Metropolitan Family Services Libby Center
Permanently on display at Smarty Pants Early Learning Center
Tom Joyner Fantastic Voyage Art Sale & Auction
Macy’s Romare Bearden 100th birthday 10 City Tour
Gallery Guichard, Chicago
The Murphy Hill Gallery, Chicago
Gorgeous Galleries, Chicago
The Gallery at Oakwood Shores, Chicago
NBFAS, New York City
Macy's Herald Square, New York City
The Rauner YMCA Fundraiser
The Mason Murer Gallery, Atlanta
The Griffin Gallery and Interiors, Chicago
The National Urban League Conference, Chicago
The Chicago Board of Education
Northern Trust Corporate Offices, Chicago
River North Galleries, Chicago
Gallery D' Estee- The Chicago Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.
"A Brush with Destiny" Art Show and Fundraiser
Cabrini Green Legal Aid Annual Benefit
KPMG
Jack n' Jill Fundraiser
Chicago Children’s Choir Fundraiser at the Union League Club of Chicago
Chicago Artist Month Participant- A.R.I.S.E. Creatives Workshop
The Mulholland Tennis Club in Hollywood, CA.
Lacuna Artist Lofts Reverie Gallery
ETA, Chicago, IL
Literacy Chicago Fundraiser and Auction at the Willis Tower, Chicago
The South Side Community Art Center
The Downtown Evanston Art Walk
Whole Foods Market, South Loop Chicago
Barbara Bates Breast Cancer Fundraiser
Noyes Cultural Arts Center of Evanston, IL
Barrington Festival of Art
North Shore Art Festival
AWARDS AND HONORS
2015 Official Artist- Chicago Jazz Festival
A.R.I.S.E business plan competition 1st place winner
Macy's NBFAS Annex Participant, New York City
Bombay Sapphire Artisan Series Midwest Semi-Finalist at Gallery Guichard
Paintings featured in an Anthony Hamilton Music video
Painting featured on EMPIRE finale, FOX-TV