Angie Meche Kilcullen

Angie Meche Kilcullen is a mixed media artist currently residing just outside of Washington, D.C. Growing up in southwest Louisiana, in the heart of Cajun Country, provided her with an abundance of visual, musical, and social stimulation that continues to influence her art, design, and lifestyle choices today. Kilcullen has lived in Canada, Tokyo, and Paris, and she received her MFA in painting from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She works out of her 130-year-old converted barn studio.

Kilcullen is also the co-owner and co-founder of Girls Who Paint Gallery, established in April 2022. The gallery strives to create more exposure and artistic opportunities, primarily for women artists. Its mission is to foster a culture of community and inclusion by providing a space for women artists to be seen and heard. GWP is not your typical gallery; it is owned and operated by two dynamic professional female artists. The focus is to provide a vibrant and welcoming space that promotes underrepresented artists while engaging the local community by giving them access to emerging, mid-career, and established artists.


Artist Statement

I began this series in late 2020 as I spiritually, mentally, and physically prepared to undergo transplant surgery as a kidney donor for my older brother. My inspiration for the series stems from devotional acts and prayers (in some churches) that are offered on behalf of someone in need. These spiritual gifts are usually noted on a card of some sort and sent to the recipient.

These "Spiritual Bouquets" are a visual response to the everyday phrases we say to others (or others say to us) in times of difficulty and struggle—phrases such as "I'll keep you in my prayers," "You're in my thoughts," "Sending you hugs and positive vibes," etc. My brother and I were on the receiving end of many similar comments from friends, family, and strangers prior to our surgeries. It mattered to us greatly—spiritually and mentally.

While my faith is very important to me, these works are not religious per se; I deem them more spiritual as well as humanistic. This series explores my belief in the power of collective prayers, positive actions, small gestures, and big acts of kindness.

These "bouquets" are offered to everyone in need of love, support, friendship, healing, hope, courage, and so much more. I hope they bring joy and hope amidst suffering, confusion, loneliness, fear, hopelessness, and heartache.

The bouquets are created entirely from recycled items that were either thrifted or gifted to me by friends and neighbors. The intention is to draw the viewer in and remind us of our essential beauty, even in the midst of difficulty, brokenness, damage, and unworthiness. The bouquets serve as both a visual reminder of our innate beauty and a call to action that, collectively, we are stronger when bound together in word, deed, prayer, and friendship.


www.angiemechekilcullen.com

What is your first memory of creating?

I really don’t remember a time when I wasn’t creating. I was born the third of four children, and I think I was always trying to keep up with my older siblings in terms of wanting to do whatever they were doing. I’d even beg my older sister to let me help her with her homework! My mother was very creative (still is), and she saw talent in me from a very young age. One particular memory is from when I was in first or second grade. We were prompted to draw our school, church, house, the grocery store, etc., in our small Louisiana town. I don’t remember making the drawing, but I do remember the reactions of my teacher (and later my mom) during a school event featuring our work. All the kids had drawn “street views” facing their house or school, but mine was an aerial view of our little town, including all the reference points and street names. My teacher was perplexed, but she never asked me about it—only my mom. When my mom explained that my dad was a pilot and that we often flew over our town, seeing the landmarks from above, it made perfect sense to my teacher. My mom knew at that point that I simply saw things differently and continued to encourage me in the arts.


What is your relationship to your medium? What draws you to it?

Although painting was my first love, I started experimenting with a variety of mixed media in grad school. After spending a summer in Europe between my first and second year, I returned to school in the fall and began working with broken pottery, stained-glass shards, old photographs, vintage jewelry, fake flowers, and other thrift store finds. I was creating a new body of work that combined paint and mixed media. As I continued down this path, I've had a lot of time to reflect on my chosen mediums—fabric remnants, old jewelry (often broken), beads, lace, ribbon, flowers, etc. I'm drawn to mixed media mainly because of my grandmothers' influences. As the only four grandchildren on both sides, we spent an inordinate amount of time with our grandparents. The embellishments in my work invoke nostalgia for a childhood enriched by interactions with a maternal grandmother who grew up during the Great Depression and was ingenious about recycling and repurposing. In contrast, my paternal grandmother was a seamstress with a vast fabric collection and a love for costume jewelry, allowing my sister and me unlimited access to her “treasures.” I keep their memories alive by incorporating meaningful items into my work and by upcycling and repurposing as much as I can.


What is the main thing you hope your audience takes away from your art?

My art has always had a social justice component. I was taught early on to respect and value all life. My parents and grandparents were small business owners, and my siblings and I were expected to help out in various ways. As a child (and well into my teens), I witnessed firsthand the vast differences in living conditions in our town, which saddened and confused me. As I matured, I began to understand the difficulties that often accompany limited resources and opportunities. Today, I use my platform as an artist to highlight various social issues to evoke an emotional response. I hope my audience will look closely at my work and contemplate what connects us as human beings, rather than focusing on our differences. I hope these interactions prompt empathy, understanding, and ultimately action. One of my favorite quotes is, “Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” ~James Baldwin


Tell us about a challenge you overcame last year.

In May 2022, a fellow artist friend and I co-founded Girls Who Paint Gallery in Kensington, MD. Ninety-nine percent of the work we feature is by female artists from across the U.S. While building this community has been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, the past year has also been one of the most challenging in my art career. As a relatively new small business, my co-founder and I wear all the various “hats” necessary to run it successfully. We handle marketing, social media, administrative tasks, installations, accounting, communication, shipping/receiving, curating, and more. The list goes on, and we could literally work 24 hours a day—there's always more to do. Additionally, as a primarily “right-brained” human, many of these tasks do not always spark joy and can be challenging to execute thoroughly. Despite this, I love the challenges, and I’m especially honored to announce that our hard work resulted in showcasing the work of over 200 female artists with just under 500 artworks on our walls in 2023 alone. We are very proud of our efforts to showcase underrepresented artists.


What is your main goal or resolution this year in terms of your art practice?

My main goal for the coming year can be summed up in two words: balance and routine. The day-to-day operations of running Girls Who Paint Gallery over the last 18 months have come at the cost of my own art practice suffering. I simply haven’t been spending enough time in my studio. While it’s extremely important for me to give voice and platform to other women artists through the gallery, I have made a renewed commitment to prioritize my own art practice. If I’m fulfilled and able to give voice to my own artistic dreams and purposes, I will be in a better mental and emotional state to support other artists. We all have to learn to fill our own pitcher first!