Five Questions With... Kelsey Magnolia

Kelsey Magnolia -- bad-ass freak

Kelsey is pretty fucking awesome.

That’s the simplest way I could think of to start this piece. She’s an amazing artist, music fan and promoter, psychedelic warrior, road dog, wrestling aficionado, and all round bad-ass weirdo. 

She’s also one of those rare people who not only does cool shit, but inspires and supports other people trying to do the same. 

Kelsey started the annual “Too Broke for the Arts Fest” in 2014, giving other local artists, crafts people, and musicians an outlet to share their work. She’s an ardent support of local music and books some of the best house shows you’ve never been to. She rages like a mad woman, can drink and smoke you under the table, and throws herself 110 percent into anything she commits to. 

It’s hard not to admire a person like Kelsey who wears her passions on her sleeve without apology. Her quest for adventure, pursuit of the strange, and lust for life make Des Moines a brighter, livelier, more colorful city. We’re lucky to have her here. 

Check out her work here. Shoot her a message and say hello or commission a piece if you’ve got a few bucks. You won’t regret it.

Kelsey with by far the coolest fucking thing ever made
from Perler beads. It's also for sale. Hit her up.

You’re responsible for introducing the human race to the grays and reptilians. What do you include in the opening message? 

"You're going to have to excuse, like, 95% of humanity, but a lot of us are SUPER stoked to meet you guys."

You’ve already taken puff paint and Perler bead art to new heights. What other mediums are you interested in working with?

"I'm interested in just about everything and love to learn. Airbrushing is definitely something I'd like to learn more about, as well as getting more into screen printing. If I won the lottery I would have the biggest studio with everything imaginable. I could maybe afford a potter's wheel and kiln with a couple mill in the bank."

Tell us about Too Broke for The Arts Fest. Why did you start it and do you plan to continue with it?
"When I decided I wanted to actually get into doing art more, I wanted to set some goals for myself. The first one I thought of was trying to display at the big art fest in town. I quickly found out it was HELLA expensive to even apply, and most of the artists weren't even from Des Moines, let alone the midwest. So I decided to put on my own show of local artists the same weekend, and throw some bands on the show for an extra fun time. The first Too Broke was June 28th, 2014, and we've been growing for five years now. I really love the Vaudeville Mews, but I'm thinking of trying to find a bigger venue to be able to keep growing as a show."

Tell us a crazy house-show story?

Psychedelic piano made in 2017.

"I'd have to be able to remember the house shows in order to tell you anything, man. Ha, mostly kidding. The coolest show was probably when Rattlehead from LA played and recorded the whole time they were at our place. I still have the flyers they put up around the house informing people they would be on film throughout the night. I'm not sure if anything ever came out of all that footage, but I would love to find it. It was a wiiiild, crazy night. The most legendary moment is most definitely when Kevin dropped an elbow off the stove onto Tory. It was unforgettable, no matter what state of mind we were all in."

You contributed to a kick ass psychedelic coloring book a while back. How did that come about?

The book is called Let's Create Something Magical Volume 3 and was put together and released by Weird Destiny, a kickass duo of dudes from Texas, Billy and Colby, who put on the freakiest of shows for the weirdest of freaks. I got super into Miley Cyrus when she collaborated with Wayne Coyne of the Flaming Lips for her Dead Petz album. I think I just followed a bunch of people who were mostly into the Lips on Instagram, and then became friends on Facebook, and I'm pretty sure that's how I met Billy, who moved out of Austin and now runs Weird Destiny on his own.

Bonus Question: 

You’re in charge of Miley Cyrus, Ric Flair, and King Diamond for a day. What kind of plans are you making for the group? 
Oh man, it'd have to be 2016 Miley so she would still properly party with us. And Flair in his PRIME. King can be present day, cus I'm pretty sure he's always been legit AF. We'd start with some killer brunch in a greasy diner and then see where the weirdness would take us...