Lynn Garka

Lynn Garka is a mixed media artist and storyteller. She spent her childhood creating. As her older sister recalled, “She is sweet, but don’t let her touch your stuff! It will become part of some crazy 3-D moving circus diorama.” But as Lynn grew up so did her desire to “behave” and make her beloved family proud. No more art, her focus became being a successful student, athlete, and university bound pre-med major.

However, as the saying goes, you gotta be who you gotta be and Lynn was an artist. After years of caring for her family, Lynn now works in her studio creating mixed media sculpture and paintings and runs a nonprofit which gifts art supplies to youth who have suffered loss. Her current work focuses on telling women’s stories of survival. She uses multiple mediums to bring these complex and powerful stories to life.

Lynn received 2018 GAP Award funding for a series of sculptures that tell the stories of women survivors. Clay, wax, and reclaimed elements are combined to tell these complex stories. The series of work is titled Secret She to encourage dialogue that quietly strengthens understanding and compassion.