Paige Dirksen is a local artist whose passion for community arts is abundant in both the designs and execution of her lively murals, which decorate many corners of the city. With an MA in Art Therapy Counseling and a BA in Art/Psychology, Dirksen uses her understanding of art and mental health to create murals that invite the community to step into an imaginative world and––when it comes to her community murals–– help paint them.
Dirksen is also a talented woodcut relief printmaker, creating intricate botanical prints as well as modern block print designs. In Arkansas, she has painted murals for Fifth Market, Pedal it Forward, the Northwest Arkansas Community College Bike Tech Lab, the Third Street Tunnel in Bentonville, as well as Bella Vista’s Public Library and Riordan Tunnel.
This spring, Dirksen created a mural commissioned by OZ Art on the exterior of the Meteor Cafe in Bentonville. During one of her work days, she spoke about her process, influence, love of community, and experience as a female artist.
Q: You’re a muralist and a printmaker, which is interesting because not only are these arts very different in scale, but your murals are vibrant while your woodcut prints are black-and-white. What is it about these different expressions that you’re attracted to?
A: I fell in love with printmaking when I was in college. There are many different kinds of printmaking, but I'm really drawn to it because you see the artist's hand in it; it's all the little happy mistakes and textures that you can't recreate digitally.
I'm a woodcut printmaker, a relief printmaker, and I feel like printmaking is more my personal practice. Carving wood is so meditative and relaxing for me.
The murals started out more as a community project, so it's a way to engage the community to invest in the places they live, and feel like they made a mark on things. Not every mural, like this one, is a community mural, but those are the ones that excite me the most.
Q: You graduated with a Master of Arts in Art Therapy Counseling, and although you’re not currently practicing, how has that background impacted your mural making?
A: I'm constantly thinking about the healing aspects of creating. When I was in grad school, I became a little bit more interested in community arts just because of the more authentic relationships that it could form. Even though I'm not practicing in a clinical capacity right now, I feel like it definitely informs a lot of the work I do.
I also have a couple of projects that I'm currently working on with Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art where I get to exist in that space between community arts and a more clinical art therapy practice. I'm grateful because Crystal Bridges, especially with the Heartland Whole Health Institute and Alice L. Walton School of Medicine, is really thinking about how much of an intersection there is between art and wellness.
I'm currently doing a year-long artist residency at Arkansas Children's Northwest Hospital, where I get to create accessible art experiences for patients, families, and staff and just bring moments of comfort and joy within the hospital setting. I'm also working on their Vitality Arts program where I am writing art curriculum for senior care facilities. Last year we did a pilot project with it and served 11 senior care facilities in northwest Arkansas.
Q: Can you tell me more about your mural for Fifth Market?
A: That was another community mural, and that was really enjoyable, because anybody who came to the Fifth Market could participate in it that day. So I had two-year-olds making a mark on the wall alongside other community members. It always blows my mind how magical community murals can be. I think it's really easy for me to underestimate what that means for people to be able to put a mark on their community, and every time I leave feeling so fulfilled by how exciting and joyful it is for people.
Sometimes art in a gallery might not feel as accessible, but murals are excellent because they are accessible to anyone. I think with my style and design, the biggest goal for me is for viewers to step into a world of joy for a minute. A little bit of an ethereal space with lots of color to kind of escape reality for a second.
Q: Are community murals and mural painting in general something that has always been important to you?
A: I started doing murals back in high school, mostly just for my own school. Later on, I spent some time in Haiti and worked on some community murals with folks there. Those experiences really shaped me and helped me see how art can function as a universal language and how powerful it is to invite others into the creative process.
I also feel like, especially as adults, we all need to play more. That's what art is for me, too, and we're starting to really understand the health benefits of that.
Q: What does being a female artist mean to you?
A: Being a woman in the arts feels deeply connected to lineage for me. I’m constantly aware that I’m standing on the shoulders of women who fought to be seen, to be paid, to take up space creatively when that wasn’t welcomed or even allowed.
That awareness brings a lot of gratitude, but also a sense of responsibility. It makes me think about how I can continue that work—not just by creating, but by creating in ways that are expansive, inclusive, and honest. I want the work I do to widen the door even more for the people coming after me, which is why I also love mentoring younger artists.
I also really appreciate all the people who advocate for women, especially women in the arts who are mothers, because that comes with a whole additional set of challenges. When my kids were little, I made a lot of sacrifices, and I had to put my work on pause for a long time. Navigating both roles is a constant balancing act, and there are times when it’s genuinely hard to make space for it all.
Dirksen’s work continues to brighten the city with her imaginative style and care for the community. Creative, adventurous, and dedicated, Paige Dirksen is leaving her mark on Northwest Arkansas to amaze and invite community engagement in the arts for years to come.
The goal is for viewers to step into a world of joy for a minute.