Meet Jill Drllevich

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Jill Drllevich. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

I was born 5 years after the end of World War II in Brooklyn, New York, to second -generation Jewish immigrants. Growing up, I watched TV shows that depicted “ideal” families that miraculously solved all their problems by the end of each episode. It was a time of convenience with the novelty of TV dinners, the introduction of baby formula and other inventions proclaiming to “make life easier”. Looking back on this time, I realize how innocent and naive I was.
I also remember “how to survive a nuclear attack” drills in school. I remember the smell of the school’s basement where we gathered for these drills. When I close my eyes, I can still see all the rows of canned foods and first aid kits. I wondered how we would be protected from the nuclear attack, and if we did survive, what would it be like when we left the shelter.
As I matured out of childhood, I started seeing the world in a new light. The closer I examined our society, the more flaws I discovered. I remember as a young adult in the 1970’s, going grocery shopping for my family. I was going to buy frozen apple pie, and french fries. To my dismay, I read the ingredients and noticed that there were no apples in the pie and no potatoes in the fries. So, after putting them back on the shelf I went home and did some research. I spent the next few weeks setting up the first health food co-op in my area and convinced the health food distribution companies into driving to Long Island to sell to me at wholesale prices. Less than a year later I opened a health food store in my area.
At around the same time, our local electric company, LILCO, was planning on building a nuclear power plant less than an hour away from my house with inadequate evacuation routes available. I joined thousands of others in protest of the plant then took it one step further and shut off my electricity for almost four years while raising two small children. I learned something important about myself, when I realized something was wrong in the world, I dedicated myself to do what I could to fix it.
After birthing two children in traditional hospitals following all the rules and traditions of the times, I decided to have my third baby on a hippie commune in Summertown, Tennessee called The FARM. This commune was known for allowing mothers to birth their babies at no cost in exchange for work. So, I became a bread baker for the month I was there. I was fortunate to have Ina Mae Gaskin, a world-renowned midwife, deliver my baby.
During that time in my life, I had many incredible experiences affecting environmental and social change. I volunteered with Pete Seeger, helping him raise money to clean up the Hudson River. I participated in New York City Mayor Lindsay’s inner-city youth arts program called the “Happenings”. I opened an art gallery to support young, emerging artists.
I’ve searched my heart, and mind extensively and discovered that every wrong I tried to right, every cause I was involved in, was in fact rooted in the same singular problem at its core.As a society, we are making decisions without really considering how they play out over time. It wasn’t nuclear power I was against, it was moving forward with it without fully addressing the possible pitfalls. It wasn’t logging that bothered me, it was mass deforestation. It wasn’t the food industry I was against, it was the lack of transparency in food marketing. I’ve come to realize that often our priorities are wrong and in achieving our personal goals we have done incredible damage to each other and the planet.
Decades later, I moved to Washington state and in 2014, discovered over 200 nuclear industrial fan blades at a metal recycler in Tacoma. I was fascinated by these monumental sleek, black, fin-like objects and even more so when I learned they were salvaged from an unfinished nuclear power plant of the same era as the one I had protested on Long Island. Each fan blade stands six feet tall and weighs over 200 pounds. To others, this was trash, but to me, this was art waiting to be created. I was immediately compelled to purchase them to make art, and by doing so, rerouted 40,000 pounds of fiberglass from the landfill.
From 2014 until today, I have been persevering in my efforts to repurpose these 200 monolithic relics of the nuclear industry into new works of art. Anytime I had the chance I presented my ideas about my project. More times than not they were met with confusion and or skepticism. It was feeling like my project would never get off the ground. In 2017, I officially founded Blades of Change, an equitable arts and storytelling initiative repurposing nuclear fan blades into new works of art.I am proud to say today, we have worked with over 15 contemporary artists to create new sculptural works, workshopped with students at the University of Washington, engaged the Marshallese community by donating artwork to healthcare clinics serving them, participated in Hiroshima remembrance events, engaged elders in capturing their legacies through sculpture, shown our sculptures at Tacoma Art Museum and Wing Luke Museum ( Seattle), have had our sculptures included in public art sculpture gardens, and have received multiple grants, awards, and fiscal sponsorship to continue our work engaging communities through art with these iconic objects. We have many exciting projects on the horizon including a summer event at the Seattle Center on August 2nd, and an ongoing art installation with indigenous partners addressing Hanford’s nuclear waste legacy. I will continue to adapt to the evolving needs of this unique art initiative. I feel like my legacy project is finally being realized.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Three qualities or skills that were impactful to you

Self confidence
Perseverance
Experience

Artists are required to put their most inner selves on display a subject themselves to public critique. Throughout my life, I have struggled with fear about how others would judge me and I would feel defeated if someone didn’t’t understand or appreciate my art. After opening my debut solo art exhibition at a gallery in 2025 at the age of 75, I have started to come to terms with my self0doubt by doing several helpful things. Self-confidence, perseverance, an experience have all helped me reframe my self-doubt and stop letting it hold me back from pursuing my goals as an artist.

The first thing I’ve committed to is stepping away from relationships and situations that are not compatible for me. Secondly, I’ve tried hard to see myself from an outsider’s perspective which helps me appreciate who I am. The third habit I’ve adopted is accepting positive feedback I receive and giving it as much power as the negative feedback I receive, so that they hold equal weight.

At times, I feel overwhelmed and defeated when i consider my life’s journey. When my mind starts going down this path, I ask myself what my options are. I always know there is an option, and time, love, and community are the tools I need to move forward. My will to persevere is enhanced by doing things like listening to other’s stories, cultivating self-love, giving myself as much grace as I give others, and surrounding myself with community.

I’ve learned that growth is impossible unless you take a risk. I pride myself on having become an adept risk-taker.

Starting in m 70’s, I began riding in a motorcycle side car on long-haul trips traversing the globe. I’ve ridden across four continents, most recently from Oman to Germany. Traveling by ground in the open air over great distances encourages me to use all my senses, to slow down my mind and capture the moment, to observe things I pass by carefully and completely. Time creeps to a near halt, bringing my senses into hyper-focus. As I travel, I imagine I’m weaving an artistic fabric, one that includes things I’ve picked up from others and some pieces of me that I’ve left behind. I will continue this journey until there is no”me” and no “them”but only one “us”.
. .
”.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?

Yes, always! There are several ways we can collaborate. We are looking for artists that are also environmentally aware and looking for ways to be sustainable and relevant. We are looking for venues that want to host a Blades of Change event. We are looking for people that want to share their stories or know others that have a strong story to tell. We are looking for grant writers. We are looking for donors. I’m sure there are other types of people that we would like to collaborate with that we have not thought of yet.
My website is :https://www.bladesofchange.com/ you can contact me through there.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bladesofchange.com/