Meet Kim A. Tolman

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kim A. Tolman a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kim A., appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?

I usually have no problem with creative ideas. They just come. The challenge is finding the time to execute them, I am constantly sorting through deciding what can be done with the given time. Now that I am a gallerist, I find that I have much less time for my own painting and design work than ever before. However, I do get to exercise my artistic and design eyes when picking artists’ piecse and laying out exhibitions. I endeavor to make every exhibition a unique experience and I am always trying to top myself.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I’ve been painting since I was a teenager, which led me to a career as a scenic and production designer. Now since starting MAD.KAT Gallery a year ago, I have become very excited about providing a platform for presenting the art of other talented people. The mission of MAD.KAT is bringing the types of international, U.S., regional and local art to greater Palm Springs that other galleries are not. And in the process we have created a very nice social scene and have met dozens of wonderful people. Unlike most galleries in the area, we plan our exhibitions as part of a season which we publish in advance. We just announced our 2024/2025 season, which starts in October and runs through the end of May next year. https://gallerymadkat.com/2024-2025-season. Exhibitions of note included “Thoroughly Modern Mid-Century” and “You Think I’m Psycho, Don’cha Mama?.”

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?

1. Work Ethic – it doesn’t matter how creative or smart you are, if the rubber doesn’t hit the road, nothing happens. You have to be willing to put in the time and effort, and then a whole lot more time and effort.

2. Curiosity – keep an open mind and look to always be learning something new. Inspiration can come from the most unexpected places.

3. Be True to One’s Self – I’ve never been one to swim with the fishes. That has made me a bit of an outsider at times, but it is important to be honest with yourself. I love that quote that is attributed to Oscar Wilde” “Be yourself, everyone else is taken.”

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

Creating MAD.KAT Gallery has been a rewarding and gratifying experience. We have accomplished a lot in a short time. In eleven months, we’ve mounted six distinct themed exhibitions, built a community of fans and patrons, and hosted some great opening receptions. The biggest challenge that we face is that we are swimming against the stream by bringing art to the greater Palm Springs area that is not merely decorative. There are dozens of galleries in the area that present decorative art. We want to exhibit art that is more than just a pretty picture that matches the sofa. There are plenty of people who “get it” and we love it when they discover us, but it has been our challenge educating those that don’t.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Michael Mangold, Russ Tolman, Kim A. Tolman, Cary Baker

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