These artworks are done on and of traditional homelands of the Numchi speaking people, the Goshute, Paiute, Shoshoneian, and Ute, and the Dine' in southern Utah, people who have resided here for thousands of years, and who live here now. I acknowledge and offer deep respect and gratitude to these caretakers and longtime inhabitants of these places, who maintain a worldview that relates to land as relative rather than as consumable, and who continue to be violently displaced. I sometimes use titles referencing location names created by colonial settlers, but every place in these drawings has other names, sacred to non-colonial inhabitants. I strongly advocate for these lands to be returned to the above listed groups for continued stewardship and for repair of right relations spanning generations. I appreciate the time of the native community including the people at the The American Indian Resource Center (AIRC) at the University of Utah, for ongoing conversation about art and land and for sharing these ideas.
Kristen Mitchell is a visual artist whose diverse practice includes material works, community projects, and cross media collaborations. Her work spans digital and physical spectrums to foster new ways of relating to the complexity of our current moment as we grapple with materiality, virtuality, and social and ecological justice crises. She is highly engaged in collaborative art practices as a founder and producer of Living Marks, a cross-media improvisation platform, as a member of The Revolution School, an art collective, and is a contributor to Virtual Care Lab, a series of creative experiments in remote togetherness. Her studio drawing practice centers on the relationship of specificity to value, geologic time, and documentation of force through drawing. She has served as chair of the Summit County Public Art Board, public art archivist for Park City and Summit County, public art selection committees, and as a juror for the Utah Film Festival. Awards, grants and residencies include Ogden City Arts Grant, Nine Rails Creative District Grant, Utah State Professional Development Grant, Vermont Studio Center Scholarship Award, Best in Show Award - Kimball Art Center, Juror’s Award - Utah State Annual, Utah Museum of Natural History AIR, Taft Nicholson Center for Environmental Humanities AIR, residency at REDCAT theater gallery at CalArts, and workshops presented with 18th St Arts and The Armory in L.A. Her work is included in private and public collections including L.A. County Museum of Art, the Summit County public art collection, and the State of Utah Alice Merrill Horne Art Collection.
Influences: Vanessa Andreotti, Bayo Akomolafe, Andrei Tarkovsky, Simone de Beauvoir, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Italo Calvino,Pat McCabe, Josef Albers, Emily Noyes Vanderpoel, Cornel West, Dan Mihuta, Alvaro Castagnet, Morten Gjul and Vija Celmins.
KM Note: Artists can be somewhat solitary and I’m no exception. My work, though, is anything but. Many people deserve credit, not as influences but as direct collaborators. A roll of movie titles would be the most appropriate signing of any work. Special thanks to:
Alfa, Dave and Elisa Mitchell for their invaluable editing. To Alfa for always being right, Elisa for being the perfect reader and Dave for never allowing use of the word “comprehensive.”
Brian Hisz for teaching me to always clean your brush.
Becca Lael and The Park City Library for exhibiting art and being fantastic to work with.
Beth Manter for laughing at what we take seriously.
Bob and Mike for knowing where all the spots are.
Christian Gennerman for a cabin in a very old aspen grove.
The City of Ogden for growing art from within.
Diane Neri Stern for her help in laying track for the year.
Edie and Mike Kilchenstien for love, support, delicious dinners with warmth, and always peace.
Hadley Dynak, a force for goodness, for teaching me how to collaborate.
Heath Brown at Masterlab, a master giclee printer who always delivers spot on.
Katrina Lund for her brilliant light, endless humor and wisdom.
Karen Grancher for always supporting my freedom and journey.
Kay Walkingstick for teaching me about an artist’s force.
Kimball Art Center for building art opportunities and sharing them with us.
Kyra Malkemes for gifting me a set of charcoals in 2010.
Jake McIntire for skillfully fostering so much art growth in Utah. We are with you.
Jared Mendenhall for a generous heart.
Jaymi Gale, a natural boss who always comes to help.
Jennifer Miller a genuine genius.
Jewels Harrison for touring the country with me in and RV named Divine Grace.
Jiyoun Lee-Lodge, always breaking grounded new ground.
Joe Jackson for camaraderie and a shining love of great design.
John and Cheryl Mitchell for continued love and support.
John Warden for caring enough about the world to create a language for it.
Jorge Rojas for taking funny seriously and clearing space for the righteous.
Josephine and Craig Booth for years of friendship.
Laron Turley for solving so many problems.
Lee Parker for knowing how to support artists and her brilliant mind.
Mackenzie Ryan for the inspiration to go over the hurdles one at a time.
Mike and Brown’s Dairy for granting access the beautiful backcountry behind the farm.
Moss for unconditional love.
Nancy Stoaks for her thoughts and quiet super strength.
Nicole Pelletier, intrepid traveler.
Everette and Cash Mendenhall for Universe Wars, wild creative genius and porch walks.
Sarah, Andy, Callie, Mitchell, Hank and Ginger Cavallaro for a house full of love in the Tetons.
Sarah Marsh for a welcoming open space and kindness.
Sara and Nate Scofield and Nick and Gail Breeze across the river.
Susan Meyer for teaching me how to do easy.
Marlo Bennet for always being there.
My fellow warriors on the path of kindness, patience, tolerance and love.
Polly Rhim for supporting my early efforts.
September Vhay for showing me what’s possible.
Sophie Elliot for being my original collector.
Sydney Chastain-Chapman for her lifelong friendship.
T. my beloved.
Trish at Mountain Arts and Music for helping me find a new studio.
The Shop and Friends for magic.
Zoie Roland and the swim team.
