Abraham Dickison

Abraham’s photography asks the viewer to look closely at the story within subject matter that may look like from a casual glance as broken, worn, or discarded. His goal as an artist is to ask the viewer to stop and consider the beauty contained within used items and the passage of time. He has had the unique opportunity to photograph the often unseen sides of the manufacturing process that is the unrelenting heartbeat of America. As a transgender man, capturing the process of creation, the mess, the path of destruction often left in the wake, and the beauty of the end result connects his lived experience as a self-made man in sharp contrast but alliance with the process of manufacturing.

Abraham Dickison is a Twin Cities based artist and designer with a passion for bringing to life the unseen using visual media and product design. He has studied art over the years including photography, sculpture, graphic design, and product development. Abraham is a graduate of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, and also holds an MBA from Concordia University Wisconsin.

Abraham’s professional practice looks at exploring the use of design as a problem solving strategic business practice. Visit Prideful Hearts to see his most recent work with LGBTQ+ organizations.

 

Education

MBA - Marketing

Concordia University Wisconsin
Graduated 2013 - Magna Cum Laude
 

BFA - Product Design

Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design
Graduated 2009 - Cum Laude

 Awards & Exhibitions

  • 2022 - St. Paul, MN Art Crawl Exhibitor

  • 2019 - National Art Educator Association, Design Interest Group Guest Speaker

  • 2016 & 2017 - Platinum Brand Builders Award

  • 2016 - Ali Wonder Solo Exhibition Curator

  • 2012 - NCIC Art Exhibition Juror

  • 2010 - Epilepsy Therapy Shark Tank Finalist

  • 2009 - Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design Thesis Exhibition

  • 2004 - North Central Illinois Conference Juried Art Exhibition - Honorable Mention

Interests

Team Trans Twin Cities 2022 - Present

  • Founding Board of Directors

Northern Warehouse Artist Collective 2022 - Present

  • Live/Work Practicing Artist

Children’s Minnesota 2021 - Present

  • Families as Partners

  • Family Advisory Council

Design Learning Network 219 - 2022

  • Co-facilitation of Journey Mapping Workshop at National Art Educator Association Conference

  • Creation of printed and digital communication materials

Skills

  • Adobe Creative Suite

  • Photography

  • Sculpture & Model Creation

  • Woodworking

  • Web Design & Management

  • CAD Modeling

  • Printing - Offset & Digital

  • SEM including SEO & Paid Ads - Google Analytics

  • CRM Management - Hubspot, Active Campaign,

  • Project Management Tools - ClickUp, Wrike

  • Content development and copywriting

  • Tradeshow exhibit design

  • Team leadership and mentoring

  • Proposal Development

Experience

Senior Graphic Designer

2015 - Present
Flywheel

  • Concept mockups of tradeshow booths and the creation of graphic assets to meet specifications of the design

  • Design all marketing materials for print and digital campaigns

  • Create UX mockups for landing pages and infographics

  • Maintain visual brand identity for a B2B AI Saas platform for life science and medical imaging customers

Creative Team Lead

May 2023 - Nov 2023
Zan Associates

  • Lead team of graphic designers in the creation of printed and digital assets for community engagement communications

  • Creation of videos

  • Evaluating assets to meet WCAG compliance

  • Development of interactive equity scorecard tool for workshop facilitation

Fine & Applied Arts Adjunct Instructor & SME

2018 - Present
Southern New Hampshire University

  • Instructor for design (undergrad) courses, inspiring and leading the next generation of creative professionals. Courses taught:

    • Graphic Design Portfolio

    • Graphic Design for Web

    • Digital Imaging

    • Design Theory 101

  • Instructor and Subject Matter Expert for Graduate MBA courses:

    • Search Engine Marketing

    • Social Media Campaign (SME)

Director - Marketing & Creative

2015 - 2022
ABE Studios - Minneapolis, MN

  • Built a supportive culture where team members could thrive as creatives and provide equitable accommodations

  • Led team of 12 creative professionals across marketing & design projects

  • Managed multiple projects at once in a fast-paced agency setting

  • Awarded Best B2C Event for Factory Training program achieving 92% increase in participants enrolled over previous year

  • Developed strategic marketing campaigns utilizing storytelling that aligned with the organizations business goals for growth

  • Crafted multi-channel campaigns across eCommerce, printed literature, content creation, social media, paid ads, and media placements

  • Pitching and crafting marketing proposal

Marketing Manager & Content Designer

2012 - 2015
Trim-Tex - Lincolnwood, IL

  • Developed yearly strategic plan for digital & print advertising campaigns in B2B residential & commercial construction editorials

  • Increased social media audience & interactions, connecting clients to the brand

  • Revamped the design & copy of the product catalogs, sales literature, technical documents, and websites

  • Development of content strategy including copywriting, visual media creation, and SEO optimization

  • Tradeshow & event design and management

Product Designer

2008 - 2010
Creative Design Network - West Bend, WI

  • Designed new product concepts for brands including GE Healthcare, San Jamar, and Char-Broil through hand-sketching, 3D modeling and prototype creation

  • Developed company Sustainable Product Design Process and team training

  • Built advertising strategy and marketing materials using storytelling of the design process to highlight the companies capabilities