Hi! I’m Kelly
I’m a UX Designer and Researcher living in Portland, OR.
Over the last decade, I have worked with diverse teams of artists and fabricators to create immersive environments on screen, stage, and in art galleries. When building an experience, I focus on the needs of my teammates and the audience to ensure I am creating a positive experience for all involved. From research to prototyping, I love the iterative design process and all the steps involved in finding the right solution.
In my free time, you will find me walking my dog, Pizza Party, riding my bike, or making something in my studio. My personal goal is to always be a beginner at something; a goal I know UX design will help me accomplish.
PAST ROLES/PROJECTS
The Fabric Workshop and Museum
After finishing my Masters in Fibers & Material Studies at Tyler School of Art, I worked as a Studio Technician and Assistant at the Fabric Workshop and Museum (FWM) in Philadelphia. FWM is the only contemporary art museum in the country with a full studio team that researches, designs, and builds installations alongside contemporary artists.
As a Studio Technician and Assistant, I collaborated with my team as a materials specialist for 3 large-scale contemporary art installations. I researched and sourced raw materials, established relationships with vendors, and created prototypes. FWM is a highly collaborative institution, and my role often extended to assisting other museum departments throughout each exhibition including, packing/shipping of artworks, educational programming, in-kind donations, and social media content.
Take a look at some of the projects I worked on!
SONYA CLARK:
Monumental Cloth, The Flag We Should Know
Sonya Clark, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, Woven replica of the Confederate Flag of Truce, 2019. Hand-woven linen cloth and madder dye. 18.5 x 36 inches (47 x 91.4 cm). Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
JACOLBY SATTERWHITE:
Room for Living
*Warning: Explicit Content*
Jacolby Satterwhite, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia. The Remote Control for Cocks on Wheels, 2019. Powder-coated steel, plywood, artificial turf, magnets, PLA filament, epoxy, epoxy resin, enamel, baking soda, superglue, bond filler, plexiglass, LED, and silicone. Sculptures: 62 x 44 (diameter) inches, 78 x 44 (diameter) inches, 54 x 70 (diameter) inches, Neon: 48 x 59 inches. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
Samara Golden:
Upstairs at Steve's
Samara Golden, in collaboration with The Fabric Workshop and Museum, Philadelphia, Upstairs at Steve’s (installation detail), 2020. Mixed media. 80' 7" x 17' 6" x 16'. Photo credit: Carlos Avendaño.
Props Styling and Fabrication
I began working as a Props Stylist and Fabricator in 2011. I got my start as an intern at the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca, NY, and from there I went on to work on 13 independent film productions, 4 Broadway plays, several off-Broadway play productions, multiple television series, and many commercials.
In the Props Department, I worked collaborated with other department heads to help create a cohesive visual idea for each project under tight budgets and time constraints. My main responsibilities included researching, sourcing, and building objects for set, as well as creating fabrication timelines, finding vendors, and organizing the prop inventory.
THE UNDERGROUND RAILROAD:
Role: Prop/Textile Fabrication
Christine:
Role: Prop/Puppet Fabrication/Sourcing
Brain Games
Role: Props Master/Head Props Stylist
Teaching
While working at FWM, I started teaching as an adjunct at Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. I taught an Introduction to Fibers course for both BFA and non-BFA students. In this course, I created assignments, workshops, and lectures that helped students develop aesthetic sensibilities and spatial skills through soft good construction. I really loved teaching, and I hope to get the opportunity to return to it someday!
Here are some expamples of my students' work:
Personal Art Practice
In my personal art practice, I use domestic settings to explore the relationships between depression, stability and hope. Through collage, appliqué and drawing, I recreate environments that are full of life but void of figures, considering the ways we use space to stage realities and our aspirations. I look for the moment where personal space becomes a simultaneous expression of comfort and discontent and an understanding of how their coexistence can lead to a more hopeful tomorrow.
I have had the privilege of exhibiting works at Little Berlin (Philadelphia, PA), Bend Gallery (Grand Rapids, MI), Stay Home Gallery (Paris, Tennessee) and Ortega y Gasset Projects (Brooklyn, NY). I have held residencies at The Weaving Mill (Chicago, IL) and Jasper Studios (Philadelphia, PA).
Jasper Studios Residency
