Danielle Pagano (b. 2004) is an emerging painter based in Michigan whose work explores overconsumption, isolation, and the emotional residue of contemporary life. Working primarily in figurative oil painting, Pagano examines how bodies, domestic objects, and landscapes become sites of excess, longing, and instability. Her practice considers sustainability not only as a material concern, but as an emotional and psychological condition shaped by what individuals and societies choose to hold onto.
Pagano received her visual arts education through the International Academy of Macomb and is currently completing a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science at Oakland University. She has exhibited nationally in juried and group exhibitions including The Baker National 2026 at Holt Russell Gallery (KS), The 112th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition at The Scarab Club (Detroit), Hot DAM! Emerging Artists Show juried by Katie Pfohl at Detroit Artists Market, and exhibitions at Crooked Tree Arts Center, South Haven Center for the Arts, Ludington Area Center for the Arts, and the College for Creative Studies.
Her work has received honorable mention at The Ghosts that Linger National Juried Exhibition (2025), and she was featured in The Oakland Post for her contributions to the Metro Detroit art scene. Pagano’s interdisciplinary background informs a systems-oriented approach to painting that bridges cultural critique, material excess, and lived experience.
Education:
Oakland University, B.S Computer Science ‘26
International Academy of Macomb, Visual Arts Program ‘22
Professional Development:
Independent Studio Study with Reni Stephan — Sterling Heights, MI, 2026
Group Exhibitions:
2026: Under the Femme Gaze, The Voyeur Bordello, Detroit, Michigan
2026: New Wave 2026, Adrian Center for the Arts, Adrian, MI — Juried by Robin Dluzen
2026: Pink, The Annex, Highland Park, MI
2026: The Blue Condition, The Voyeur Bordello, South West Detroit, Michigan
2026: The Baker National 2026, Holt Russell Gallery, Baldwin City, Kansas — Juried by Kent Michael Smith
2026: Between Us, Crooked Tree Arts Center, Traverse City, Michigan — Juried by Dr. Emma Richardson
2025: 112th Annual Gold Medal Exhibition, The Scarab Club, Detroit, Michigan — Juried by Kim Fay
2025: Muerte a la Distancia, The Voyeur Bordello, South West Detroit, Michigan
2025: The Ghosts that Linger, the National Juried Exhibition, South Haven Center for the Arts, South Haven, Michigan — Juried by Shaina Kasztelan
2025: Rockwall Art League 25th Annual Juried Fine Art Show and Sale, Cavender Nissan, Rockwall, Texas — Juried by Kay Byfield
2025: Loneliness, Isolation, and Connection, Ludington Area Center for the Arts, Ludington, Michigan
2025: 21st Annual Bryn du Art show, The Bryn Du Mansion, Granville, Ohio
2025: Transmitir, Vamanos, South West Detroit, Michigan
2024: Nest: A Reflection of Safe Spaces, DAM, College for Creative Studies, Center Galleries, Detroit, Michigan
2024: Summer Block Party, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, Michigan
2024: Art Bazar, The Dovetail Cafe, Warren, Michigan
2024: Hot DAM! Emerging Artists Show Juried by Katie Pfohl, Detroit Artists Market, Detroit, Michigan
Awards/Honors:
2025: Honorable mention, The Ghosts that Linger, South Haven Center for the Arts National Juried Exhibition, South Haven, Michigan.
Teaching
2026: Paint & Sip Instructor, The Painthouse Art & Sip, Detroit, MI
Special Projects:
2026: Book cover artwork, Stressed Out Billionaire, Detroit King Tape, Los Angeles, California
2020-2023: Created Art for Conversations of a Generation: Z to Z, Detroit, Michigan
Press:
“OU student Danielle Pagano makes waves in the Metro Detroit art scene”,
The Oakland Post, July 2024
“Voyeur Bordello: Oakland University students take to the Detroit art scene”
The Oakland Post, March 2026