Meet Adrienne Kinsella | Fine Artist and Professor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Adrienne Kinsella and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Adrienne, as a parent, what have you done for you children that you feel has had the most significant impact?
I am a parent. I have two adult sons, and I’m really proud of them. I think the most important thing I’ve done to impact my children is modeling strength. There were many ups and downs through the years, and I was a returning student. I essentially worked my way through an undergraduate and master’s degree in art picking them up from school every day, still volunteering at their school and making time for them while juggling the demands of school. I had to fight hard to get where I have come, and I hope that determination and accomplishment is an inspiration for them to pursue their passions no matter the cost, even when the road is tough.

Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
My fine art practice consists of drawing and painting, and I’m really excited about an upcoming solo show I have on the books for June. I am a descendant of the Tongva of Los Angeles. My more recent work addresses this heritage. I had to wait for how I wanted to speak about this. In and around LA, I continually encounter people who often say, “I didn’t even know there was a tribe here.” I have a desire to bring more exposure to this part of my heritage and to our tribe that is indeed still here. I use native California plants and botanicals as symbols in the work. I think of these entities as time travelers, spanning into both past and present, existing beyond ourselves. I am inspired by the promise embodied in a seed…where a seemingly dead object holds the potential to become a living entity and agent of healing, beauty and sustenance. Some California native plants only grow if the seeds are burnt, and in light of the recent (and ongoing) fires we experience, I love that this metaphor speaks of life coming up out of ashy experiences. I will also have a piece in an upcoming show with Metzli Projects that directly addresses indigenous perspectives on fire.

I am an emerging artist, and I’m very grateful for a career shift lately where there are more invitations to exhibit my work. This took applying to many shows, getting accepted to some and rejected by more, but showing up with artworks that come from my heart, practicing professionalism, and making friends, not connections. LA can be a bit of a hollow place when it comes to relationships, and I believe in building real connections with people. The road to move forward in both my fine art practice and in teaching has not been easy, but because I know I’m doing what I was made to do, it’s a great kind of hard work.

I’ve learned to be genuine, to keep going, even when things seem grim…to keep making work and to make time for my art practice. I really love teaching, and find students to be so incredibly inspiring, but the academic realm can eclipse an art practice if you let it, so I try to guard my studio time.

I would like the world to experience hope and maybe even a sense of home when they see my work. I find the concept of “home” to be very elusive…as a tribal descendant of a non-federally recognized tribe, we do not have land. We live geographically in a “home” regionally – and yet there is so much disconnection. I am thinking “home” exists more in relationships than places, though there are places within the city where I feel a unique kinship. I have felt this in other places as well, and I believe in blood memory. I hope to bring beauty to the world, and a sense that healing can be possible. There is so much to be healed in our land and in our hearts, and my most current work is an exploration of this theme.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
There are so many places in Los Angeles that I love. I grew up here, yet I’m always excited to find new places. Hiking in Griffith Park would be on the list, as well as LACMA and the Norton Simon in Pasadena. Recent favorite restaurants are Clark Street Diner in Hollywood and Home in Los Feliz, Blair’s and Forage in Silverlake, the Lucky Tiki and the Formosa in West Hollywood and Covell in Los Feliz for a quiet drink or the Dresden for live music. My favorite venues are the Wiltern and the Hollywood Bowl, but I just adore all our beautiful theaters, and always look for reasons to nerd out on the architecture. My great, great grandfather was one of the architects who designed the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, among other buildings, so I think I inherited a love of architecture from him. As for beaches, I’m partial to Leo Carillo or El Matador. There’s a great little bakery in Santa Monica adjacent to the King’s Head, called the Kings Head Bake Shop – grabbing an almond tart and walking to the bluffs to admire the water below is one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Another hidden gem is Playa Provisions, close to Otis College of Art & Design where I teach, I highly recommend the peanut butter cookie.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I would like to dedicate this story to close friends and family that have stuck by me through a difficult stretch in the last few years.

Website: https://www.adriennekinsella.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adriennekinsella/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrienne-kinsella-486808177/

Image Credits
Photos courtesy the artist and some documented by Art Works in Highland Park.