Andrea Joyce Heimer: No Name That I Know Of
February 14-May 25, 2025
Gallery Talk with the Artist and Curator
Saturday, February 15, 2-3 pm
Andrea Joyce Heimer (b. 1981) uses artmaking to explore unknowns. Her own closed adoption has informed her artistic practice, which seeks to reconstruct her origin story from fragments. With layers of expressive detail and occasional dark humor, the artist paints autobiographical scenes depicting recollections of her upbringing in rural Montana. Much of Heimer’s work addresses themes of loneliness and belonging, revealing her struggles with isolation and otherness during key developmental milestones.
Heimer draws inspiration from the visual storytelling found in Greek black-and-red figure pottery, medieval illuminated manuscripts, global pictographic art, and contemporary craft movements. Her stage, rendered with a cast of people, animals, and fictitious beings, shines a spotlight on complex human interactions—often confronting intimate, embarrassing, or painful realities. Infused with the dreamlike imagery of a child’s escape into fantasy, many of the artist’s narratives chronicle experiences of tenderness in a jarring world. Heimer’s confessional titles place us at the intersection of her personal memories and the poignant moments we all share.
Abridged title: I Have Always Wanted To Swim With Everyone Else, In Backyard Pools, Ponds With No Name, The Blackfoot River, The Bitterroot. I Took The Required Swimming Lessons In Elementary School But They Only Left Me Fatigued And Panicky [. . .] (detail) , 2023, Acrylic and oil pastel on panel, Collection of Jenny Kirtland.
Banner Image: Abridged title: When I Was About 11 And Had a Bright Pink Windbreaker We Would Go To The Horse Sale Outside Of Town To Watch The Bidders Buy This Horse Or That Horse [...] (detail), 2022, Acrylic on panel, 60 x 80 in (152.4 x 203. 2 cm). Image courtesy of the artist and Megan Mulrooney.