Meet Dana Kamberg | Artist & Adjunct Professor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dana Kamberg and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dana, why did you pursue a creative career?
I have always found articulating the depth and nuances of my feelings through words to be profoundly challenging and restricting, painting just happened to become the solution for processing my world in a way that words could not. In the same way, one might call upon a friend for encouragement and support, I have similarly turned to narrative portraiture. Through my art, I can open up my inner dialogue to a broader audience, inviting them to partake in the intimacy of this expressive practice.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
The first series of narrative-based portraits were my Anxious Ladies. I was exploring my relationship to my anxiety disorder and was navigating what healing would look like. I had taken to documenting my experience through photographs, although I never imagined I would turn these photos into paintings. I think the mindset and intention I had at the time was to uncover some form of visual evidence that I was getting better- which is a wonky way of looking at a mental health issue. I was assigning ‘progress’ to what could be seen visually when the work was happening internally.

Faced with this lack of outward transformation, I felt compelled to represent what I did perceive. The Anxious Ladies, while nearly unrecognizable to me, served as powerful proxies for my experience with anxiety. Drawing from the initial photographs, I distorted my features—stretching my mouth, manipulating my eyes—and even introduced duplicates of this altered self, engaging in a visual dialogue. In doing so, I sought to offer comfort to my distressed self, engaging in a process of self-soothing. This series was met with a lot of success on a local level and it was working to instigate conversations around mental health. The Ladies allowed audience members to connect and resonate with a characterization of something dark and scary that often is left unspoken- and there was safety and vulnerability in this form of connection.

Despite the Anxious Ladies’ local success, they didn’t gain much traction outside of Arizona. The lack of interest and collective rejection of this body of work ultimately led to a moment of pause in my portrait painting. I moved to taking on commissions and developing digital illustrations to appeal to a more general audience. I took the rejection to heart and as a result made myself miserable creating work that didn’t serve my intention as an artist. If I could go back in time with the knowledge and confidence I have now, I would have told myself that a rejection (or several rejections in my case) means nothing other than “not now”. It serves as an invitation for a future where your art is just the right amount of “depressing” or “dark” or “heavy”. This period of flat work is what ultimately emphasized how integral it is to enjoy my process, connect to the subject, and create art with conversation and story in mind. I would rather have a home filled with unseen works that resonate with me that I had loved making, than produce one more painting of a sports logo.

With this in mind, developing my art around narratives and integrating portraiture as a means of connecting and processing has led me to a new subject I’m currently exploring: the Housing Crisis, specifically the housing crisis as it has unfolded in Flagstaff, Arizona. In light of my encounter with rental hikes, I found an urgent need to reflect on the feelings that arose regarding the demand of affording a home at the cost of a work-life balance, the commodification of fundamental needs, as well as the implications of a housing crisis on my local community (more importantly, the homogenization that occurs when artists, teachers, makers, third-spaces, and small businesses can no longer afford to contribute and uplift a local community due to the exorbitant costs of living).

This is a multifaceted issue and one that has many narratives attached. As I’ve begun this work, I’ve involved local participants as well. One of my subjects who had a history of houselessness in their upbringing, presented their story and together, we established a sketch to best represent their experience (currently in the works). Other local faces will emerge in this body of work as well, specifically within my series on shelled animals which explores the nuances of the fundamental right to a home/shelter. The first completed work, titled, “Get this Bread”, applies humor in the appropriation of Boris Grigoriev’s, “Poverty”, where the Child has been replaced with my dog (which aims to discuss the villainization of childless Gen Z’s and Millennials who are labeled by politicians and journalists as ‘selfish and unmotivated’), my 400sqft apartment comprises the background of this piece where the audience has the opportunity to catch parts of the notice from my previous apartment alerting me to another rent increase.

The timeline for creating this work also speaks volumes around the strained work-life balance as a symptom of the exorbitant rise in the cost of living, and helped critique the over-prevalent speed run of making art that we often see on social media. ‘Get this Bread’ took a little over six months to create, which has been a great talking point regarding expectations on how fast work should move. Burn-out amongst artists is ever prevalent because most of us are already working a 9am-5pm, so our art occupies the 5pm-9pm (on a good day, and if you are lucky enough only need one job). By the end of the day, I am exhausted- while I am energized by this issue I am engaging with, I also need to rest. There’s no rush, and I think that’s something other artists should hold onto, there’s no consequence for taking the time you need. The idea that we need to be pumping out as much work as possible in order to be seen and taken seriously is another example of a system that prioritizes the commodification and outcome, over the process and careful investigation of a subject. I am an artist, not a machine.

Moving forward, I remain committed to creating work that centers around narratives, humanizes its subjects, and fosters connection and reflection. By continuing to engage with pressing social issues through art, I hope to contribute to meaningful dialogue and positive change within my community and beyond.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Food: Breakfast:
Tourist Home, my favorite thing to get is their Crullers (any and ALL!) and their Breakfast Burrito with Avocado
OR
Brandy’s (on the East Side), I love biscuits and gravy and theirs is arguably the best I’ve had in town

Lunch/Dinner (My friends and I are notorious snackers so only two meals in this
hypothetical long weekend)
Swaddee Thai, my favorite pad thai place- I always get the fried tofu
Lumberjack Pizza, they’ve got really great mozzarella sticks and a lunch deal!
The Corner Tavern, has the best fried Mac and Cheese Balls, and a really good Philly Cheese Steak

Dessert + Drinks
Yogaert- Not only is this sweet shop a huge supporter of the arts, but they have great frozen yogurt!
Mix- Amazing pastries and coffee! (The number one thing I drink is coffee, so they are a fan favorite)
Dark Sky Brewery, has AMAZING cheese curds for snacking and great brews as well! Love going to their bingo night (every Monday) and trivia (Thursdays!)
Hops on Birch, great tater tots!(if you can’t tell yet, I love fried food) and an awesome selection of beer!
FLG Terroir, for a more relaxed evening, you can have wine and overlook the downtown, they also have board games you can check out!

Things to Do:
Karaoke: The Gopher Hole hosts Karaoke every Wednesday
Thrifting: Fourth Street Vintage, Old Highway Trading Post, Victorian Moon Antiques & Enchantments
Hikes/Outdoors:
Buffalo Park
Mars Hill
Lake Mary
Lake Marshall

Arts and Culture:
Flagshakes (for theater!)
Northern Arizona University (I always check what’s going on at Ardrey Hall, there’s a wide range of performances from music to theater!)
Cline Library Movie Night: every Tuesday the Cline Library works with the Film School to put on a film series. If you like the theme of the semester, definitely see what’s showing!
Beasley Gallery, almost always has something up- be sure to check their operating hours!
Northern Arizona History Museum

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
I have had so many incredible artists, mentors, and supporters who have been integral to my growth as an artist. One of whom has been Barbara Ryan Gartin, who not only supported me in my undergraduate and graduate work but has become a faculty mentor to me as well during my first year adjuncting at Northern Arizona University. Her approach to building relationships and a repertoire where trust is foundational has set a standard in my practice which has led to my students building not only their skills but their confidence in their work. As I continue my career in academia, I look forward to following in her footsteps.

My heartfelt gratitude extends to my champions, particularly my childhood friend and her family, the Durans. Their steadfast support has been a constant presence throughout my journey, attending every show and award event, and consistently offering words of encouragement as my art has evolved and flourished. Without their genuine care, I would not have progressed as far as I have.

I owe a debt of gratitude to Kayley Quick, whose illustrious career in the arts in Flagstaff, Arizona, propelled me into the commercial realm of art. Without her guidance, I would not have had the numerous opportunities, particularly in city public projects, that have enriched my artistic endeavors.

Lastly, I am immensely thankful to my family for their unwavering support and boundless kindness, especially during times of uncertainty, of which there remains plenty.

Instagram: dana.makes.art