Kristen Palana

Kristen Palana is an American/Portuguese multidisciplinary artist (born in 1976 in Fall River, Massachusetts, USA) based in Rome, Italy. After decades as a digital artist and full-time university professor, in 2021 she reconnected with her fine art roots. Inspired by the lofty mission statements used by the world’s top organizations, her mixed media drawings are a call to action to visualize better outcomes for our lives, communities, and the planet. Kristen's earlier animations have screened at over 75 international film festivals, earning numerous “Best Animated Short Film” awards, including at the Cannes Short Film Festival, Italy International Film Festival, and Sunscreen Film Festival.

As an educator, Kristen taught at universities on four continents. She co-founded the Film and Digital Media BFA at The American University of Rome, where she was tenured and led the Film and Digital Media Program between 2013-2016. From 2016 to 2019, she expanded her teaching to academic institutions and NGOs in Myanmar, including at the groundbreaking American University of Myanmar.

When not making fine art, Kristen works as a designer and educator for United Nations agencies and international bodies, including the World Health Organization...

2002 MFA in Computer Graphics and Interactive Media, graduation with distinction, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. USA

1998 BFA in Painting, graduation with distinction, Massachusetts College of Art and Design, Boston, MA. USA

2023 Three-person Exhibition, Remedy: How We Heal, Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA. USA. (curated by Deborah Charlebois)

2022 Solo Exhibition, Here and There: Sacred Objects, Spirit Animals, and Symbols for Manifesting, Narrows Center for the Arts, Fall River, MA. USA (curated by Deborah Charlebois)

2018 Transformation 2018, Re:Artiste, NYC, NY. USA

2018 Artist and Location 2018, Czong Institute for Contemporary Art, CICA Museum, Gimpo, South Korea

2018 Something Lost, Tapir Gallery, Berlin, Germany

*See Artist Resume with list of awards and exhibitions: https://kpalana.com/artists-resume-palana-2/