2023 ARTISTS
City Sounds is proud to be a supporter of local art and local artists. Here are the talented creators who will design pianos for the 2023 season.
Each artist received professional headshots by Joelle Blanchard of Figment Art Photography.
Born and raised in Azerbaijan and now residing in Des Moines, Iowa, Sadagat mostly enjoys wandering through the magical streets of her inner world. She loves sharing her authentic experiences in her poetry, her fairytale like stories and whimsical illustrations. She’s one of the pioneers of Bicultural Iowa Writers’ Fellowship. Sadagat’s stories, poems, and illustrations have been published in the anthologies We the Interwoven, Spark. Sadagat is a digital illustrator and she’s been exhibiting her art in Des Moines and surroundings since the beginning of 2022.
Katie Jensen is an interdisciplinary studio artist working in Des Moines Iowa. She graduated from Drake University with a BFA in painting. Her paintings range from ethereal landscapes to vibrant abstracts which are heavily influenced by nature and music. In addition to painting Katie has a passion for fiber art and creating unique pieces from found objects. You can find her at Studio 404 at The Fitch Building or on Instagram @nostalgiccreative and “Nostalgic Creative” on Facebook.
Christa Lautner is an artist and graduate of Savannah College of Art and Design. Christa has dedicated over 10 years to teaching art from ages 4 through 90+. Christa moved from Atlanta, GA to Des Moines, IA in 2009 where she met her husband Luke. They are raising 4 amazing children and a puppy together. After taking more than a decade off of art to concentrate on raising their family, Christa has been back in the studio, playing with watercolor, oil, and acrylic paint. It has been a humbling experience after not painting and drawing for so long but it feels great to be back in the studio, making beautiful paintings as well as mistakes and messes and figuring out what the last ten years have meant to her and how they have changed her as an artist. When not painting, teaching, or momming, Christa can be found leading the Des Moines Curling Club as President where she is always looking for ways to promote the sport of curling as well as looking for more ice time for the growing Des Moines Curling Club.
Hello! I am a feminine artist and therapist living in Ankeny, passionate about uplifting people and communities. Currently, in my artistic practice I utilize acrylic paint and collage to create images exploring the human experience; the ways people interact with their world in so many ways. In the last year exploring scale and public view has been an exciting part of my work, creating murals for the Drake neighborhood and Public Space One, down to an intimate 10x10' piece. It's all about interacting with people, which makes the City Sounds project so exciting!
Des Moines based Black queer Artist inspired by my southern roots and ancestral history. I have been honing my passion for mixed media paintings and drawings since 2013. Originally being an Art educator since 2017 I wanted to blend my love for youth development and painting by becoming an Artist mentor with a nonprofit devoted to creating opportunities for youth to transform through Art.
I am a second generation visionary artist, a queer intersectional feminist community builder, instructor, mentor and activist and have been writing and performing music for over 27 years.
I have been involved in both both visual art and music for most of my life and find that both have helped inform each other the entire time. communities of relationships opportunities, and experiences have both intertwined and blossomed in verdant growth from these mediums and I always look forward to sharing and partaking in them with everyone around me. I owe my experiences in the arts to meeting my wife and sharing in a beautiful son and as a family these dynamics continue to flow.
I’m constantly seeking the why of things. I’ve always painted and it’s a way to express the questions and feelings I have. Identifying as an artist has been a long journey highlighting my personal struggles with pursuing what I really love to do and finding a way to make it happen. Spending much of my professional life in behavioral psychology I concluded that I’m a better person when I paint. My artwork is playful, whimsical and almost childlike.
JACOB KUPERMAN is a Des Moines based, self-taught multidisciplinary art maker. His motivation is rooted in a daily need to learn, create, and directly shape the greater community. The images he produces embrace spontaneous gestures and simple lines to create what he perceives as an authentic form of expression. Interested and inspired by nature, imagination, homemade bread and our journey to create personal meaning, Jacob is an advocate for mental health, a better food system, and leaving any environment better than we found it.
Kathleen is an accomplished, professional fine artist that has traveled all over the world displaying her creativity. Kathleen is known for her award winning unique skill in 3D anamorphic chalk illusion performance at public festivals all over the United states. She is also a muralist, fine art painter, LIVE event painter, and botanical sculptor using elements of nature and preserved moss to create biophilic compositions. Kathleen is also a passionate teacher, using fine art to spark young minds and engage with learning new subjects. Her mission is to cultivate joy, peace, and love with her work to bring more light into this world.