We recently connected with Karey Kessler and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Karey, thanks for joining us today. Can you share a story about the kindest thing someone has done for you and why it mattered so much or was so meaningful to you?
This question speaks to me right now because I am overwhelmed with gratitude for an incredible opportunity that was recently presented to me.
After many years of not seeing each other, I recently bumped into an artist friend at the Seattle Art Fair. I know her from a co-drawing community that I participated in from 2016 to 2020. The co-drawings were created by a group of artists who would meet regularly. Anyone could initiate a new drawing and then pass it along to another artist who would work on top of the original drawing. This was a process of collaboration involving surprise and trust.
A few weeks later, she reached out to me, asking if I was available to attend a one-month artist residency at Willapa Bay on the coast of Washington State. It’s a residency that I have been looking at for years, but it never seemed like the right time to leave my family for a month. It is also a competitive residency, partially because the food and housing are free and partially because it is in an unbelievably beautiful location — so a lot of creatives apply. One of the September artists dropped out at the last minute and my friend recommended me to the director who thought I was a good fit. Because of my friend’s recommendation, I wouldn’t even have to apply.
But there was one big scheduling conflict that almost got in the way of accepting this opportunity — except for more acts of kindness. I have my first solo museum show opening on September 26th at the San Juan Islands Museum of Art. The Willapa Bay residency runs from the first Sunday of the month until the last Sunday of the month, and the organizers are pretty strict about the residents staying until the end. But the director is letting me leave early on Wednesday, September 25th, so that I can go to the museum opening on the 26th and give a talk on the 27th. I am so grateful for the director’s flexibility.
So, with the blessing of my family, I leave in one week! It feels like the universe is saying to me, “It’s never the right time, just go!” But I also know it’s not just the universe, it’s the kindness and helpfulness of people in my life who are making this opportunity possible.
Karey, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I have always thought of myself as an artist, but I didn’t always know that I would pursue art as a career. I went to the University of Pennsylvania to study Cultural Anthropology, thinking I would one day work in public health. But I couldn’t stay out of the art studios, and I kept taking art classes until I wound up having a double major in Anthropology and Fine Arts. After graduation, I was still figuring out which path I wanted to follow. I taught painting at Phillips Andover that summer (using my Fine Arts degree) and then later spent time as a park ranger at Tonto National Monument in AZ (using my Anthropology degree).
After a lot of soul searching, I decided to follow my passion and I went to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and graduated with an MFA in 2001.
Over the last twenty-plus years since then, I’ve moved from Philadelphia, PA, to Washington, DC, to Winston-Salem, NC, to Seattle, WA, and spent a year living in Kaohsiung Taiwan in 2014. I have been a gallery manager, a librarian assistant at two different art museums, a Montessori teacher, and became a mother to two boys. Through it all, I never stopped creating art.
Creating art was never a hobby for me even when I wasn’t making art “full time”. The act of painting and drawing is how I process my thoughts and stay grounded and true to myself. It is a necessary part of my health and sanity and no number of rejections, gatekeepers or time constraints will ever stop me from making art.
Luckily, I am at a time in my life when I can create art full time. I am a proud member of a cooperative gallery in Seattle. And grateful to have artwork in the flat files of Pierogi Gallery in Brooklyn, NY and images in the online registry of White Columns Gallery (NYC). I have had the opportunity to exhibit my work widely, including at the Weatherspoon Art Museum (NC), the Katona Art Museum (NY), and the Bellevue Art Museum Education Gallery (WA). My work has also been included in several publications including The Map as Art (Princeton Architectural Press, 2009), by Kitty Harmon; From Here to There: A Curious Collection From the Hand Drawn Map Association (Princeton Architectural Press); The Embodied Forest (ecoartspace, 2021); Orion Magazine (2021); and Dovetail Magazine (2023). I’ve created several public art installations, and in 2022 I was presented with a huge challenge when Meta Open Arts commissioned me to create a mural at Meta Reality Labs in Redmond Washington.
Have any books or other resources had a big impact on you?
A year and a half ago a friend of mine suggested that I join an online community called Netvvrk founded by Paddy Johnson. I was a little skeptical about how much I would get out of a paid online membership, but it has been amazing. Not only is there a full curriculum on the ins and outs of the business side of being an artist, but there is also an amazing network of artists from all over the world who are engaged on the platform. I can ask any question that comes up in my art practice and so many artists will reply with ideas and suggestions! I have also met a lot of artists that live in the PNW, and we have met in person as well. You can follow Paddy on Instagram @vvrkshop.art and listen to her podcast, The Art Problems Podcast, for free.
How can we best help foster a strong, supportive environment for artists and creatives?
One of the biggest and easiest ways is to show up. Go to art gallery openings, first Friday art walks, dance performances, theater shows, stand-up comedy, music shows, etc. Even better, bring friends along with you! Follow artists and other creatives on Instagram and other social media platforms and re-share the work that you love (like, follow, share, subscribe). Especially in a time of waning art writing (please support local journalism and arts writing), word-of-mouth matters a lot. Share links, websites, and venues where the work can be found. For the holidays and birthdays, give the gift of art, tickets to local venues, or memberships to local arts organizations. Buy art. This can be suprisingly inexpensive and it’s so much nicer to have art on your walls by local artists that you’ve perhaps had the chance to meet at one of the openings you’ve been going to. Donate to local arts groups (and ask for matches from your employer). Share your skills with artists who might not have the same skills as you like: website building, tech support, event planning, accounting, legal and construction help. If you own an office or know someone with a blank wall, commission a mural or buy art to hang on it. Advocate for the arts. Support funding for the arts — public art, community art centers, rent-controlled buildings for artists and art spaces. Bring your kids and your friend’s kids to experience art. Advocate for art in schools. Teach the next generation the value of art.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.kareykessler.com
- Instagram: KareyKessler
- Facebook: Karey Kessler Studio
- Linkedin: Karey Kessler
Image Credits
Ryan Warner Photography; Artist Eye Studio; and Art & Soul