CV
vanessa decouto (she/they) is a self-taught experimental musician, tattoo artist, and teaching artist living in michigan. from drawing to print making, music to collage, her work is infused with a curiosity for life and the connections within. inspired by the earth, the mysterious, the dark and the light, vanessa’s focus on representing the world as it appears to her is through a lens entirely her own.
possessed by a nomadic disposition, she creates work instilled with a spirit of movement, exploration, and holy nature. in her hometown, she can be found playing live music, tattooing, and is a founding member of the artist collective & event space, vision house.
professional & related experience
2023
~break it down, make it better : “getting the most out of an artist residency” presentation
2022
~blue sky center 3 week desert fellow & exhibition
~amplify arts project : leader in training teen mentor
2021
~rancho linda vista 2 week artist residency & exhibition
~amplify arts project : 2 month resident guitar instructor & artist in residence committee member
2020
~amplify arts project summer of love internship mentor
2019
~dwelling place community arts organizer
~amplify arts project teaching artist/musician
2018
~artprize digital media manager
~lamplight music festival volunteer organizer & co-director
2017
~lamplight music festival volunteer organizer
~solo exhibition at madcap coffee
2016
~lamplight volunteer photographer
~break it down doing business spring cohort
2015
~solo exhibition at madcap coffee
artist residencies
2022 / cuyama, ca / desert fellowship at blue sky center / 3 week rural residency
2021 / oracle, az / rancho linda vista / 2 week rural residency
teaching experience
analogue recording 101, radio broadcasting, screen printing, paper mache, dreamscape painting, zine making 10, new mixtape just dropped, song writing, guitar
notable performances
music in the stacks (gr public libarary)
concerts under the stars (roger b. chaffee planetarium at the grand rapids public museum)
g.r.a.m. on the green (grand rapids art museum)
lamp light music festival
presentations
2023 / break it down, make it better / artist residency presentation
2022 / break it down, make it better / artist collective round table
2022 / blue sky center artist talk