Artist Statement

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I love telling stories through art.  These stories cannot be constrained by processes and techniques but are driven by the longing to show interconnections to the past, present or future or human emotions such as strength, togetherness, love, respect and intellectual curiosity.

My appreciation for mankind, creatures, nature and constructive arts gives me a solid basis to work from.  What began as a desire to make a living using my creative skills has over the course of a long career evolved into a passion for telling a spirited story through art.

This determination to tell stories through art has allowed me to expand my definition of “my art” and in some cases permitted me to embrace the spirit and skills of fellow artists, particularly in the area of large-scale public art.  Working alone or as a team is equally satisfying if the story is told, and the spirit is honored- whether it is my spirit and passion for the work itself or whether it is the spirit and passion of the viewer.

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RESUME

Nancy B. Bennett is an entrepreneur that has more than 30 years of experience in business, contracting, design, outdoor murals, public art and project management. She is the founder of the following entities:

  • Dannco, Inc. 1979 to present

A graphics and team sporting goods business that serves clients in a two-state area and sells globally on the Internet.  Nancy has taken this company from a home-based graphics business to a multi-million dollar professionally managed firm.

  • Walldog Movement 1993 to present

This group is made up of more than 500 talented and skilled artists from around the globe.  The group’s goal is to improve a community's appeal and promote tourism by designing and producing public art.  This group was founded by Nancy in 1993 when she hosted the first Walldog event in Allerton, Iowa.

  • Nancy B. Bennett Design Group, LLC 2013 to present

This business offers programs, products and services for new construction and existing or historic sites in the following areas:  signage, murals, sculpture, installation, lighting, landscaping, masonry and other relevant products and services.

  • Walldog Public Art 2013 to present. A 501C3 established to bring joy to communities through art and education.

 

Education

  • Des Moines Area Community College-Commercial Art
  • Indian Hills Community College-Fine Arts and Liberal Arts
  • Ongoing Specialized Education-Design and Layout, Color Theory, Gold Leaf Techniques, Figurative Sculpture, Glue Chip and Glass Techniques, Faux Finishes, Exterior Pictorials, Aging and Restoration Techniques, Calligraphy, Porcelain Enamel Techniques, Business Development.

 

Notable Commissions

  • Michael Jackson, Santa Barbara, California-Designer and creator of custom graphics for a narrow-gauge amusement park train. This artwork included extensive gold leaf, scrollwork, lettering, and thirteen custom hand painted pictorials from the album “Dangerous”. The artwork was executed over a four-month period on the narrow-gauge locomotive, tender and two passenger cars for Michael’s “Neverland” amusement park at Neverland Ranch.
  • Eddy’s Bread, Helena, Montana- Led and coordinated an artist team for the respectful rehabilitation of an advertising mural on an historic five-story building in downtown.
  • American Sign Museum Murals-Led and coordinated six artist teams (several artists each team) to create six permanent murals for the museum’s Cincinnati, Ohio outdoor display. Each mural averaged 200 square feet in size and represented themes from the historic Washington Grounds district.
  • Heineken Brewery Mural-Led an international team of twenty-five artists to create a sixty-foot interior mural for the Heineken Visitor Center in Amsterdam, Holland. This mural is in the long hallway where visitors wait in line for access to the Brewery Museum and is seen by thousands of international visitors each day.
  • Bull Durham Sign Rehabilitation, Grand Island, Nebraska-Led an artist team for the respectful rehabilitation of a ghost sign, recreated an aged Bull Durham bull and Eat Beef mural. This project won the Main Street Nebraska 2018 Award.
  • Palmquist Ghost Sign Rehabilitation, Helena, Montana-Led an artist team for the respectful rehabilitation of a ghost sign. The process called for matching paint and infilling missing information to look as if it had been on the wall for fifty years. This project won the Helena, Montana Historic Preservation Award in 2018

 

 

Walldog Consultant and Project Manager

  • Walldog Daze, Allerton, Iowa 1993
  • Harvest of Walls, Vinton, Iowa, 1999
  • City Walls Project, Belle Plaine, IA 2009
  • Wall to Wall Murals, Beaver Dam, WI 2017

 

Partial Listing of Additional Mural Locations (not mentioned elsewhere)

Walnut, Iowa, Mazeppa, Minnesota, Belvidere, Illinois, Lodi, California, Boise, Idaho, Korinthos, Greece,  Portland, NSW, Australia, Cornwall, ON, Canada, Moosejaw, SK, Canada, Shipshewana, Indiana, Olney, Illinois, Land between the Lakes, Kentucky, Pontiac, Illinois, Marshall, Illinois, Waukesha, Wisconsin, Delevan, Wisconsin, Plymouth, Wisconsin, Keokuk, Iowa

 

Call to Artist Awards

  • The REEF-Los Angeles, CA, 2015, Led an artist team to paint graphics on four locations of a twelve-story downtown building.
  • Community Art Mural-Conrad, IA., 2016, Led an artist team creating a new mural in downtown Conrad, IA.  This mural featured the artwork of a local artist that included current community icons.
  • Hamilton Co. Livestock Pavilion, Webster City, IA., 2016, Led an artist team for the respectful rehabilitation of the 1926 livestock pavilion hand painted ads.  This wall is one of the very few remaining hand painted advertising walls from the early 1920’s.  It required respectful rehabilitation by painstaking cleaning and matching the existing level of fading.
  • Jasper Co. Veteran’s Memorial, 2016, Hand Painted four murals on a stone monument in the Courtyard Memorial.
  • Arcola, Illinois Sweeping Beauties, Secured artists to hand paint fiberglass brooms installed in the downtown.

 

Personal Information

Nancy is married to Dan Bennett and they have two grown children and five grandchildren.  Nancy’s hobbies include reading, travel, golf, educational seminars, restoring historic buildings and spending time with family and friends.