Meet Kristen

Kristen Neveu resides in Lindenhurst, Illinois, situated midway between Chicago and Milwaukee. After earning a degree in Communications with a minor in Anthropology from The University of Iowa, she began creating collages from salvaged materials. Her artwork incorporates a diverse mix of mediums, including acrylic and oil paint, pencil, paper, fabric, and fragments of wood. Kristen’s work has been showcased in various exhibitions, including James May Gallery in Milwaukee, WI; The Robert T. Wright Community Gallery of Art at College of Lake County, Grayslake, IL; The Saw Room Gallery in Evanston, IL; The Fort Wayne Museum of Art; Barnsdall Art Gallery in Los Angeles; Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, and numerous art pop-ups at local businesses and libraries. She is an active member of several organizations, such as the Chicago Alliance of Visual Artists, Chicago Women’s Caucus for Art, Evanston Made, Adler Art Center, and Woman Made Gallery. Kristen has received Individual Artist Program grants from Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events. Additionally, she possesses expertise in image archiving, intellectual property legalities, and photo research, with professional experience at Getty Images, Warner Bros. Entertainment Media Archives, and HMH Education.

Working with found objects, collage, and salvaged materials, I gather what has been overlooked or discarded—weathered wood, paper fragments, textiles, photographs, and domestic remnants—and reassemble them into new forms that hold memory, history, and possibility. Walking, searching, and collecting are central to my practice; each object carries traces of previous lives, and through layering, stitching, and repair I transform these fragments into quiet acts of renewal. Rather than concealing damage, I leave seams, tears, and edges visible, allowing repair to become part of the work’s language. My process treats salvage as both material and metaphor, reflecting how we piece together identity and meaning from what remains. By giving lost things a second life, I create spaces that invite reflection, resilience, and hope—suggesting that nothing is truly waste and that beauty can emerge from what has been left behind.

Upcoming Art Events

Reclamation: I was here- Group Show - Dittmar Memorial Gallery, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL - April 9-May 3

2026 Member Show - Walker’s Point Center for the Arts, Milwaukee, WI - April 17-May 22

Artruckish - Online Exhibition - April 20-May 20, https://www.instagram.com/artruckish/

22nd Regional Juried Exhibition - Freeport Art Museum, Freeport, IL - May 9-July 18

Brushwood Center’s 5th Annual Mother Earth Art Market, Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods, Riverwoods, IL - May 9-10

Open Studio Project Gallery 901 - Evanston, IL - December 5-January 30 - https://www.openstudioproject.org/gallery-901