Kelly Root

Art can be both an intuitive, free-flowing, meditative process that calms the soul or it can be a precise mapping of subject matter that exercises the mind.

In her young life, Kelly was an avid artist and spent countless hours drawing. In 1994, years of insisting she could not be a transgender woman took its toll and mental health problems and substance abuse overlook her life. She would effectively stop drawing regularly, only briefly picking up a pencil a few times over the next two decades to make the occasional gift. In 2020 Kelly finally accepted who she was, and 2 years later a friend would inspire her to pick up her pencils once again. Kelly now spends as much free time as she can creating, whether in graphite, charcoal, colored pencils, watercolors and ink, frequently all at once. She continues to gift art to her friends and family, sharing a bit of herself whenever she can.

• Kelly’s piece “Confrontation” was selected to be shown in the Lansing Art Gallery & Education Center group exhibit The LGBTQ+ Artist in Michigan, an exhibit that ran through May and June 2023.