Home Journal In the Studio: Big Queen Kelly

In the Studio: Big Queen Kelly

Kelly Pearson Boles, known as “Big Queen Kelly” is an artist based in New Orleans and is a Spring 2026 Artist-in-Residence at the Joan Mitchell Center. This interview was filmed at the Joan Mitchell Center in March 2026. Learn more about Big Queen Kelly’s work at instagram.com/blackosceolas.

See other Journal entries filed under:

Artists' Voices

Explore More Journal Entries

Artist Naomi Kawanishi Reis kneels over a pile of paper with green watercolor washes on the floor of a studio. She is an artist of Asian descent, and has brown shoulder-length hair with blonde streaks and bangs, and wears a green putton up shirt, dark pants and pink socks.

In the Studio: Naomi Kawanishi Reis

“There's a way in which things that are beautiful tend to get ignored or diminis...

Ana María Agüero Jahannes sits at a wooden shaving horse, and scrapes ribbons of wood with a broad blade, and the floor is scattered with wood shavings. They are a Black Hispanic artist with shoulder-length, curly black hair half pulleed up and wear jeans with a pink shirt.

In the Studio: Ana María Agüero Jahannes

“When I make my work, I tend to choose the most ancient and the most by-hand pr...

Gabrielle Tolliver sits at a wooden worktable working with her hands on a watercolor on paper, behind her drawings and paintings are tacked to the white wall. She is a Black woman with dark curly natural hair, and wears a powder blue jumpsuit.

In the Studio: Gabrielle Tolliver

“Thematically, I've just been looking at the world around me, and I keep describ...