
DATES
July 2023
Visit with the artist on Friday, July 7 from 5-7 PM.
Receptions are open to the public. Light refreshments provided.
Download Meyer’s catalog of artwork on display at the Paramount (PDF).
GALLERY LOCATION
Gallery Saint Germain, Main Floor
Mon – Fri || 10am – 5pm and Sat || 10am – 2pm
Always Free to Attend. Always Inspiring.
Exhibition Description: Artist Statement
Diachronic looks at the lives and roles of women across time. Through the use of several portraits of women from biblical times, narratives that are often overlooked and since forgotten, we see the stories we repeat and still live today. Women victimized, women trafficked, women silenced, women as victors, as heroines, as rulers. Each portrait of ancient women hangs beside a modern day counterpart. Some of these pairings show us a mirror of our own stories and deepens our kinship with our ancestors as history repeats itself, yet others juxtapose the choices and fates of women faced with similar situations who walked a different path. Diachronic strives to raise the questions of why are these women’s stories not told in our churches, where are these women in our history books, and is the modern woman really better off?
di·a·chron·ic
/ˌdīəˈkränik/
adjective
Concerned with the way in which something, especially language, has developed and evolved through time.
Exhibiting Artist: Kelly Meyer

With the birth of my twins I set aside my paint brushes and picked up a needle and thread. What was to be a temporary sacrifice, forced by the necessity for clean and ready hands, instead became a love affair. The sound of a carefully placed needle piercing, then pulling through fabric coincided with the beat of my heart and the meditations of my mind. With thread there is a contemplative purposefulness that expresses the importance of the piece by laying down a thousand stitches or creating a web of thread to trap the eye. The connection was visceral and I have never lost my affection for it.
Embroidery has been seen through the ages as a substitute for the education of women, a badge of well-to-do aristocratic young women, and a necessity for a good wife and homemaker. Given its baggage, embroidery lends itself well to upheaval allowing me to use those stereotypes to challenge viewers in the question of “What is art and what is craft?”. From my youth I have fought against the idea of “women’s work” and have chosen to take back embroidery. Like a spider trapping the fly I am able to use embroidery’s innocent nature to draw in those whom nostalgia beckons to, reminding them of mothers and grandmothers and simpler times. I can garner the attention of many who would overlook “art” believing it to be something highbrow, intimidating, or of little value. Using complex and intriguing images, striking colors, and untraditional stitch patterns that echo the looseness of paint, those normally disinterested in “crafts” believing it lowbrow or simple are drawn in. The choice of medium is no accident.
As our society becomes less literate with its increasing reliance on images and video, fueled by our addiction to social media and our constant need to be entertained, the art of visual storytelling is a necessity. Once a primary means of sharing stories, embroidery played a vital role in conveying complex narratives and symbolism. As illiteracy increased during the Middle Ages art became the primary method of communicating narratives to the masses. Much of my work revolves around the retelling of stories featuring women as far back as ancient times. Though primarily overlooked and since forgotten, they are the stories we repeat and still live today. Women victimized, women trafficked, women silenced. Women as victors, as heroines, as rulers. Using an ancient medium with a modern twist I tell ancient tales as I retell those from our own history. The story of Dinah & Sheschem is the story of Emily Doe & Brock Turner and a culture that downplays the ravaging fallout of rape. The story of Deborah echoes the story of Ruth Bader Ginsberg just as the tale of Delilah is that of Betty Pack except Delilah was on the wrong side of history.
Today, as our brains become inundated with visual messages thousands of times daily, language gets lost in the noise. We find ourselves too busy or too tired to bother with text; we want bullet points and pictures. It is evident that the need for art to convey stories of importance and to teach and challenge the masses is critical. Modeled after the tapestries of old, my work shares in this history of visual storytelling. Whether it is a subtle bedtime story or a shout with every stitch, I set my web with deceivingly pretty yet powerful stitches.
Connect with Kelly virtually.
- Email: kellymeyerart@gmail.com
- Website: https://kellymeyerart.com
- Facebook: Kelly Meyer
- Instagram: kellymeyerart
Like what you see?
Consider adding a piece to your collection and supporting a Minnesota artist. All the artwork noted
in this catalog that is on exhibit at the Paramount is for sale, unless otherwise noted.
Purchasing the Work
• Bring this catalog to the Gallery Gift Shop located at the Paramount (right side of the
building facing St. Germain Street). Let the cashier know what item you would like to buy.
• If not today, you can also contact the Paramount at 320-259-5463 and purchase it by
providing a credit card over the phone while it is still on exhibit.
Gallery Gift Shop Hours*
Monday – Friday: 10:00AM – 5:00PM, and Saturday: 10:00AM – 2:00PM
*Open one hour before most performances

