KC Wilcox (she/they) is an artist based in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada—also known by it's earlier Mi'kmaw place name, Menagoesg, as well as Menahqesk, the Wolastoqiyik place name for the region.
An artist focused on storytelling and collaboration, her latest project is a graphic novel that delves into the lives of eight women on Sheffield Street in Saint John, New Brunswick, from 1904 to 1910. A collaboration with Gemma Marr, a writer and cultural historian, this project aims to amplify the voices of women who, as sex workers, were marginalized and excluded from the historical record. Reconstructing narratives that have been long-buried in archives, Gemma contextualizes the historical materials to write a compelling story based on these women’s lives. Reimagined through KC’s artwork, these nearly-forgotten stories are linked to present-day issues of gender, class, and identity.
KC’s work is informed by her French Canadian and Anglo-Canadian roots, with family heritage linked to Acadian, Loyalist, and European settler ancestors. She identifies as queer and is a white person, reflecting on these identities in both her life and her creative practice.
KC graduated from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) in 2014 with a Bachelor Degree in Interdisciplinary Design. KC’s body of work blends diverse materials—drawing, painting, sculpture, découpage, assemblage, book arts, video, photography, and found objects—into layered, multidimensional compositions. In 2022, KC was the artist in residence at Union House Arts in Port Union, NL. In 2020, they were the artist in residence at Third Shift, the annual art at night festival presented by Third Space Gallery, in Saint John, NB. In 2019, CBC's The Exhibitionist featured her work, highlighting her rubber beach trash sculptures.
KC's work delves into themes of contradiction and paradox, bringing attention to forces that might seem to oppose each other and reimagining them as points on a continuum. Recurring themes in her work include time, the natural world, and our layered relationships within these contexts. Her pieces strive to hold mental and cultural disparities together in a broader perspective, contemplating enduring concerns like preservation, cohabitation, and impermanence.