Andrea McKenna is an interdisciplinary artist with a focus on painting and video making. After graduating from The School of Visual Arts, she briefly pursued her degree in Illustration, then followed a path in set design, interning at Drew University’s  Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey and Fordham College at Lincoln Center. After realizing this was not her dream, she went back to painting, and when she was accepted into a small gallery show in New Hope, Pennsylvania, she knew this was her path. McKenna soon started exhibiting around the tri - state area.

The evolution of her work brought her to create large scale installations, incorporating found objects and using nontraditional materials in her practice. Her work became a bigger idea when she discovered her love for video making. Andrea's painted figures are rooted in the spiritual realm, positioned in between death and the afterlife. Video making adds additional layers to these concepts.

 

Work life led Andrea to become an interior Faux Finisher. After moving to Jersey City in 1999, she formed her own business: Videre Decorative Arts which grew a client list spanning most of New Jersey. From March 2014 to September 2017, she co-founded and operated The Raven Gallery and Boutique with best friend, Javiera Rodriguez, located in downtown Jersey City, which gave the local community a place to show and sell their work, as well as connect with their peers. Additionally, Andrea's involvement as a volunteer for Jersey City’s performing and visual arts Non Profit, Art House Productions, brought her back into the world of set design, where she worked on several productions as well as becoming the lead designer for their largest fundraising gala, Snow Ball. In 2018, she was asked to curate for Art House's gallery and now serves as the Gallery Director. 

Andrea resides in Fort Lee, New Jersey with her husband and two rescue cats.

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2018 - Present       Gallery Director for Art House Productions, Jersey City, NJ 

2014 – 2017           Co-Owner/Operator of The Raven Gallery & Boutique,                                               Jersey City, NJ

2008  - Present      Sole Proprietor of Videre Decorative Arts

1999 – 2008           Freelance Decorative Painter / Faux Finisher

 

EDUCATION 

2014                       Rising Tide Business Academy, Spring Semester

1988 - 1992           School of Visual Arts, New York City, BFA in Illustration

 

RESIDENCIES

IN7 2022 / 2023 -  Creating an Experimental video in 7 days,

                              Gardenship Art, Kearny, NJ

Spring 2021 ESKFF - Eileen S. Kaminsky Family Foundation at Mana                                                           Contemporary, Jersey City, NJ

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ART FAIRS​

Art Fair 14C - 2023 Exhibitor - Liberty State Park, Jersey City, NJ

Art Fair 14C - 2022 Exhibitor - Jersey City Armory, Jersey City, NJ

Art Fair 14C - 2021 Exhibitor - Glass Gallery at Mana Contemporary,

                        Jersey City, NJ

Art Fair 14C - 2020 Exhibiting with Art House Gallery -  Hyatt Regency,

                        Jersey City, NJ

Art Fair 14C - 2019 Exhibiting with 107 Bowers - Hyatt Regency,

                        Jersey City, NJ 

 

SHORT FILMS

2023 "Alchemy Rising" 

2022 "Elysian Fields" 

2021 “Adrift” Nominated for best cinematography /Brightside Film Festival 2022

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​ART INSTALLATIONS

2018 “The Sewing Room”, Atlantic Highlands Arts Council,

            Atlantic Highlands, NJ

2015  "Doll's House", Art Factory, Paterson NJ

2014  “Bird Dreams”, Art Factory, Paterson, NJ

 

SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2023  "DISINTEGRATION", Curated by Lucy Rovetto, Art House Productions

            Jersey City, NJ 

2022  "In The Undercurrent", Showcase at Mission 50, Hoboken, NJ 

2018  "The Banished Immortals", Broadfoot & Broadfoot Fine Art Gallery,                          Boonton, NJ

2017  "Learning to Be Lost", LITM, Jersey City, NJ

2015  "Blood Work", LITM, Jersey City, NJ 

1999  “Primal Guardians”, Limelight, New York City, NY

1997  “Unleashed”, Presbyterian Church of Franklin Lakes, Franklin Lakes, NJ

1995  “Mask Confusion”, Lena DiGangi Gallery, West Paterson, NJ

1994  “Exit Soul”, Sea Cliff Gallery, Long Island, NY

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TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS

2020  "Commit to Memory: The Precipice of Extinction", Curated by Bayard and                Dan Payton, Eonta Space, Jersey City, NJ

2014  "Obscure Passages", 313 Gallery. Jersey City, NJ

2013  “Minimalist Abstracts”, Wade Maxx Gallery, Upper Montclair, NJ

2011  “Pattern & Patina”, Skyclad Gallery, Boonton, NJ

 

JURIED EXHIBITIONS

1995  “Works on Paper”, National, Muse Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

1994  “The Exhibitioner”, National, Sea Cliff Gallery, Long Island, NY

 

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023  "Materiality" Curated by Donna Rae Kessinger, Studio Montclair,                               Montclair, NJ

2023  "Women Celebrate Women", Curated by Yvonne Lamar Rodgers, El                         Barrio's Art Space PS 109, NY, NY

2022  "Equinox", Produced by Pro Arts, Curated by Dorie Dahlberg, ART150                      Gallery, Jersey City, NJ

2022  "Resilient 2", Produced by Pro Arts, Curated by Ivy Brown, ART150                            Gallery, Jersey City, NJ

2022   Curator's Choice, Produced by Pro Arts, Curated by Audra Lambert,                       Casa Colombo, Jersey City, NJ

2022   "Of Women, By Women: Strength in Vulnerability", Curated by Kathy                      Imlay, Spiro Harrison, Montclair, NJ

2022   "Exquisite Corpse", Curated by Tina Maneca, Firmament Gallery at                           Nimbus Art Center, Jersey City, NJ

2021  "Women Celebrate Women", Curated by Yvonne Lamar Rodgers, El                          Barrio's Art Space PS 109, NY, NY

2021  "Aliens, Bigfoot & The Edge of the World", Hamilton St. Gallery, Bound                    Brook, NJ

2021  "The Empowering", Curated by Danielle Scott, Pro Arts Gallery, 150 Bay                 St. Jersey City, NJ

2016  "Under The Influence", Curated by Robinson Holloway, Village West                       Gallery, Jersey City, NJ

2015  "Woman Up", Curated by Rachel Wilkins, Conception Gallery, Long                          Island City, NY

2015  "Brink", Curated by Rachel Wilkins, Conception Gallery,

           Long Island City, NY

2012  “Heavenly Bodies”, Skyclad Gallery, Boonton, NJ

1998  “20 Artists”, Curated by Lena DiGangi. Lena DiGangi Gallery, Totowa, NJ

1994  “Divine Visions”, Curated by Robyn Bellospirito, Sea Cliff Gallery, Long                    Island, NY

1992  “Illustrators”, SVA Galleries, School of Visual Arts, New York City, NY

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SET DESIGN

2017 - Present, Lead Designer for Snow Ball Gala, Art House Productions,                          Jersey City, NJ 

2018  Lead Set Designer, "Not Medea", Art House Productions, Jersey City, NJ

2018  Lead Set Designer, "Cabaret", St Peter's University, Jersey City, NJ

2017  Lead Set Designer, "The Drowsy Chaperone”, St. Peter's University,                         Jersey City, NJ 

2016  Lead Set Designer, "The Addams Family", Historic Loews Theater, Art                     House Productions, Jersey City, NJ 

2015  Lead Set Designer, "What Lurks", St Peter's University, Jersey City, NJ 

2015  Lead Set Designer, "House of Atreus", Art House Productions,

         Jersey City, NJ​

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PUBLICATIONS & PRESS

2020  EverythingJerseyCity.com Interview: "Commit to Memory”, Eonta Space,

          Jersey City, NJ

2020  Jersey Journal interview: "Commit to Memory" exhibit, Eonta Space,                      Jersey City, NJ

2020  JC Times online review: ”Commit to Memory" exhibit, Eonta Space,                        Jersey City, NJ

2020  Conception Events: Coffee with Artists, Facebook Live

2019  News 12, "Pride: From Raids to Parades" Curator spot 

2017  "Megazine", Artist Feature, Online Publication

2016  Beautiful Bizzare Magazine, Online

1998  Lecture & Presentation at Dr. Stella Russell’s Studio, Oyster Bay, NY

1998  “Art in the World” Series, WHPC 90.3 FM, Long Island, NY

1996  “Present Tense: Writing and art by Young Women”, CALYX Books, 20th                   Anniversary        

 

GALLERY REPRESENTATION

2017 to 2020 - Broadfoot and Broadfoot - 819 Main St., Boonton, NJ

 

EVENTS

Flea Market Flip - 2019 - Winner of Episode 21, Season 13 

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TEACHING ARTIST

2020   Summer Program at Art House Productions, Intro to Art, Ages 12 to 15,                   Jersey City, NJ

2020   Adult Education in Art at St. Joseph’s for the Blind, Jersey City, NJ