Glowing Reserves
Devon Kelley-Yurdin
Glowing Reserves explores the aesthetic connections between collective joy, queerness, and nature. Guided by the question, “What will people need in Maine in March?” Kelley-Yurdin’s installation serves as a catalyst for levity, connection, and emotional respite at the close of winter.
I am an interdisciplinary artist, educator, facilitator, and cultural organizer (etc. etc. etc.) living on Abenaki/Wabanaki land in so-called Portland, Maine. I was born and raised in Vermont and hold a BFA in Communications Design & Cultural Studies from Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. As former resident of Oakland, CA; Austin, TX; and (very rural) Eastport, Maine, I weave a wide net and carry a diverse tool belt. Grounded in the belief that creativity can be found everywhere and plays a deep role in holistic community care, my creative practice connects to the ways I strive to interact with the world; play, curiosity, queerness, accessibility, equity, and skill-building drive my work, relationships, and life experiences.
My creative and professional (and professionally creative) work spans traditional media (printmaking, cut-paper, installation), design/illustration/art direction, event production, arts administration, and community organizing. I’m an instigator of collective experience and much of my community/relational work focuses on collective joy and radical vulnerability, equitable community cultural development, community-based education, and cooperative/collective/alternative models. Additionally, putting together a well curated outfit or finding the perfect bread-to-filling sandwich ratio are viable creative activities as far as I’m concerned.