Kelly Sullivan: Go, slow.
October 6-28, 2023
Kelly Sullivan: Go, slow.
Opening reception: Friday, October 6, 5:00-9:00 PM
Gallery hours: Monday-Friday 9 AM – 5 PM and Saturday, 10 AM – 1 PM. Additional hours: Fri Oct 13, 5-7 PM; Thu Oct 19, 5-7 PM; Thu Oct 26, 5-7 PM
Artist Biography
Kelly Sullivan graduated from Florida Atlantic University with a BFA in Studio Art, with a concentration in printmaking but considers herself a mixed media artist. She has lived in South Florida, Atlanta, Syracuse, NY and currently resides in Knoxville, TN. Regardless of where she lives she finds a community where she can make art, learn new processes and teach what she is most passionate about. Kelly moved to East Tennessee to follow a dream and work at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts where she worked for two and a half years as a full-time staff member. Kelly’s work has been exhibited at the Bascom in NC, The Central Collective in Knoxville, TN and at Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts in Gatlinburg,TN. Kelly is currently the Arts Specialist, Sr. At Knoxville Arts Center where she creates community arts programming. Kelly currently teaches a wide variety of art classes at KAC, Arrowmont, CSCET and Mighty Mud. She has been an active member of the Mayor’s Maker City Council in Knoxville, TN.
Instagram @ksullivan1971
Artist Statement
The current world we live in is a fast paced, scrolling world. We move through it and most of the time do not take in the details. There are benefits to moving through the world deliberately. When we take the time to see we notice the things that connect us like architecture, places and objects as well as, those things that make us unique like language and culture.
I use my needle and thread like a drawing implement, tracing and outlining places I’ve seen while traveling as a content, single woman. Needle craft and sewing have historically been considered “women’s work” and utilitarian, yet in this series, my experiences as a woman, and my stitching are elevated to fine art.
I use UV-sensitive fabric to replicate images of buildings and objects I have taken pictures of on my wanderings. I use vintage fabrics like sugar and flour sacks that I hunt for, as well as hand-dyed fabrics so I can create my own colors and textures. Stitches mimic the lines on maps of places I’ve been, though static like on a physical map they indicate my movement through a place. The text that is often found on the sugar and flour sacks are cut out and reused in a way that makes them foreign to their intended use – much like an unrecognizable language on a street sign. The stitching also follows lines created by the buildings and structures that are portrayed, and serves to secure pieces of overlapping, collaged fabric.
Screenprinting is also a slow methodical process and I am able to reproduce images from my travels easily by using photo emulsion. I similarly choose: color, line quality, and pattern into the prints. These choices are made from things I have seen through photos, collected (ephemera) and things that I imagine might be in front of me on my journey. The overlapping of screenprint and collage enables me to make these decisions as the print is developing. The small details become the most important ones.
This body of work is expressive through the choice of line quality, texture, and color, and mirror the life that I see on my travels.
Where we travel, and the experiences that we have as individuals, impacts our own lives, but by extension it impacts others as well – through our heightened empathy and appreciation for how others live. I invite viewers to slow down, to look, and appreciate the intimate details.