Featured Artisan – Kandee Wallace
Russell County, VA
Kandee Wallace gives back to Southwest Virginia in vibrant ways, through her whimsical art and her passion for providing opportunities for residents around the region.
Wallace had an emotional response when talking about the arts community and its growth in the region over the past decade. She shared how she feels the positivity of the shift in community investment into the creative economy since she once left home to move to Colorado years ago.
“It’s a lot easier now,” Wallace said. “Communities are starting to see the magnitude art brings to the area.”
Wallace is a talented in drawing and painting. Her passion started at just the age of three with her grandfather. She gained a quick love for the work, filling her time with art classes. She found she could bring in her personality through her mediums but could also capture people and personality through these art forms.
She also tries to provide life and vitality to communities around her with increasing support for the murals she provides for downtowns. Her delight for this career bleeds through her contributions.
“It means the world to me,” Wallace said. “It is a dream every day to come to work.”
When you do not see Wallace building her art portfolio, she also teaches tumbling and dance at her studio and dance academy in Coeburn. Her classes are income-based and sliding scale in the area to provide activities to families of all means.
“We have so much untapped talent in the area. Sometimes, there is just a lack of resources and investments in interests,” she said. That is where she encourages residents to get involved for opportunities throughout the region.
She even went back to college to pursue a degree in K-12 education to support her degrees in fine art and business as she serves the community she calls home.
“I once thought in order to be successful, I had to leave. That was never the case,” Wallace said. “Home always calls you back.”
Two of Wallace's public murals can be found at the Coffee Station in St. Paul, Virginia.
Wallace's work can be found at the Southwest Virginia Cultural Center & Marketplace. Her work can also be purchased through her social media channels, like Facebook and Instagram. She also sells prints on her website.
