Andie Kiley (1961-2023) joined Interact’s performing arts cast in 2000. She switched to visual arts because painting allowed her to slow the pace of the creation process. Her visual arts practice reflected her love of music and interest in movement.
In her own words, when approaching the creative process, “It is better to let yourself go free. When I draw, I follow wherever my hand takes me, and I’m very relaxed when I work. I take things as they come and try not to be forceful, and if I don’t feel it, I’m not going to try to do it. Although art is relaxing, accidents and surprises along the way can be very exciting. Sometimes I do things that I didn’t think I was capable of doing.” As Kiley said, her abstract paintings, with their playful interactions of bold color, inspire happiness. She often did not title them in the hope of giving viewers more freedom to make their own associations.
Kiley’s work has been featured in RE/Vision: Interact Responds to Wing Young Huie at Augsburg College(2008), Hennepin Theatre Trust’sMade Hereinitiative (2014), andChanging Landscapesat the University of Minnesota’s Institute for Community Integration (2017). Early in her career, she received an Emerging Artist Grant from VSA Minnesota.
Special thanks to Xavier Tavera for this portrait of the artist.
