Queer people don’t grow up as ourselves, we grow up playing a version of ourselves that sacrifices authenticity to minimize humiliation & prejudice. The massive task of our adult lives is to unpack which parts of ourselves are truly us & which parts we’ve created to protect us. - Writer and activist Alexander Leon

Artist Bio

Allyson McDuffie received a BFA (Studio Arts) and MFA (Printmaking) from Ohio University, Athens. She has lived in Boulder, CO since 1992 and has worked primarily in the mediums of printmaking, drawing, painting, mixed media, and photography, with a more recent exploration into digital drawing and sculpture.

Artist Statement

As an artist, I strive to explore the intersections between memory, queer identity, societal norms, and resilience in my work. I often use humor and satire to subvert the seriousness of these topics. Throughout my life, my images have attempted to speak to the way personal experiences, and memory recall of those experiences that can morph over time, shape our understanding of place and the world around us. My most successful pieces are simplified forms that hint at a deeper emotional resonance. They are reluctantly optimistic; simultaneously an exploration of hardships and a celebration of the beauty in our contradictory society. They are comical and poignant. 

Tomboys, chickens, miniature donkeys, pigs, cardinals (the Ohio state bird and my grandmother’s favorite), rattan and jelly lawn furniture (where a childhood friend and I spent endless summer hours planning our escape from boredom, and Springfield), bird nests, Jiffy Pop, a coveted bowling trophy, and old coin-operated mechanical horse rides are just a few of the elements that make appearances in my work. These objects help to evoke/embellish the retelling of childhood experiences, friend and familial relationships, and turn societal shame into a celebration of queer/gender identity and expression. Some also touch on the themes of poverty and consumerism, exploring the ways in which our society’s obsession with material possessions can both connect and isolate us.

Select Exhibitions/Collections/Publications/Press/Rosters

Press/Publications

  • DARIA Magazine - Review of CAMP: Queer Arts and Crafts & the Beauty of Imperfection, Fall 2025 Issue

  • KGNU Radio - Outsources Program, Interview with artist Allyson McDuffie and Kin interns in conjunction with CAMP: Queer Arts and Crafts & the Beauty of Imperfection, DEC 2025

  • Boulder Daily Camera - A dead rooster and a dream: Inside the zany, subversive world of Boulder artist Allyson McDuffie, AUG 10, 2023

  • Old Salty and other digital drawings from the studio of Allyson McDuffie, 2023; Paperback

  • from the studio of Allyson McDuffie, 2023; PDF

  • Tomboy and Old Salty – Queer Art at the Bus Stop Gallery through July, 2023; Out Boulder County blog

  • Creative Is a Verb, If You're Alive, You're Creative by Patti Digh 2010; Anne painting on page 12

  • Geography of Loss, Embrace What Is, Honor What Was, Love What Will Be by Patti Digh 2013; Fortune Teller painting on page 108

Collections

  • Paintings and prints in private collections throughout the US

Select Exhibitions

Current and Upcoming:

  • Camp: Queer Arts and Crafts and the Beauty of Imperfection; Solo Exhibition; Kin Studio and Gallery; Boulder, CO (OCT 2025-JAN 2026)

Recent:

  • Open Studios Group Exhibition @ PARK Co-working Space, Boulder, CO (OCT 2025)

  • Exhibiting Artist @ Open Studios Gallery, Boulder, CO (FEB-MAY 2025)

  • Solo Exhibition @ Gemini, Boulder, CO (April-June 2025)

  • NoBo Artists Group Exhibition; Bus Stop Gallery; Boulder, CO (April 2025)

  • Exhibiting Artist @ The Armory, Boulder, CO (MAY-AUG 2025)

  • Exhibiting Artist @ The New Local, Boulder, CO (Q1-4 2025)

  • Solo Exhibition @ KGNU Radio, Boulder, CO (Q1 2025) via NoBo Art District Art in Place Program

  • Solo Exhibition @ The New Local, Boulder, CO (NOV-DEC 2024)

  • Queer As; Solo Exhibition; Kin Studio and Gallery; Boulder, CO (OCT 2024)

  • Boulder Open Studios Artists; Group Exhibition; The Dairy Arts Center; Boulder, CO (OCT 2024)

  • Tasty; Solo Exhibition; Kin Studio and Gallery; Boulder, CO (APR-MAY 2024)

  • NoBo Artists Group Exhibition; Bus Stop Gallery; Boulder, CO (April 2024)

  • Finger Lickin’ Good; International Juried Exhibition; ShockBoxx Gallery, Hermosa Beach, CA (May 2024)

  • Selfhood; International Juried Exhibition; STRATA Gallery; Santa Fe, NM (JAN 2023)

  • Portrait Gallery; Colorado Call for Art Exhibition; The Dairy Arts Center; Boulder, CO (NOV-DEC 2023)

  • An eye not told to see, sees more; National Juried Exhibition; BitFactory Gallery, Denver, CO (SEP-OCT 2023)

  • One-person Exhibition; Scrawl; Caruso Lounge @ The Dairy Arts Center; Boulder, CO (AUG-SEP 2023)

  • 2023 Contemporary Art Survey; National Juried Exhibition; The Lincoln Center, Fort Collins, CO (AUG-OCT 2023)

  • One-person Exhibition; Tomboy & Old Salty; Bus Stop Gallery, Boulder, CO (July 2023)

  • Art in the Galleria; Colorado Juried Exhibition; Loveland Public Library, Loveland, CO (JAN-MAR 2023)

  • Art in the Galleria; Colorado Juried Exhibition; Loveland Public Library, Loveland, CO (APR-JUN 2023)

  • Holy Moly, What’s Next?; Colorado Juried Exhibition; Niza knoll Gallery, Denver, CO (DEC 2022)

  • Finding Common Ground in An Uncommon World; Colorado Juried Exhibition; The Collective Community Arts Center, Lafayette, CO sponsored by Women’s Caucus for Art Colorado Chapter (NOV 2022)

  • Black & White: International Juried Photography Exhibition; Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, MN (NOV 2022)

  • Life of Color: International Juried Photography Exhibition; Praxis Gallery, Minneapolis, MN (NOV 2022)

  • Far Away places: International Juried Online Exhibition; Las Laguna Gallery, Laguna beach, CA (NOV 2022)

Past:

  • One-person Exhibition; Domicile; Dairy Arts Center, (former) Polly Addison Gallery, Boulder, CO (2011)

  • Boulder Art League Juried Exhibition; Boulder, CO - “First Place”

  • Ohio University Printmaking Alumni Invitational Exhibition; Southeastern Ohio Dairy Center for the Arts, Athens, OH

  • BCAP Art for Aids Exhibition; University of Colorado School of Art, Boulder, CO

  • BCAP Art for Aids Exhibition; Boulder Public Library, Boulder, CO

  • One-person Exhibition; First Impressions Printing and Graphics; Columbus, OH

  • Cream of the Crop; Southern Ohio Museum, Portsmouth, OH - “Best of Show”

  • Huntington 280 Juried Exhibition; Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV - “Honorable Mention”

  • Animal Imagery: New Forms/New Functions; National Juried Exhibition, Arrowmont School of Arts & Crafts, Gatlinburg, TN - “Honorable Mention”

  • MFA Thesis Exhibition; Seigfred Gallery, Ohio University, Athens, OH

  • Undergraduate Art League Juried Exhibition; Seigfred Gallery, Ohio University, Athens, OH - “Best of Show”, “Juror’s Award” (printmaking), “Juror’s Award” (drawing)

  • Huntington 280 Juried Exhibition; Huntington Museum of Art, Huntington, WV - “Honorable Mention”

  • Ohio University President’s Invitational Exhibition; Ohio University, Athens, OH

  • Undergraduate Art League Juried Exhibition; Seigfred Gallery, Ohio University, Athens, OH - “Best of Show”, “Harriett Anderson Memorial Award for Excellence in the Arts”

  • School of Fine Arts Invitational; Jennings House, Ohio University, Athens, OH - “Best of Show”

Feature article in the Friday Arts section of the Boulder Daily Camera AUG 2023

  • from the studio of Allyson McDuffie

    PDF • 28 pages • $19.99

    Order PDF

  • Old Salty and other digital drawings from the studio of Allyson McDuffie

    Paperback • 72 pages • $39.11

    Order Paperback
Contact Allyson