BIO:

Kendall Willis (b. 2002, Boston MA) resides in Upton, MA. Currently pursuing their Bachelor of Arts in Art Studio with a minor in Art History at Mount Holyoke College (2025). Their practice developed after taking intensive coursework at the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in the Pre-College program during the summers of 2018 and 2019. Traveling between Western and Eastern Massachusetts, laid the foundation for their artistic vision, fostering a deep appreciation for both traditional and contemporary artistic techniques.

STATEMENT:

They are an experimental visual artist, who inhabits their practice in oil painting and mixed media to navigate the intersections of identity, embodiment, and transformation. Working from personal experiences, studies of mythology and historical references, they reflect a deep interest in symbolism and the ways in which the past informs the present. They explore how the body exists within historical and contemporary timelines, reimagining the traditional portraiture. By using themselves as a subject, they integrate symbolic motifs to challenge established narratives of femininity, queerness, and gaze. Furthering the question on how permanence, tradition, and narratives shape our understanding of self and society.

CV:

b. Boston, MA in 2002 lives in Worcester County, Massachusetts

Education:

2020 – Present           Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA

                                    B.A in Art Studio, Minor in Art History

                                    May 2025 graduation expectancy

 

Fall 2020                     Massachusetts College of Art and Design | Boston, MA

                                    Relevant Course: Portrait Drawing

 

Summer 2019 Massachusetts College of Art and Design | Boston, MA

                                    Pre ⎯ College Summer Studios

                                    Relevant Courses: 2D Fundamentals, 3D Fundamentals, Issues

                                    and Images, Painting from Observation

 

Summer 2018 Massachusetts College of Art and Design | Boston, MA

                                    Pre ⎯ College Summer Studios

                                    Relevant Courses: Painting from Observation, Illustration

Group Exhibitions:

March 2024                 “200-300 Level Show” | Jannotta Gallery | Hillyer Hall, Brown

                                    Fine Arts Center | Smith College | Northampton, MA

 

March 2024                 “I’m Glad You’re Here” | Blanchard Gallery | Blanchard Hall |

                                    Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA

 

November 2024          “I’m Glad You’re Here [Again] | Blanchard Gallery | Blanchard Hall |

                                    Mount Holyoke College | South Hadley, MA

 

December 2024           “Open Studio Night” | Art Barn | Hampshire College | Amherst, MA