Biography
Kathleen earned a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Art with a Latin American Art History Certificate and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art Education from the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Kathleen Kelley is a visual artist and educator whose mixed media paintings and sculptures examine themes of memory, dreams, and religion. Inspired by her upbringing in a charismatic religious community, her work reinterprets ideologies using Surrealist imagery. Through narrative and symbolism, Kelley navigates the intersections of faith, identity, and memory.
Kelley’s work has been showcased in exhibitions across Texas, including Worlds Within at the UTRGV Visual Arts Gallery, Capirotada at the Charles & Dorothy Clark Gallery, and Rising Eyes of Texas at the Rockport Center for the Arts. Her art has also been featured in publications such as The Monitor: Vida and Pulse Magazine.
Beyond her studio practice, Kelley presented at the 2023 National Art Education Association (NAEA) Conference, sharing research on strategies to address post-pandemic learning gaps in art history courses.
Artist Statement
In my process I use a combination of mixed media paintings and sculptures that explore memories, the liminal world of dreams, and religion. Playful scenes of animated characters are set up in a two-dimensional setting with 3D elements that thrust the represented imaginary world into the space of reality. The compositions of the works take inspiration from the execution of space in theatrical scenes between the dimensions of “fictionalized” and “real” space.
The careful and meticulous construction of figures within imagined worlds draws influence from Surrealistic imagery to reimagine the ideologies taught to me growing up in a strict environment of religious indoctrination. My experience with this extremist, charismatic Evangelical Christian church informs my use of religious iconography. I try to confront and reimagine the radical teachings by implementing a playful representation of divinity and doctrine. Themes of worship and faith are acknowledged in my artistic practice as a form of personal reconciliation, with childhood naivety used as a narrative device. Items that are used in play such as plush teddy bears, cardboard cutouts, and puppet theatre scenes are my chosen props to which I stage my narratives.
Education
M.F.A. in Studio Art/Latin American Art History Certification, UTRGV, Edinburg, Texas, 2023
B.A. in Art Education/Magna Cum Laude, UTRGV, Edinburg, Texas, 2020
Solo Exhibitions
Worlds Within, UTRGV Visual Arts Gallery, Edinburg, TX, March 2023
Group Exhibitions
Beyond the Studio: School of Art & Design Faculty Exhibition, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Tx, 2024
Faculty Art Show, Texas Southmost College, Brownsville, Tx, USA, 2024
2nd Annual Members Juried Exhibition, International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS), McAllen, Tx, USA, 2022
Capirotada, Charles & Dorothy Clark Gallery, Edinburg, Tx, USA, 2022
College Expo 2022, 500X Gallery, Dallas, Tx, USA, 2022
2022 Rising Eyes of Texas, Rockport Center of the Arts, Rockport, Tx, USA, 2022
Mixed Media RGV, Weslaco Museum, Weslaco, Tx, USA, 2022
A Gathering of Creatives, Comminos Art Studio, Harlingen, Tx, USA, 2021
Piezas, McAllen Art Incubator, McAllen, Tx, USA, 2021
Members Juried Exhibition, International Museum of Art & Science (IMAS), McAllen, Tx, USA, 2021
Mezcla, Upper Valley Art League, Mission, Tx, USA, 2021
Arbitrary Collective, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley, Edinburg, Tx, USA, 2019
Group Exhibition, Creative Alley Art Studio, Edinburg, Tx, USA, 2018
Publications/Reviews/Features
rgVision Magazine, Visiting Sophia's Song by Jessica Monroe, McAllen, TX, USA, Nov. 1, 2022
The Monitor: Vida, ‘Capirotada’ at UTRGV Edinburg, McAllen, Tx, USA, March 7, 2022
Pulse Magazine, Fight Like a Woman, Edinburg, Tx, USA, 2021
Gallery: A Literary & Arts Magazine at UTRGV, The Adventures of ZAR, Edinburg, Tx, USA, 2020
Professional Conferences
2023, Face-to-face Instruction in the Post Pandemic Era:A Case Study of an Art History Core Course, NAEA Conference, San Antonio, Texas
Awards/Grants
2022-2023 George Truan Scholarship
2020-2022 Wilcox Art Scholarship
2019-2020 M. Thomason Education Scholarship
2019-2020 VPSE Scholarship
2017-2020 President’s List
2016 Dean’s List