INSPIRE ME! Artist, Adrian Kellard
"Some people hear better through looking at and seeing pictures"
~ ADRIAN KELLARD
~ ADRIAN KELLARD
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| "The Promise: I will never leave you" |
By TAHLIB
Adrian Lee Kellard was an American artist known for his woodcuts and sculptures of religious and spiritual imagery. Born January 28, 1959 in New Rochelle, NY, he died November 14, 1991 in NYC at 32 years of age. My introduction to his work came during a Easter 2010 visit to the Museum of Contemporary Religious Art in St. Louis. My guide on that day was the museum's founder Fr. Terrence Dempsey, and it is the museum's opening this month of a new exhibition of Adrian Kellard's work which inspired me to write this post.
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| Adrian Kellard with his painting, "The Promise" by Regina DeLuise |
- Who was the artist Adrian Kellard?
"Adrian was my beloved brother and best friend. Adrian was a serious artist, who spoke volumes through his unique style of woodcut telling of his religious beliefs and his undying dedication to those living and dying with AIDS; he used his art to make others aware of the pandemic which took his life and continues to take the lives of millions around the world."
~ MARILEE KELLARD, Adrian's sister (10/22/91). - How should his artwork be described
"Subsequent to Kellard's diagnosis of AIDS in 1987, his work became less overtly religious and angry, and instead he began to use subdued colors and the tone became melancholy and compassionate as seen in 'The Promise'" (above) painted in 1989. [Link] - What religious label best describes Kellard's faith?
Adrian Kellard was a Christian, an Artist, and specifically a Roman Catholic artist whose spirituality, art, and daily life intertwined. - As an artist, were there any challenges Kellard experienced because of this perspective?
"Vatican ll introduced the idea of vernacular in the Church. Mass should be said in the language of those who are attending so that they too can understand what the priest is doing.....To speak in a language of a people, however, does not necessarily mean a clear verbal recitation of the Mass. Some people hear better through looking at and seeing pictures, some can only feel the mystical presence of Christ through music of the smells of incense. To expect all people to understand or react on the same level I think is naive."
~ ADRIAN KELLARD - What artist(s) inspired Kellard's creativity?
Adrian Kellard studied at the State University of New York at Purchase in the early 1980s under the guidance of Uruguayan artists Antonio Frasconi and Judith Bernstein, and he was influenced by an eclectic group of artists including Marsden Hartley, Picasso and Van Gogh. His work often combined religious imagery, "low" art and same-sex iconography. Kellard often integrated religion into daily life by creating functional art, such as desks, calendars and screens. - Where can AOA readers learn more about him and his artwork?
Adrian Kellard's nephew Chris, created and maintains a Facebook: Artist Tribute Page for his uncle with images of dozens of his works as well as comments from collectors and friends. - Where can AOA readers visit Kellard's artwork today?
The Museum of Contemporary Religious Art at St. Louis University maintains a collection of Kellard's works, and on the anniversary of the 10th year of his death from complications from AIDS, the museum will present the exhibition Adrian Kellard: The Art of Learned Compassion (September 24 to December 11, 2011). Kellard's work is also in the collections of the American Visionary Art Museum, Baltimore, MD; Prudential Insurance Company of North America, Newark, NJ; New Jersey State Museum, Trenton, NJ; Grey Art Gallery and Study Center, New York University, NY; and Newberger Museum, Purchase, NY to name just a few.
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| Adrian Kellard, Shrine, 1984-85. Latex on wood with rope. MOCRA Collection |
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