K Kriesel shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi K, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you most proud of building — that nobody sees?
Everyone can see that I’ve successfully planned, advertised, and facilitated two Spring Festivals in Galena, IL. This is an annual arts & culture event celebrating Earth Day, with costumes and native seeds and sometimes even a dragon appears! I fundraised to cover the costs of the ’25 Spring Festival, and got a grant from the Illinois Arts Council to cover the costs of ’26! What I’m most proud of, which nobody can see, is that this event originally started with another local creative sharing the workload but I persisted after they backed out. I chose to continue the work single-handedly, paying for the initial costs in ’24 by myself. Overcoming the difficulties and overwhelm of creating something totally new alone was much more difficult than any advertising campaign or grant application. But I did it, and my community has shown up to support and celebrate!
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Originally from Chicago, I studied art therapy at Alverno College in Milwaukee and now I reside in Jo Daviess county, IL. I work primarily in textile arts such as quilting, embroidery, and beading, with my focus combining Catholic symbolism with nature imagery. Healing spiritual trauma through art therapy has been a goal of mine, as well as educating church spaces on inclusivity. In spring 2024 I became an Associate of the Sisters of Charity, and now I’m working on intergenerational community-building through the arts.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: Who saw you clearly before you could see yourself?
My cousin married Cheri, a professional artist, when I was 6. They lived in Aurora, the closest relatives to my Chicago home, so I saw them often. My school and most of the adults around me didn’t encourage children to draw, color, or create, so I was amazed when I saw Cheri whip out her sketchbook and fine pencils to sketch whenever she had a spare moment! She gave me my own sketchbook and pencils and invited me to sit with her to sketch, which felt like a great honor. She encouraged me to explore artistically and develop my own style, seeing a creative spark in me before anyone else. I still appreciate her to this day!
If you could say one kind thing to your younger self, what would it be?
“There’s nothing wrong with you, you’re in the wrong place.”
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. Is the public version of you the real you?
Yes, frankly I don’t know how to create a false public version. It sounds too difficult to maintain! And besides, art is a way for me to connect with others and that can’t happen when it’s insincere.
Okay, so let’s keep going with one more question that means a lot to us: If immortality were real, what would you build?
A native forest with an experience akin to The House On The Rock or Meow Wolf hidden deep within. Whenever I see land for sale in the area, I wish I could purchase it and gradually restore all the acreage to how it would’ve looked 300 years ago. A venue like that would only be rarely visited by hikers, but what a remarkable story to bring home!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://kkriesel.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kkrieselart/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KKrieselArt
- Other: https://www.tumblr.com/kkrieselart
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
