Meet Angilee Wilkerson | Artist

We had the good fortune of connecting with Angilee Wilkerson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Angilee, what makes you happy? Why?
I’m happiest when I’m wandering through the Texas prairies, woods, and thickets. Often following animal trails, I enjoy photographing wild spaces & collecting earth objects to use in mixed media works. Regardless of how many times I traverse a favorite trail, something new awaits discovery—for me, the possibility of each walk offers an endless source of artistic inspiration.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.

Drawn to the wilderness, my art reflects the mystery or otherness that is inherent in nature and within ourselves. While initially inspired by the sweeping vistas that came to define landscape photography, my work departs from the photographic canon of monumental spectacle and instead, focuses on the imaginal and the subtle, but no less sublime quiet spaces of a landscape and our inner selves.

Two long-term bodies of work close to my heart are the “Perform La Femme” series and the “Wondrous Prairie” series.

“Perform La Femme” is a self-portrait collection of photographic tableaus created in partnership with the late, Jana C. Perez. The works are expressed in a range of environments and atmospheric lighting where recurring color palettes serve as metaphor, body gestures read as code, and objects within each scene hold symbolic meaning. Jana and I took on a myriad of enigmatic characters and narratives, embracing ambiguity we allow room for the viewer to speculate, and find her own story in each image. Our work reinforces the value of the female perspective and female comradery and deepened our gift of friendship. I was honored to exhibit the series this past summer at the community art center gallery in Boskovic, Czech Republic. I’m excited about the creation of a book I’m designing that will include all of the “Perform La Femme” works, plus images never seen before, as well as writings by women, sketches, and other gems soon to be revealed. It will be my homage to Jana.

The “Wondrous Prairie” series reflects 20 years of my focus on the North Texas Landscape, an unprotected and delicate ecosystem, wondrously connected to the region’s woods, thickets, floodplains, and waterways. Once defined by tall grass prairies and fertile soil now has less than .05% of the original 12 million acres of prairie. It is my hope my photographs compel the viewer to reconsider their presumptions of natural beauty so that we may begin to value the prairie terrain in ways that transcend its monetary worth and inspire new stewardship for the scattered fragments of prairie that remain

I’m also excited about an upcoming exhibition entitled “Between Natura” where I’ll serve as Lead Curator. The exhibition will showcase works created by Texas artists who have been inspired by the TX landscape—the show is slated for August of 2024 at the Patterson-Appleton Arts Center in Denton and is part of the environmentalism PETAL initiative. Feel free to drop me a line for more info on the call for artists.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
So many great things to do in the DFW metroplex, my go-to spots include the fabulous art deco architecture and mural art at Fair Park, east Dallas, the lower Greenville area for drinks, dinner, and shopping, an afternoon bike ride at White Rock Lake, Dallas farmers market or Denton Community market for local vendors, Dans Silver Leaf for the best local music, an afternoon of museum hopping in Fort Worth and Lula Bs on Riverside for vintage treasures. For Texmex, I got to go with Herrera’s, and lastly a long prairie hike and swim at the Ray Roberts State Park.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My late creative partner Jana C. Perez was the biggest influencer in my life. A 5th generation Texan and Dallas girl, Jana was an extremely talented artist, inspired educator, and savvy businesswoman—the impact she had on my life is too big for words. She was my muse, my partner, my motivator, and my best friend. Together we created the “Perform La Femme” work and I couldn’t have done it without her. Even in her absence, the positivity she wove into all that she touched still influences me and so many others to this day. More of her work can be seen here: www.janacperez.com

Website: angileewilkerson.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/performlafemme/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/angilee-wilkerson-50258211/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/angilee.wilkerson.3

Other: https://www.performlafemme.com/

Image Credits
All photos are mine, Angilee Wilkerson. Photos that are part of the Perform La Femme series should be credited with my name and my creative partner’s name: Angilee Wilkerson & Jana C. Perez Wondrous Prairie photos: Angilee Wilkerson Self Portrait i took