Artist Statement

Working with my hands has saved my life.

Instead of being the fastest or the smartest I found my strength, sanctuary and cushion from the world in making art.

My grandma gave me my first art lessons when I was very young. She sewed my clothes growing up and this influenced me to later teach myself how to use the sewing machine - allowing imperfections, emotions, and child like energies to fuel and inspire me to create.

I want to push myself to make art with the things around me, to be resourceful and to follow my heart’s inspiration.

Making something wearable, drawing with sharpies or the sewing machine, sculpting, to creating installations that incorporate all of these elements has become my spirituality - my survival..

Exhibitions
• Avram Eisen Gallery, “Bert Menco and Danny Mansmith”, October 9 – 28, 2009
• Artists of Eastbank Building, “Conversations in Clay: Merging Media”, October 10 – 17, 2009
• Noyes Cultural Arts Center, “Stitch Me A Story”, September 16 – November 10, 2009
• Santa Fe Weaving Gallery, “Body Sculpture”, June 9 – 15, 2009
• Northern Illinois University Art Museum, “Crossing Threads, Crossing Boundaries”, January 20, 2009 – March 6, 2009
• MN Gallery, Solo Exhibition, “Life Through The Sewing Machine”, October 24, 2008 - November 9, 2008
• Indie Collective Gallery, September 6 – October 24, 2008
• Hyde Park Art Center, “Not Just Another Pretty Face”, October 18, 2008 – January 17, 2009
• Foutainhead Gallery, “Pens & Needles”, works by Shawna Handke and Danny Mansmith, June 4-June 21, 2008
• Ridge Art,”Fabric and Fabricators: Four Textile Artists”, May 16 – August, 2008
• Hyde Park Art Center, Gallery 4, “Soft Life “,January 20 -March 30, 2008
• Hyde Park Art Center, “Double Walkers, Transfigurations Thru Fashion”, December 7-16, 2007
• Gallery 659, “Off The Wall”, November 27-December 30, 2007
• Suffolk Museum,”Women of Steel, Men of Cloth,” September 15, 2007-October 21,2007
• NeoCon 2007,Herman Miller Chicago Showroom,June 11,12,13,2007
• Gallery659,"4BY4",May4-May30,2007
• Gallery659,"Men @ Work",April 6-April 30,2007
• Gallery659,"Founders Show",March 2-March 31,2007
• Artstream Studios,"Extreme Textiles" March 1-April 30,2007
• Edna Carlesten Gallery at University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point,"Clothing as Metaphor",March 11-April 8,2007
• Chicago Cultural Center,"Stitching Salon" January 2,2007-February 28,2007, fiber based sculpture
• Artformz Alternative Gallery,”It’s SO unfair”November 11-January 9,2007,installation of 7’ tall fabric,wood figure with 600 paper flowers
• Judy A Saslow Gallery, “Scene in Chicago”, October 20-Nomember 25 ,2006 fiber sculpture and two dimensional works
• Old Market,”Static”,October 13-31,2006,collaborative works with Theaster Gates
• ArtWalk Ravenswood,” Open studio”,October 7& 8, 2006
• Artformz Alternative Gallery,”Extraordinary Worlds”,September 9-November 7, 2006,two dimensional and three dimensional fiber based works
• Art on Armitage, a window gallery, June 2006,installation of mixed media sculpture
• Morpho Gallery, “Visions of the Unknown”, April-May 2006, fiber sculpture
• Artformz, “Colorblind”, March-April 2006, Miami, FL, work made with a limited color palate
• Reversible Eye, “Doll and Puppet Show”, January 2006, fabric and paper dolls
• Cornelia Arts Building, “Between the Lines”, May 2005, fiber sculpture, bags, and wearable art
• Morpho Gallery, “Dream=Land”, December 2005, paper and fabric sculpture
• Gross Park Sculpture Invitational, “Look Up. Look In. Look Out.”, flora and fauna inspired fiber sculpture
• Izzo/Jones Gallery, “Artropolis”, 2004, paper and fabric sculpture
• Soul Café, “Frayed Knot”, 2004, fabric Sculpture and paper and fabric collage
• Gross Park Sculpture Invitational, Rejectamenta, 2004, found paper and fabric sculpture
• Plastiscene Loft, “33 1/3”, 2004, fabric and paper sculpture
• Gallery 203, “Want to Wear”, 1994, clothing and paper and fabric collage

Art Shows
• Artist Wreath Invitational, lill Street Art Center, November 30, 2007
• Artist Trunk Show and Sale at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, October 26, 2007, Saturday and Sunday, October 27 and 28,2007
• Cornelia Arts Holiday Sale, Cornelia Fine Arts Building, 2003, 2004, 2005
• Out There Art Fair, Wood Street Gallery, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
• Art for Charity Days, Cornelia Fine Arts Building, 2004

Workshops And Other Events
. Wormfarm Institute Residency October 12 - 18 , 2009
• Chicago Gardens Past & Present, collaboration with Cathi Bouzide, June 17 – August 16, 2009
• The Fields Project, Oregon, IL June 14 – June 22, 2008
• Artist in Residence at Caro D’Offay Gallery for “The Colorist Chess” October, 2007
• Ravenswood Art Walk, 2006, 2007, 2008
• Symposium on Contemporary Textiles in Illinois at the Ukrainian Institute of Modern Art, The Boys Meet the Girls Panel, Sunday, November 4, 2007
• Lillstreet Art Center,Sculptural hand bag class late summer and early fall sessions 2007
• Elm Place Middle School,discussion about my work and demonstration of collaged musical instruments with the themes of the Harlem Renaissance given to the 6,7,and 8 graders of Beth Lucker’s art classes
• Braeside Elementary School, Art Night, 2006 – fabric doll demonstration
• Fabric, 2005, Roosevelt University – demonstration of fiber art methods
• Art: The Fiber of Education, 2004, Michigan Art Education Association, Battle Creek Michigan – artist talk and demonstration of fiber art methods Altered

Work Available At
• Shop at Lillstreet Art Center
. Santa Fe Weaving gallery
• Etsy.com, SCRAPdannymansmith, online store

Education
Self taught Fiber,Mixed Media Artist.

In The Private Collection Of
• J. Robert Duncan
• Ruth Horwich