Dena Tollefson
Selected Solo and Group Exhibitions
2016 Spring Art Paintout and Gallery Artist Group Exhibition Canyon Road Contemporary, Santa Fe, NM
2016 Dena Tollefson 2016 Paintings Solo Exhibit Nuance Galleries, Tampa, FL
2016 Contemporary Artists in the Spotlight, May Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2016 Color & Light: Painters Ryan & Tollefson's Approach to the Landscape, Gallery CM, Dubuque, IA
2015 Tollefson Solo Exhibit, CornerHouse Gallery, Cedar Rapids, IA
2015 Regional Juried Exhibit, Freport Art Museum, Freeport, IL
2015 Small Works Show Chait Galleries Downtown, Iowa City, IA
2015 Fall Gallery Show, Milward Farrell Fine Art, Madison, WI
2015 Dena Tollefson Solo Exhibit, Nuance Galleries, Tampa, FL
2014 Dena Tollefson and Peter Pettegrew 2 Person Exhibit, Nuance Galleries, Tampa, FL
2014 Mary Zeran & Dena Tollefson 2 Person Exhibit, Simpson College, Indianola, IA
2014 Dena Tollefson and James Henry Walker 2 Person Exhibit, Galesburg Civic Art Center, IL
2014 Good Enough to Eat Juried Exhibition at Quad City Arts Rock Island, IL
2013 Featuring the Art of Dena Tollefson, May Gallery, Scottsdale, AZ
2013 Preview Exhibit, Nuance Galleries, Tampa, FL
2013 An Occasion for Art Starring Midwest Artists, CornerHouse Gallery, Cedar Rapids, IA
2013 Spring Gallery Show, Milward Farrell Fine Art, Madison, WI
2013 Small Works Show Chait Galleries Downtown. Iowa City, IA
2012 Collecting the Corridor, CR Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA Sean Ulmer, Curator
2012 Still Life Show, CornerHouse Gallery, Cedar Rapids, IA
2012 Group Show, Wiederspan Gallery, Cedar Rapids, IA
2012 Small Works Show Chait Galleries Downtown. Iowa City, IA
2012 Dena Tollefson New Work, Solo Exhibit, Mary Greeley Hospital, Ames, IA
2012 Zeran and Tollefson 2 Person Exhibit, Lowe Center for the Arts, Marion, IA
2012 3 Person Exhibit: Art at the Airport Gallery, Quad Cities International Airport, Moline, IL
2011 Greta Songe, Lee Kimball, Dena Tollefson, CornerHouse Gallery, Cedar Rapids IA
2011 Zeran and Tollefson 2 Person Exhibit, Maquoketa Art Experience, Maquoketa, IA
2011 Fresh Paint 2011 Plein Air Paintings, Catiri’s Art Gallery Amana, IA
2011 Corn County, Solo Exhibit, Carl and Mary Koehler History Center Cedar Rapids, IA
2011 Drips and Daubs 2 Person Exhibit, Burlington Art Guild, Burlington, IA
2011 3rd Annual Small Works Show, Chait Galleries Downtown Iowa City, IA
2011 Spring Gallery Show Wiederspan Gallery, Cedar Rapids, IA
2010 Energy, Light and Color 3 Person Exhibit, Lowe Center for the Arts, Marion IA
2010 Spring Gallery Show, Wiederspan Gallery, Cedar Rapids IA
2010 Dena Tollefson Abstractions, Solo Exhibit, University of Iowa Hospitals, Iowa City, IA
2010 2nd Annual Small Works Show, Chait Galleries Downtown Iowa City, IA
2010 Tollefson’s Daubism, Solo Exhibit, Catiri’s Art Gallery Amana, IA
2009 Fresh Paintings Smith, Wegman, Tollefson,Chait Galleries Downtown Iowa City, IA
2009 Spring Gallery Show, Wiederspan Gallery, Cedar Rapids IA
2009 Small Works Show, Chait Galleries Downtown Iowa City, IA
2008 New Work, Wiederspan Gallery, Cedar Rapids IA
2007 New Work, Wiederspan Gallery, Cedar Rapids IA
2006 New Work, Wiederspan Gallery, Cedar Rapids IA
2005 New Work, Wiederspan Gallery, Cedar Rapids IA
2004 South Cobb Arts 17th National Juried Art Exhibition, Mableton, GA Juror: Gregor Turk
2002 Breckenridge Fine Arts Center 11th Annual Juried Show Breckenridge, TX. Juror: Ross
Merrill, National Gallery of Art Washington, D.C. Chief of Conservation.
2002 Mother Lode International 36th Annual 2002 Juried Art Contest, Placerville, CA. Juror:
Martha Saudek.
2002 Impact Artist's Gallery Fall 2002 National Exhibition Juried Show, Buffalo, NY
Juror: Nina Freudenheim
2002 Arts 2002 National Juried Art Exhibition Rockwall, TX Juror: Charles Wylie, Curator
Contemporary Art at Dallas Museum of Art
Museum, Corporate & Selected Private Collections
Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA.
Iowa Department of Human Services, Cedar Rapids, IA
Terso Solutions Corporation Madison, WI
Farm Credit Services Omaha, NE
Marion Arts Council Marion, IA
Monsanto Corporation St Louis, MO
Ronald McDonald Facility/Unity Point Health Cedar Rapids, IA
Ruberry, Stalmack, and Garvey Law Firm Chicago, IL
Mercy Hospital Cedar Rapids, IA
St Luke’s Hospice Cedar Rapids, IA
StarcomMediaVest CEO, Chicago, IL
PCI Cardiologists, Inc., Cedar Rapids, IA
St Luke’s hospital, Cedar Rapids, IA.
United Fire and Casualty Owner, Cedar Rapids, IA
Mableton Bank, Mabelton, GA
Lil’ Drug Stores CEO, Scottsdale, AZ
Current Gallery Representation
Canyon Road Contemporary Santa Fe, NM
Nuance Galleries, Tampa, FL
Milward Farrell Fine Art Madison, WI
CornerHouse Gallery, Cedar Rapids, IA
Quad City Arts, Rock Island, IL
Honors and Awards
2015 Juror for Marion Arts Festival, Marion, IA
2011 Plein Air Award, Fresh Paint Plein Air, Catiri’s Gallery Amana, IA
2011 Juror for Marion Arts Festival, Marion, IA
2005 1st Place, CCofC Art Exhibit Cedar Rapids, IA
2004 Purchase Award, South Cobb Arts 17th National Juried Art Exhibition, Mableton, GA
Speaking Events, Demonstrations and Workshops
2016 Plein Air Painting Demonstration at Canyon Road Contemporary Santa Fe, NM
2016 Painting Demonstration at Nuance Galleries, St Petersburg, FL
2016 Painting Demonstation Cedar Rapids Museum of Art sponsored by Marvin Cone Art Club
2016 Artist's Talk/Gallery Talk at Gallery C Dubuque, IA
2014 Painting Demonstration at Nuance Galleries, St Petersburg, FL sponsored by the Tampa Bay Times
2012 Radio Interview, “Art Talks!” public radio 90.3FM Augustana College Airing June 1, 2012,
Podcast available online http://www.wvik.org/listings- arttalks.htm Rock Island, IL
2012 Art Bites: Dena Tollefson Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, Cedar Rapids, IA
2011 Guest Speaker, Creative Artists, Cedar Rapids, IA
2011 Art In Action Painting Demonstration, Catiri's Art Oasis Gallery, Amana, IA
2010 Certified Grumbacher Workshop Instructor, Representing Grumbacher Paints and brushes
2010 A Conversation with Artist Dena Tollefson, Guest Speaker, Carl and Mary Koehler History
Center, Cedar Rapids, IA
2010 Painting Demonstration and Art Talk Lowe Center for the Arts, Marion, IA
2010 Collector’s Circle Demonstration for Cedar Rapids Museum of Art Collector’s Circle
Hosted by Sean Ulmer, CR Museum of Art Curator
2010 Art In Action Painting Demonstration, Catiri's Art Oasis Gallery, Amana, IA
Selected Bibliography
2016 "Santa Fe Openings", Albuquerque Journal, 1 May 2016 page 11
2016"Gallery and Museum Events", Phoenix Home and Garden Magazine, Feb 2016 page 133
2016 News Feature article, Tollefson and Ryan, Telegraph Herald, July 28, 2016
2016 Art in America, Guide to Galleries, Museums, Artists 2016
2016 "Color and Light: Painters Ryan and Tollefson Approach Landscape" 365Ink, issue #270 p 16
2015 “Live Painting Exhibition: Dena Tollefson” TampaBay Times, Feb 19, 2015
2015 Marquis Who's Who in America, 70th Edition, Sept 2015
2015 Art in America Guide to Galleries, Museums, Artists 2015
2015“Culture Crawl” Jazz 88.3FM KCCK March 3, 2015
2014 "Dena Tollefson and Peter Pettegrew", Tampa Bay Times, Jan 28, 2014
2014 May Gallery Scottsdale Arizona Annual Catalog 2014 p 12
2013 "Gallery and Museum Events", Phoenix Home & Garden Magazine, Judy Harper, Oct 2013 p 158
2013 Art in America, Guide to Galleries, Museums, Artists 2013
2012 Art in America, Guide to Galleries, Museums, Artists 2012
2012 “Fresh Paint 2012”, Melinda Wichmann, The Pioneer- Republican, July 26, 2012
2012 “Marion Arts Council”, Sally Danaher Welsch, City Revealed Magazine Aug 2012
2012 “Lure of the Local: CR Museum of Art to Showcase Recent Works by Area Artists”
Diana Nollen, Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier Jan 29, 2012
2011 “Artist Duo at Gallery”, The Telegraph Herald, Sept 2011
2011 “Amana Colony News: Plein Air Painting”, Melinda Wichmann, The Pioneer-
Republican, Sept 15 2011
2011 “Art Guild Having a Busy Summer”, Bobby Wilson, The Hawkeye July 24 2011
2011 Amana Colonies 2011 Visitor’s Guide, Amana, IA
2011 “C. R. Artist to Give Painting Demonstration” Diana Nollen, Cedar Rapids Gazette, May 15
2010 “Out and About” Darren Tromblay Urbandale Living Magazine, Dec 2010
2010 “Corn is King” Angela Holmes, Cedar Rapids Gazette, Sept 4 2010
2009 “Chait Galleries Features Three Women” Nick Fetty, The Daily Iowan, Feb11 2009
2002 “Enter the Dragon” Breckenridge Fine Arts Center Exhibit Catalog, p12
Education and Background
Born December 23, 1965
Bachelor's degree from Iowa State University 1988
Graduate classes University of Iowa 1994
Professional Memberships
Allied Artists of America, Associate Member
Oil Painters of America, Associate Member