Alyssa Rose Bliven
Artist Bio
Alyssa Rose Bliven is a Nebraskan-born, Kansas-based artist and object maker. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Metalsmithing from Cranbrook Academy of Art and a Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art from Hastings College. Alyssa’s work spans sculpture, drawing, painting, fiber, metal, clay, and jewelry, exploring material transformation, emotional resonance, and the relationships between objects, bodies, and spaces.
Her art practice is deeply informed by her life experiences: navigating depression and anxiety, growing up with severe asthma and allergies, and coming from a family of mechanics, medical professionals, teachers, and farmers. Alyssa draws inspiration from personal history, sentimentality, and the ways objects shape and reflect human experience.
Beyond her studio, Alyssa is the Director of Shafer Art Gallery, where she curates exhibitions, manages collections, and develops programming that connects communities with art. She lives in Great Bend, Kansas with her husband, their two sons, two cats, and a flourishing collection of houseplants. She is also a dedicated Pokémon trainer, Destiny Warlock, Ravenclaw house member, and a walking encyclopedia of cats.
Artist Statement
I am an artist and object maker.
I use objects to explore perception, emotion, and human connection. To me, making objects is both a practice of creation and a form of understanding the world. Objects (whether sculptural, wearable, or functional) carry histories, stories, and personalities. They are vessels for emotion, sites for play, and mediums for dialogue.
My work navigates dichotomies: masculine and feminine, intimate and public, playful and serious. I shift fluidly between materials (wax, clay, metal, fabric, and leather) allowing each to respond to the emotional and conceptual needs of a piece. This material fluidity mirrors the nonlinear nature of life, where progress is rarely a straight line, and resolution is found in exploration rather than certainty.
Collections and relationships between objects are central to my practice. I arrange objects as I might observe human interactions; who aligns, who resists, who thrives together. My work often begins in response to personal emotion, including experiences with depression and anxiety, but ultimately seeks connection with the viewer through humor, intimacy, and empathy.
Jewelry, fiber, and small-scale objects allow me to engage with everyday intimacy, while larger installations invite contemplation of broader human and cultural narratives. Across all scales, my objects are not merely things to look at; they are companions, provocations, and records of experience.