Elyse-Krista Mische is a Certified Nursing Assistant, hospice volunteer, and mixed-media artist who contemplates mortality, memory, and time through her drawings, sculpture, and performance pieces. She embraces make-believe and craft processes from her youth to address universal existential issues. Elyse-Krista hails from St. Cloud Minnesota and resides in Appleton WI, where in 2011 she earned a B.A. in studio art from Lawrence University. Elyse-Krista has been awarded multiple artist residencies, some of which include The Charles Adams Studio Project (Lubbock, TX 2016), Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts (Gatlinburg, TN 2017-18), SpringBoard for the Arts (Fergus Falls MN 2019) and Breckenridge Creative Arts (Breckenridge, CO 2019). Elyse-Krista is an advocate of the Death Positive Movement, shows her work both nationally and internationally, serves as an appointed member of the Appleton Public Art Committee, and creates art programming opportunities for the elderly in her community. Elyse-Krista serves as the Creative Director for Neighborhood Partners’ Neighborhood Puppet Parades and was recently an artist in residence with Time Slips and The Wisconsin Department of Health working with three Appleton area nursing homes to create a multi-sensory creative celebration. She has ongoing partnerships with the Fox Valley Memory Project and SPARK! working creatively with elders. Elyse-Krista is perusing a Master of Science Degree in Thanatology (Death Studies) and looks forward to talking with you about life, death, and everything in between.
“I construct inviting and curious works in hope of deconstructing barriers that separates human beings from talking about and acknowledging death. My creations act as time capsules for preserving personal and non-personal real and fabricated memories and experiences.
Make-believe and crafty materials from my childhood and craft processes introduced to me by my elders evoke a sense of nostalgia. Latch-hook, embroidery, papier-mâché, and collage are welcoming and tactile mediums that draw people in with whimsy while debunking notions of death being dark and unapproachable. I hope to create a welcoming space for people to consider and share their own beliefs.”
Find Elyse-Krista at: lifepropaganda.com
