MNK Studio Art is a company committed to personal, professional and creative evolution.
Meticulous collectors and creative tinkerers, our team are artists at the core. We apply our contemporary art knowledge, formal art education and experience as craftspeople and image makers to tell our client’s story. Whether a hungry startup or a legacy driven brand: we are problem solvers who understand working with our clients to meet their goals.
Our work stands out from the crowd because we hold ourselves to our own very lofty standards. We apply our eclectic style and handmade touches to each brand’s story. Conceptualization and flawless execution of innovative installations is our specialty. Being artists and creative business owners, we are dedicated to creating a culture of quality.
Our Experience
MNK studio is a Los Angeles based creative services company owned and operated by Katie and Matt Allison.
Their unique approach of merging contemporary art with design and interiors began when the two met as undergraduate students at Ringling College of Art and Design where they learned sculpture, installation, printmaking and painting in a formally driven Fine Art program. While in Florida, several successful collaborative curatorial projects followed, namely OPAQ Gallery and Sea Farm City. Working for Anthropologie brought them to New York City where Katie continued to create award winning displays for the company’s Rockefeller Center flagship store. Meanwhile, Matt worked at high profile art institutions in NYC such as Gagosian Gallery and The Brooklyn Museum, while he maintained his own studio art practice exhibiting both in the US and abroad.
The decision to strike out on their own came in 2012 when they were traveling the country to design forward thinking displays for wholesale showrooms, developing the framework for what would later officially become MNK Studio Art. California came calling when Matt decided to continue his education through a Master of Fine Arts program at University of California, Santa Barbara and they remained in Southern California to grow their family and their business. Today, Katie and Matt continued to creatively diversify through art for photoshoots, retail stores, pop-ups, trade shows, brand activations, and experiential events, all completed with their signature attention to detail. With studios in Los Angeles and Long Beach, MNK regularly works with clients in LA and Orange County, Las Vegas, NYC, and Florida.
Our VISION
MNK Studio Art promotes collaboration in order to align with a new emerging creative community - one that values living a more full and engaged life.
Whenever possible, we choose to work with brands who follow a conscious mission. We believe that collectively, we can find paths in the commercial industry to give back to our community and inspire our creative culture.
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“Matt & Katie are experts in their craft, from vision to execution.”
“They put a lot of care and thought through our entire process of working together. From our initial brain storm sessions where our team presented inspiration and messy notes, to working within the parameters of our booth needs. They blended what we ultimately wanted the space to feel with what they felt would look best, and ultimately brought our vision to life with immersive, eye-catching installations that really made our products show stoppers.”
- Jenny Tang, MDB Family
“From the beginning, MNK Studio were nothing but professional...”
"We truly could not have asked for a better team! Matt & Katie were such a pleasure to work with, and they created multiple bedroom looks that oozed comfort and warmth; exactly the tone and feel that we were looking for. We highly recommend them & will hire them for our future shoots."
- Steph & Jimmy MacDonald, Authenticity 50
“Katie and Matt have been great to collaborate with.”
“They are able to emulate our creative brand vision for Tradeshow Merchandising, and help us execute this in our permanent showrooms throughout the country.”
- Elizabeth Hooks, Natural Life
“…They have a very thoughtful and intentional way of working and executing ideas.”
“Matt and Katie were able to help elevate both our showrooms in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. They have a very thoughtful and intentional way of working and executing ideas. Furthermore, they are very conscience of budgets, organization, and work load so they made it very easy to work out logistics. Also very flexible with our needs! It was a pleasure to have them bring their own element in Fine Lines.”
- Fernanda Lai, Fine Lines Company
"The two work together seamlessly, and their attention to detail is immaculate."
"Though I've only had the pleasure of working with Katie and Matt on one occasion, the experience was so delightful and fluid that I still hold the shoot in high regard."
- Matt Borkowski, Photographer
“…I loved working with both of them!”
“MNK Studio held a wonderful fundraiser for the ACLU of Southern California. They were responsive as well as creative. The event raised significant funds and we look forward to continuing our relationship. I loved working with both of them!”
- Vicki Fox, ACLU of Southern California