Dominic Bono

I’m Dominic Bono, an interdisciplinary artist, storyteller, and world-builder with a deep love for immersive experiences and layered narratives. From a young age, I was drawn to detail, not just in art, but in the worlds people could build around it. Growing up in South Florida, my family didn’t take long vacations, but we made the most of what we had. Weekend getaways to Orlando sparked my fascination with themed spaces; places that didn’t just display art but made you feel like you were stepping into a story. That early enchantment stayed with me.

A lot of who I am today also comes from time spent with my dad. Together, we’d watch movies together, everything from historical epics to sci-fi classics all of which were riddled with detail. He taught me to notice the things most people miss: the aging on a wall, the way light hits a costume, how a soundtrack can carry meaning. I grew up seeing stories not just as entertainment, but as architecture, something you could build, layer by layer, with care and conviction.

In the rare free moments I had, I turned to immersive role-playing games. They weren’t just escapes, they were blueprints. They taught me how every corner of a world could carry history, meaning, and emotional weight.

Today, much of my work centers on Eldra, a world I’ve been building for years through illustration, sculpture, writing, and design. It’s a fully developed fictional realm with its own systems of language, belief, conflict, and culture, but it’s also a lens. Through Eldra, I reflect on the real-world themes that matter most to me: power, resistance, identity, and belonging.

My exhibitions are immersive by design, rooms filled with sound, scent, maps, books, and objects that blur the line between fiction and reality. Everything is handcrafted and research-driven, encouraging viewers to explore, interpret, and step inside the story themselves.

I’m a BFA graduate from Youngstown State University, where I also competed as a collegiate athlete. With over 15 years of competitive swimming behind me, I bring discipline, focus, and endurance into every creative project. Whether I’m developing a new piece, planning an immersive space, or simply refining the details of a larger vision, I strive to create work that’s thoughtful, layered, and emotionally honest, something that invites you to stay a little longer and look a little closer.

I've worked extensively coaching and managing children as a coach, and have done a large amount of freelance graphic design work. I have also worked as a studio assistant in a professional art and commercial print studio.

I just graduated with my Batchelor of Fine Arts with Magna Cum Laude from Youngstown State University