Teresa Dunn
- tdunn28@msu.edu
- Kresge 113
- Professor of Painting and Drawing
- Art, Art History and Design
Biography
Teresa Dunn is a Mexican American artist raised in rural Southern Illinois. Her identity, life, and art are influenced by her racial and cultural heritages and the complexities of being a brown woman in the Midwest. Teresa Dunn received her MFA from Indiana University Bloomington in 2002. She is a three-time recipient of the Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Fellowship, received the Jacob K Javits Fellowship from the US Department of Education, a Sustainable Arts Foundation Winners, and recipient of the Puffin Foundation Limited Grant. Dunn is affiliated Galerie l’Échaudé (Paris). Dunn exhibits widely including solo exhibitions at Henry Ford College, Central Michigan University, Buckham Gallery, First Street Gallery, The Dennos Museum, the Pendleton Center for the Arts, and the Zillman Art Museum. Recent group exhibition venues include the Muskegon Museum of Art, Kendall College of Art and Design, the National Arts Club, The Grand Rapids Art Museum, The Cincinnati Art Museum, and The Painting Center. Dunn’s work is in included in publications such as More Disruption: Representation in Flux by John Seed and An Artist and a Mother from Demeter Press. Dunn’s solo exhibition Étrange réalité at Galerie l’Échaudé (Paris 2012) was reviewed in French journals AZART and Miroir de l’Art. Other notable exhibitions include the inaugural Miami University Young Painters Competition (2000). Dunn attended the Vermont Studio Center and Cuttyhunk Island Artist Residencies. She has conducted many artist lectures including at the University of Washington Seattle and the Rome Art Program in Rome, Italy. Dunn’s work is included in numerous private and institutional collections including Michigan State University, The City of Grand Rapids, Central Michigan University, Paloozanoire, The Dennos Museum Center, the Zillman Art Museum, Kinsey Institute, Venice Baroque Orchestra, and Wright State University Art Galleries. Teresa Dunn is Professor of Painting and Drawing at Michigan State University in East Lansing where she has taught since 2006.
Works
Selected Gallery Affiliations and Artist Registries:
2012-present Galerie l’Échaudé, Paris, France
2021-present The Painting Center Art File Gallery, New York City, New York
2020-2023 All She Makes, Artist Directory, USA
2010-2022 First Street Gallery, New York City, New York
Selected Solo and Small Group Exhibitions: *indicates solo exhibition
2026 Solo Exhibition, Sheldon Galleries. St. Louis, MO* (forthcoming)
2025 Solo Exhibition, Sisson Gallery. Henry Ford College. Dearborn, MI*
2024 Baber Gallery, Park Library, Central Michigan University. Mount Pleasant, MI*
2024 El Corrido de Javier Salas Vera (Alegoría de los Mojados). Painting displayed in conjunction with Border Cantos | Sonic Borders, Grand Rapids Art Museum. Grand Rapids, MI.
2023 Buckham Gallery. Flint, Michigan. *
2023 US. The Dennos Museum Center. Traverse City, MI*
2022 US. First Street Gallery. New York, New York*
2022 Longing to be. Fishers/Wall Art Gallery, Marathon Center for the Performing Arts. Findlay, OH*
2022 The Indivisible Spectrum. The Painting Center. NY, NY. Curators: J. McFarland, P. Neri, K. Osterberg.
2021 Longing to be. University of Alabama Huntsville, Huntsville, AL *
2021 Longing to be. Pendleton Center for the Arts. Pendleton, Oregon. *
2020 Please Do Not Touch. Dunn, Kassianidou, Walcott, Healy, Hogden, and Roe. Biggin Gallery, Auburn University, Alabama.
2020 Cover the Waterfront, Leonard Gallery, Zillman Museum of Art, Bangor, Maine*
2019 a woman | an island | the moon, First Street Gallery, New York, NY *
2019 Nulla Piena, Collaborative Installation with Valeria Cozzarini, First Street Gallery, NY
2019 a woman | an island | the moon, Western Illinois University, Macomb, IL*
2018 Cover the Waterfront, Giertz Gallery, Parkland College, Champaign, IL *
2017 M o t h e r l o a d, Visual Arts Center, Washington Pavilion, Sioux Falls, South Dakota*
2016 M o t h e r l o a d, Hiestand Gallery, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio*
2015 Ebb and Ember, Hooks-Epstein Galleries, Houston, Texas *
2013 Unnatural Selection: Teresa Dunn, Ben Duke, & Robert McCann Lawrence Art Center, KS
2012 Strange realities/Étrange réalité, Solo Exhibition, Galerie l’Échaudé, Paris, France *
2008 Teresa Dunn and Ben Duke, Paintings, University of Wisconsin Parkside, Kenosha, WI
2008 Figurative Fictions Teresa Dunn, Ben Duke, Robert McCann, Dayton Visual Arts Center, OH
2000 Miami University Young Painters Competition. Oxford, OH; Juror: Robert Kurtz
Selected Group, Juried, and Invitational Exhibitions:
2025 On the Edge. Mary Heaton Vorse House. Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
2024 ArtPrize Group Exhibition. Kendall College of Art and Design. Grand Rapids, Michigan
2024 Muskegon Museum of Art’s 95th Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition. Muskegon, Michigan. Juror Jonathan Thunder.
2023 Verified, Black & Brown Faces. Cincinnati Art Museum. Cincinnati, Ohio. Curated by Paloozanoire.
2023 6th Annual 12×12 Show. Elephant Room Gallery. Chicago, Illinois. Curated by Kimberly Leja Atwood.
2023 AFFILIATION. The National Arts Club. NY, NY. Curated by JoAnne McFarland, Heather Topick, Sasha Chavchavadze.
2022 The Indivisible Spectrum. The Painting Center. NY, NY. Curators: JoAnne McFarland, Perri Neri, and Kristin Osterberg.
2021 12th Annual Figurative Exhibition. Degenstein Gallery. Susquehanna Univ. Selinsgrove, PA. Juror, Anne Harris
2021 Summer 2021. Blue Mountain Gallery. New York, NY. Juror, Catherine Kehoe
2021 Disrupted Realism. Featuring Anne Harris. Buckham Gallery. Flint, MI. Juror, John Seed
2020 The Body Language, ITSLIQUID GROUP, Palazzo Ca’ Zanardi, Venice, Italy
2020 Woman: Donne Combattenti. ArteStudio Morandi. Bergamo, Italy. Director: Emilio Morandi
2019 Be.Long.Ing, Online Exhibition. I Like Your Work Podcast. Juror: Erika Hess
2017 Les Femmes Folles BARED, GfG, Nashville Tennessee. Curator, Sally Deskins
2011 National Biennial: Figurative Painting. Amarillo Museum of Art. Juror M. M. Erlebacher
2011 The 4th National Juried Exhibition, Prince Street Gallery, New York. Juror: William Bailey
2010 Painting Only, National Competition. Pacific Art League. Palo Alto, California.
2009 Art at the X: Celebrating Women. Xavier University Art Gallery, Cincinnati, Ohio.
2008 2008 Biennial: Contemporary American Realism, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, IN
2008 35th Annual Competition, Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA, Juror: Carole Robb
2004 Drawing from Perception V, Wright State University; Dayton, Ohio; Juror: Charles Cajori,
2003 Contemporary Drawing 2003. T. W. Wood Gallery & Arts Center; Montpelier, VT
2000 43rd Annual Delta Exhibit. Arkansas Arts Center; Little Rock, AR; Juror: Graham Nickson
Selected Fellowships, Grants, Awards, and Recognitions:
2024 Artista Latino. Western Michigan Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Community Award.
2024 Best in Show. Muskegon Museum of Art’s 95th Michigan Contemporary Art Exhibition. Juror, Jonathan Thunder.
2023 Awardee. Sustainable Arts Foundation. San Francisco, California.
2022 Puffin Foundation. Grant, Suspended: Between the American Reality and the American Dream. Teaneck, New Jersey.
2022 Finalist. Sustainable Arts Foundation. San Francisco, California.
2022 Jackson’s Painting Prize Longlist, London. 400 of 8949. Jury: C. Holder, M. Hanselaar, M. Boulton, C. Kennaugh, S. Panchal.
2021 Fourth Prize. 12th Annual Figurative Exhibition. Susquehanna University. Juror, Anne Harris.
2021 Second Prize. Disrupted Realism, Buckham Gallery. Juror, John Seed.
2020-22 Humanities and Arts Research Program Development Grant, Michigan State University.
2012 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Fellow. 3rd/Final Grant. Canada
2008 Tri-Best in Show, Contemporary American Realism, Ft Wayne Museum of Art, Juror, Carl Little
2007 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Fellow, 2nd Grant. Canada
2000-02 Jacob K. Javits Fellow, U.S. Department of Education
2000 Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Fellow, 1st Grant. Canada
Selected Publications:
2025 Fernandez Veloso, Jenifer. “Ni aqui, ni alla. A letter to my ancestors.” Observations. A Collection of Compositions Created for Buckham Fine Arts Projects’s Writer in Residence, vol. 4, 2025, pp. 24–29.
2023 Seed, John. More Disruption: Representation in Flux. Schiffer Publishing. Pages 188-193. October 28, 2023
2023 Dunn, Teresa. An Artist and a Mother, edited by Tara Carpenter Estrada, et al., Demeter Press. Pages 167-172.
2022 Dunn, Teresa. “Call For Submission Image “#COVIDelicious, 2020.” Home, Short Edition ed., Michigan State University Libraries, East Lansing, MI, 2022, p. 94. In Collaboration with the Broad Art Museum Exhibit “Where We Dwell”.
2021 Friend of the Artist. Volume 14. Fall/Winter 2021. Pages 32-35, Inside Back Cover. Juror, Adele Smejkal.
2021 Henderson, Teri. “‘Teresa Dunn: Featured Artist.’” All She Makes, Edited by Svitlana Martynjuk, no. Spring, 2021, pp 12-18.
2018 Seed, John. “Islands”. 2018. Exhibition essay.
2015 Dunn, Teresa. A Painted Ship, 2013. Knee Deep, 2014. Who dunnit?, 2014. Paint Pulse Magazine. Issue 1. March 2015. Boston: Lauren Coulson, 2015. 12-13. Print.
2012 Galerie L’Échaudé, comp. Teresa Dunn: Étrange Rèalitè. Paris: Galerie L’Échaudé, 2012. Print. Essay, Vincent Delaury.
2010 Dunn, Teresa. “L’albero. 2010. Private Collection, Venice.” Studio Visit: A Juried Selection of International Visual Artists. Ed. Steven T. Zevitas & Andrew Katz. Vol. 12. Boston, MA: Open Studios Press, 2010. 38-39. Print.
2009 Dunn, Teresa. “Texas Transplant. 2006. Private Collection, Houston.” Self: Self-portraits from around the World. Comp. Craig Kerrecoe. Westgate-on-Sea, UK: Beautiful Cariad, 2009. 14. Print.
Selected Reviews, Press, and Interviews:
2025 Forward Pathway. “Teresa Dunn: The Interweaving of Art and Identity.” Forward Pathway, 14 Feb. 2025,
2024 White, Russ. “Inaugural Spartan Bus Tour Highlights MSU’s Statewide Impact.” WKAR Public Media. Accessed 24 Oct. 2024.
2024 Pohl, Scott. “Art Project Brings Works to REO Town.” WKAR Public Media from Michigan State University, WKAR Public Media, 28 Mar. 2024
2024 Medina, Amalia. “MSU Art Professor Lets Creativity, Storytelling Guide Her Latest Work.” The State News, 13 May 2024
2024 Reed, Deborah. “New Multi-Sensory Exhibit at Gram Aims to Spark Conversation about Mexican-American Border – WKTV Journal.” WKTV Journal – Where Local News Matters Most, 13 Feb. 2024
2024 Smahliuk, Masha. “‘It Makes Me Feel Seen.’” Central Michigan Life, 5 Apr. 2024,
2024 10, WILX News. “New Mural Unveiled in Reo Town Depicts ‘Positive Representations of Women.’” Https://Www.Wilx.Com, 21 Feb. 2024
2024 Reed, Deborah. “New Multi-Sensory Exhibit at Gram Aims to Spark Conversation about Mexican-American Border – WKTV Journal.” WKTV Journal – Where Local News Matters Most, 13 Feb. 2024
2023 “Black and Brown Faces: Verified – Cincinnati Art Museum – through Jan. 21.” The Voice of Black Cincinnati, 8 Dec. 2023
2023 Interview by Tyler Thompson. “New Exhibits at the Dennos Museum Explore and Celebrate BIPOC Identity.” Interlochen Public Radio. Publication and Broadcast Date, 1/23/2023. Audio Replay embedded in web-page 4 minutes 36 seconds.
2023 Baxter, Alli. “Traverse City Museum Showcases Work by BIPOC Artists on MLK Day.” WPBN, 16 Jan. 2023
2023 Art-to-Art Palette Journal “Voices of record for the Arts and Educational communities since 1988.”, At the Museums Department. “A Look of Cultural Complexity in America.” Art-to-Art Palette Journal, Art-to-Art Palette Journal, 18 Dec. 2022
2021 Leclaire, Michele, Gallery Director. Disrupted Realism: In Conversation with John Seed, Anne Harris, Yvette L Cummings, Teresa Dunn, and Craig Cully. YouTube, 23 Apr. 2021.
2020 Little, Carl. “Cover the Waterfront: Teresa Dunn.” Art New England: Contemporary Art & Culture, March/April, 2020, p. 62.
2019 For Art’s Sake. Taped Interview with Parkland College Television. 21 Aug 2019. 27 minutes 29 seconds. Champaign, Illinois.
2016 “Teresa Dunn: Motherload”. FIRST INDIGO & LIFESTYLE:21st Cent Art, Design, Performance, Environment. Web 3 Jun. 2016.
2016 Dunn, Teresa. “On Finishing, Teresa Dunn” Interview. MW Capacity, A blog for no-coasters. 6 Jan. 2016. Web 7 Jan. 2016.
2012 Mine, Molly. “Teresa Dunn: Chroniques D’une Vie (extra)ordinaire.” AZART 58 (2012): 60-66. Print.
2012 Ladune, Benoit. “Rêve American.” Miroir de l’Art. Number 35. April 2012. Paris. pp. 34-37. Print.
2009 Hendley, Meghan. “The Front Row, Tuesday, 05/26/2009.” Huhf.fm Houston Public Radio, 26 May 2009. Web.
2007 Rhodes, Dusti. “The Mind of Marquez.” Houston Press 3-9 May 2007: 26. Print.
Selected Residencies and Demonstrations
2017 Cuttyhunk Island Artist Residency, Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts. Sep 8-16, 2017
2014 Demonstrating Artist: The Art of Observation. Broad Art Museum. East Lansing, MI
2012 Visiting Artist, Kohl’s Art Generation Family Sunday Milwaukee Art Museum, WI
2007 Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Vermont, August 5-18, 2007
2003 Demonstrating Artist. Living Traditions: Family 1st Saturdays, Cincinnati Art Museum
Selected Artist Talks +indicates virtual
2024 Panelist. Cinco de Mayo, Celebrating Art in Hispanic Culture. Treasury Hispanic Heritage Committee. State of Michigan Dept of Treasury. May 2, 2024.
2024 Gallery Talk. Baber Gallery, Central Michigan University. Mount Pleasant, Michigan. April 8, 2024
2023 Smallidge Sponsored Lecture featuring Teresa Dunn. Buckham Gallery. Flint, Michigan
2023 Gallery Talk. Dennos Museum Center. Traverse City, Michigan
2022 Visiting Artist Lecture and Demonstration. Youngstown State University. Youngstown, Ohio
2022 Visiting Artist Lecture. Mississippi State University. Starkville, Mississippi +
2021 Visiting Artist Lecture. School of Art. University of Washington Seattle +
2020 Visiting Artist Talk. Auburn University. Auburn, Alabama +
2017 Visiting Artist Lecture and Student Critiques. Rome Art Program. Rome, Italy
2016 Visiting Artist Lecture/Student Critiques. Miami University. Oxford, Ohio.
Selected Collections and Commissions:
Celegon Commission. Pellestrina, Italy
Central Michigan University. Mt. Pleasant, Michigan
City of Grand Rapids, Michigan
Department of Psychiatry, Michigan State Univ, East Lansing
Dennos Museum Center, Traverse City, Michigan
Fava Commission. Folina, Italy
JoAnne McFarland Collection, Founder and Director of ArtPoetica Project Space
Kinsey Institute Collection, Indiana Univ Bloomington
L’Opera Stravagante Commission, Venice, Italy
Marcon Commission. Treviso, Italy
Michigan State University. East Lansing, Michigan
Paloozanoire Commission. Cincinnati, Ohio
Stanbury Commission. East Lansing, Michigan
Taroni Commission. Venice, Italy
Venice Baroque Orchestra Commission. Venice, Italy
Wright State Univ Art Galleries Collection. Dayton, Ohio
Zillman Art Museum Collection, Univ of Maine. Bangor, Maine
Zanenghi Commission. Venice, Italy
Gallery
College of Arts & Letters News
- Faculty Voice: I’m a Maker and a StorytellerCollege of Arts & Letters
February 14, 2025Teresa Dunn is a Mexican American artist raised in rural southern Illinois. Her identity life and art are influenced by her racial and cultural heritages and the complexities of being a brown woman in the Midwest. She’s a Professor of Painting and Drawing in the Department of […] Read Now →
- Professor Shines Spotlight on Women of Color with State and International Award-Winning WorkCollege of Arts & Letters
October 3, 2024Teresa Dunn, a Mexican American artist and Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at Michigan State University, is using her artistic talent to shine a spotlight on women of color who are often overlooked or diminished. Dunn is now being honored with […] Read Now →
- Art, Art History, and Design Faculty Triennial Exhibit Runs Through July 21 at MSU BroadCollege of Arts & Letters
February 5, 2024The works of 22 Department of Art, Art History, and Design (AAHD) faculty are now on display through July 21, 2024, at the MSU Broad Art Museum as part of an exhibition that highlights the diverse, experimental, and interdisciplinary creative practices of these talented and […] Read Now →
- Faculty Promotions for 2022College of Arts & Letters
December 1, 2022The College of Arts & Letters is pleased to recognize the faculty members who recently were promoted to full professor, associate professor, or associate professor-fixed term.
- Alumna Completes an Art Project Every Single Day of the YearCollege of Arts & Letters
August 9, 2021Jill Hakala, artist, painter, and alumna of MSU’s Department of Art, Art History, and Design, has taken a unique and creative approach to art through her 365 projects, a series of original works created by Hakala for each day of the year. “I have had a passion for art ever […] Read Now →
SPARTANS WILL | © Michigan State University