Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kevin Connell. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Hi Kevin, thanks for joining us today. Do you think your parents have had a meaningful impact on you and your journey?
What did mom and dad do right? They supported the kid they saw growing up and allowed me to follow my instincts and to be the creative soul I am.
As the middle child of seven siblings, finances were spread thin, but my parents always found a way for each child to be their unique selves. In first grade I wanted to tap dance, so they paid for dance lessons, Recital after recital my mom sewed variations of satin costumes with sequins. In the 4th grade I wanted to play the guitar, so they made me choose between tap dancing and the guitar. Financial realities required a choice. They couldn’t pay for both. I chose the guitar. Off I went to guitar lessons taught by two nuns in the basement of our church. In the 6th grade I wanted to play the trumpet. Once again, I had to make a choice. I chose the brass path. In the 9th grade I wanted to be drum major of the marching band. Again, a choice. Off I went to baton twirling lessons. Along the way, I sang in school choirs, continued to play in school orchestras, and did school plays and musicals. My creative life was layered with various forms of expression, because mom and dad said to choose.
These layers became the foundation of my life. I built upon them. In college I studied theatre, receiving my BFA in Acting from The Ohio State University. I immediately went to graduate school at the University of California, San Diego/La Jolla Playhouse. I received my MFA and built my professional resume with casting at the La Jolla Playhouse. One production, THE GRAPES OF WRATH (with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company), took me from San Diego, to the National Theatre in London, prior to the production’s Broadway run. Life then continued in New York City. That started another long chapter in my life. At all times, my parents supported and accepted their son. Even when I was struggling with my sexuality and struggled to come out to my parents, they said “be the son we always knew you were!” I didn’t choose to be gay, but at that time I was choosing to suppress my truth. My parents saw I was making an unhealthy choice, so they set me straight (so to speak!). I am a blessed son.
As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?
How did I get from a life in theatre (New York City) to owning an antiquities and fine art galerie in small town Ohio?
As an actor I worked heavily in a variety of play and musical styles. I worked on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off Broadway, several times in London and Scotland, toured the country, worked regionally, and even did a Budweiser Super Bowl commercial. As with many actors, it was a struggle most of the time. I had high points and very low points, but I persisted. While completing a 52-week Equity contract with a rep company in upstate New York, I was afforded the opportunity to teach acting and voice & speech courses, in Cornell University’s Theatre Department. I was fortunate to have a second year upstate performing in plays and teaching. It was during that period that I fell in love with teaching, so I acquired a copy of ArtSearch and applied to theatre programs across the country. I had many interviews, a couple of offers, and chose to accept a tenure-track position at Marymount Manhattan College. That position lasted 25-years. On that 25-year journey I received tenure and became an Associate Professor, and ultimately a Full-Professor. I taught a variety of acting courses focused on Shakespeare, Chekhov, Ibsen, Coward, Wilde, Shaw, American Realism, Solo-Performance, and an experimental acting course titled Beyond Naturalism. I also taught two academic courses titled Adaptation in Theatre & Film and Hidden from History: Modernism and Same-Sex Desire. When I started teaching, I unfortunately had to let go of my acting agent to focus on teaching, academic commitments, and other forms of theatrical expression. This was a difficult decision, but it opened the door for me to direct and write plays. It was during my academic years that the fine arts became central to my work. It was through paintings and photography, specifically, that I found my vocabularies to dialogue with scenic, costume, lighting, and sound designers. It was through paintings and photography that I learned to dialogue through metaphors. My love for art was expanding. Centuries of music also added it’s layers. Over time I developed quite an extensive resume as a director at Marymount Manhattan College, in New York City, and in summer stock. This work included the writing of adaptations and several new playscripts.
At the age of 59 1/2 I chose to retire from Marymount Manhattan College. I made this decision to help care for my mother, in Ohio. Together with my four sisters, we are currently doing 24/7 care to keep her at home and out of a home. The decision to retire and traverse to Ohio was done with the complete support of my husband, Christopher Stokes Moseley. Chris and I are in our 22nd year together. This gear-shift has become the next chapter in our lives together. Fortunately, 18-years ago Chris and I bought a historic 1929 property in Ohio, to spend periods of time near my family. We have treated the property as our second home outside of NYC. So … the transition for me to go to Ohio was quite easy, as we had a home to go to. For more than two years now I have lived in that house, while my Chris travels back and forth from the Big Apple, as he is a prominent broker with Christie’s International Real Estate, a sub-division of Christie’s Auction House, at Rockefeller Center. His work includes NYC, the Hamptons, Southern Florida (Palm Beach down to Miami), and most recently, Puerto Rico. Together, we maintain our Manhattan apartment.
In Ohio though, we have worked hard to be a positive presence in the community. Chris serves on two committees for the Licking County Foundation (the Real Estate Committee and the Grants Committee). I serve on the Foundation’s Arts Committee. Additionally, I am Vice President on the Board of the Newark-Granville Symphony Orchestra. Most recently, we opened an antiquities and fine art galerie, BALL HILL The Arcade, at the newly restored Historic Newark Arcade. Originally built in 1909, the Newark Arcade was saved from demolition by private funding within the community.
BALL HILL The Arcade is an evolving galerie space championing the fine work of artists and the other beautiful items that fill the sanctuaries of our homes. We’re committed to growing opportunities for diverse communities of emerging and established artists and to expanding their audiences. In the midst of our upscale furnishings and décor, we aim to present artwork that is vivid, immediate, enlightening, and entertaining that reflects the world around us and the imagination of the artists.
BALL HILL The Arcade is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization that sells quality consigned and donated merchandise. All proceeds are used to support various arts organizations and non-profits in central Ohio.
We officially opened the galerie on January 31, 2025. I work the galerie by myself, Wednesday-Saturday. When Chris is in Ohio, we work the days together. We consign works with a wide range of artists, including established local artists, and others from California, NYC, and Paris. Then there are the works Chris and I own from our own collection that we are giving back to the world. Throughout the galerie we have antiquities, major glass works, pottery & ceramics, etchings & prints, vintage posters, and stained-glass windows. It is all very exciting. We do not have prices on display, because we don’t want to intimidate customers with prices. We want to encourage talking and investigation of the wide-range of art throughout the space. We know that the average customer is not going to purchase, on the spot, the painting that is $3000, $8000, $12,500, or $14,000. But … what they can get in the moment is an experience and exploration of the intricacies of the art and the skilled precision of the artist’s work. Chris and I work very hard to find each person’s entry point of interest. We dialogue from there to meet them eye-to-eye and then open their eyes to the surprising techniques evidenced by the artists and their techniques. We introduce the photographer who took all of her flower photos with an X-ray machine, the artist who specializes in wet-felting, and the differences between oil paint brushed onto on canvas and acrylics & resin executed with a palette knife. For me, I am still educating, only the classroom has evolved from a theatre to a galerie.
My world is still defined by the arts. For a time, I said I was an actor. Then I said I was a professor and theatre artist. Now I say I am a champion of the fine arts and the many friends whose work lives in BALL HILL The Arcade. The evolution of my journey has been built on my history and I am encouraged to face today and tomorrow with curiosity, wonder, and the next lesson to be learned from. I now know that all of the ‘fine’ and ‘performing arts’ define aspects of me. I am a collage. The culmination of a life lived creatively.
How did you build your audience on social media?
For me, to have an online presence professionally, you need to first have an online presence personally. Both need to have their unique audiences and their shared audiences. Depending on the post, I will share on both personal and professional platforms. I take advantage of stories, reals, and threads to further reach audiences. I am also liking and communicating with posts on both personal and professional newsfeeds and with those commenting on posts. I begin every day sitting with my coffee going through all personal and professional accounts. It takes diligence.
What I need to improve on is the posting of videos. I am very comfortable in front of the camera and speak intelligently, articulately, and passionately about the artists and merchandise in our galerie face-to-face with customers. I need to translate that skill into videos. I’m even considering linking videos to QR codes, so customers can engage a QR code in our gallery to learn more about a specific work, without me having to do all the talking.
One thing I am sure of though is … a QR code will never replace me connecting with each customer entering our galerie. I know that the one-on-one connections are our strength and are a core value of our business.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
What is the goal or mission driving my creative journey?
Human connections. Human explorations. Shared human experiences. Challenging individual boundaries. Embracing all aspects of diversity. And … helping others.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://ballhill.com
- Instagram: @ball_hill_the_arcade
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565914537189
