2017 Walking Sculpture Tour
The Butterfly Dress
Artist Statement:
The Butterfly Dress is about beauty, loss and transformation. I made this piece as a way to remember all the fun times with my little girl and how she’s growing and transforming into a more beautiful and interesting person.
The imagery of the piece is my daughter’s school uniform slowly transforming into butterflies. There is sadness for the loss of childhood, but there’s beauty in what is to come.
About Kyle Fokken
Kyle Fokken was born in the small farming town of Clara City, Minnesota, a town with little to do but entertain yourself with your imagination. He was the first person in his family to attend college, graduating with a BFA in Ceramics with honors from Minnesota State University at St. Cloud. He started his artistic journey as a potter’s apprentice, interned with the Minnesota Museum of American Art and served on the Minnesota Crafts Council. He then took a position as a fundraising manager with ArtsMarketing Services in Toronto. After moving back to Minnesota, he had a successful career in the mortgage industry and kept active in the arts by volunteering with North East Minneapolis Arts Association and the Soap Factory (an alternative art space). He later left his banking career to work as a self-employed sculptor and stay at home dad. He lives in the North East Minneapolis Arts District (which he helped create) with his wife Heather and two great kids, Kasjen and Anika. He has shown in museums and art centers throughout the United States and abroad.