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A series on healing through art, culture, and storytelling, featuring a conversation with Robin Slonina.
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Photo Courtesy Robin Slonina
The transformative power of art has the ability to inspire largely due to its unique capacity to foster belonging. We’ve explored how creativity serves as a catalyst for community building and resilience, shining a light on visionary nonprofit organizations leading the way.
We began our journey in Albuquerque, NM, with Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts, where safe spaces for art, dignity, and justice take center stage. Next, we traveled to Las Vegas, NV, where the Obodo Collective nurtures unity and strength in the Historic Westside. In North Texas, Dallas Art Therapy showed us how creative expression helps veterans navigate their experiences with hope. We concluded the Meow Wolf Foundation grantee series in the vibrant mile-high city of Denver, CO, where Access Gallery champions inclusivity and accessibility, ensuring artists with disabilities can thrive.
Now we are focusing our storytelling to feature Meow Wolf’s Artist Liaisons, who bridge the gap between artists and Meow Wolf, ensuring clear communication, support, and collaboration throughout the creative process. We start with a visit with Robin Slonina, a multidisciplinary artist known for her expansive creative vision and passion for making art accessible. Robin’s work spans from body painting to murals to sculpture, to interactive installations that invite audiences to engage with art in playful, immersive ways. Beyond her role as a producer and judge on the hit competition show Skin Wars alongside RuPaul, Rebecca Romijn, and Craig Tracy, she’s a driving force in the Las Vegas arts community. As the founder of Skin City Body Painting and Slonina ARTSpace, she embraces the neon spirit of her adopted city, while her philanthropic efforts and role as Artist Liaison for Meow Wolf reflect her deep commitment to arts advocacy.
Robin’s work has been exhibited internationally while her influence resonates across local spaces in Las Vegas, including Area 15, The Fremont East Entertainment District, and The Arts District.
Root us in place – tell us about your community. What would you like us to know about where you come from and the people around you? What would you like people to know about you?
I grew up just outside of Chicago and got my BFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Chicago has a very developed arts scene, with art museums, a massive gallery district, plus several artsy neighborhoods like Wicker Park and Pilsen. After college, I ran a mural painting business in Chicago for many years.
When I left Chicago, I had the travel bug bad, so I spent years on the move - first backpacking through Europe, then living the “van life” in the USA. I supported myself on my travels by keeping my living expenses very low and doing murals and arts residencies along the way. I consider myself multi-disciplinary and create using a variety of mediums: painting, bodypainting, murals, interactive sculpture, installation and performance art.
When I finally ended up in Las Vegas (almost 20 years ago!), I was surprised by the small but mighty arts scene here. We don’t have a free-standing art museum, and just a few galleries in our Arts District - but nevertheless we have a very vibrant, dedicated community of artists and supporters. We show up for each other in very powerful ways.
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How do your personal values as an artist guide your work with Meow Wolf, and how do you use your art or practice to bring healing to others?
I was attracted to the role of Artist Liaison at Meow Wolf because I definitely see myself as an arts advocate. I love helping others find their voices as artists and representing artists in the community. I think the ability to use art as a healing tool is very powerful. This can manifest in ways as simple as self-expression or helping others work out emotions through the act of creation. It can also be more organized, like projects where I taught art or created murals with foster kids, incarcerated youth, differently abled kids and adults, or women experiencing homelessness. These are the memories I cherish most from my art practice.
What are some of the most important insights you’ve gained through your creative journey and the impact it has on those around you?
When working with various under-resourced communities, I learned the importance of collaboration. Many years ago, I was tasked to create a mural with young people for the Boys and Girls Club. I came in hot with a concept of my own, and the teenagers I was working with were quick to reject it and give me lots of "attitude”, as teens will do! The adult organizing the project was horrified, thinking the kids were misbehaving. But I pivoted quickly into a brainstorm session about what they wanted to paint. This gave them the added experience of developing their own concepts, pitching them in pairs to the group, voting on the final mural design, creating their own concept sketch, and executing it together. Even though it added time to the project to “start over” like this, the participants were so easy to work with once they felt real ownership of the project. Ultimately their result was way stronger than my original idea.
Can you share a story about finding healing or transformation through your art?
One of the most powerful moments during my experience as a Producer and Judge of the TV show Skin Wars was in the “Survive & Thrive” episode when artists painted breast cancer survivors. One of the participants hadn't looked at herself in the mirror since her double mastectomy surgery. But after being painted, she finally found the courage to look - and the beauty she saw in her reflection brought her to tears. That moment was a profound reminder of the healing power of art. It helped her reconnect with her body and see herself as whole and beautiful. It reminded me that art isn’t just about creating something visually striking - it can also be about transformation, empowerment, and rediscovery.
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In your view, is art essential? Why?
Art is all around us in ways we often don’t notice. It’s in the design of the chair you’re sitting on, the architecture of the building you’re in, the music you hear in the background, and the colors of that mural you walk past. Art isn’t just in galleries or museums – it’s woven into the fabric of our everyday lives, adding beauty and fun everywhere you look. It can also be profoundly healing. Art gives us a way to process emotions, work through challenges and provide comfort in difficult times. It’s what gives life color – both literally and figuratively. Whether creating art or simply noticing it, art can provide insight, connection and joy. There is a reason art has been around since before recorded history. Art is humanity’s oldest language, dating back to handprints on cave walls created tens of thousands of years before the written word. It’s our original way of telling stories and connecting across time. Art gives an outlet to the human instinct and need to communicate with others – to express ourselves.
As both an artist and someone who works in community, where and how do you find solace or renewal for yourself?
I had a good friend back in Chicago once tell me, “When your emotions are overwhelming, take care of your body.” I put that into practice by turning to self-care when I feel mixed up: I take a walk, eat a healthy meal, take a bath or shower, spend time deep breathing and even rub my own shoulders and neck. This can shift the focus from your internal strife to some external comfort, giving you time to process and calm down.
Nowadays, I have a standing date with my mom to get a massage or facial together once a month. It is a great way to spoil ourselves and spend time together.
In the spirit of our shared humanity and the journey of collective healing, could you share a quote or mantra that grounds or inspires you?
Henri Matisse said, “Creativity takes courage.” When we create, we open ourselves up to express emotions and truths that can be difficult to face. Healing also requires us to confront pain and take steps toward transformation. Sometimes we can get “stuck” in resentment, anger or depression because it starts to feel familiar and comfortable. Daring to break free, forgive, and feel something new can be scary - but it is truly worth every effort. What’s even more powerful is how personal healing expressed through creativity often ripples outward. When we heal ourselves, we show others that healing is possible, and we create space for more connection and understanding. Art becomes the bridge. What begins as a personal act of courage can inspire and uplift others, helping the collective heal. In sharing our vulnerability and truth through art, we remind others that they are not alone, and together we move forward even stronger.
Find more about Robin at www.robinslonina.com and follow her art journey @RobinSlonina.
