September 2012 Educators Showcase: Kathryn Kelley — Integrative Teaching International

Upon completion of her MFA in Graphic Communication from the University of Houston, Kathryn transitioned from the two-dimensional realm into being a maker of objects and space. Drawn to the symbolic and formal elements of urban decay and the weightiness of cast off human discards that resonate with the experiences of living, she harvests from the urban waste stream. She collects, cogitates, and distills. Eventually the formal and symbolic elements of the materials, research and writings merge. From there she moves into making, assembling, sewing, revaluing these materials, moving from spectation into production, not mechanized but sensualized by the hand. The sculptural constructs become a stand in for the shadow self. Concurrent with her making, writing and exhibiting, functioning in the role of Visiting Assistant Professor of Art Foundations, Kathryn passionately teaches and mentors in a unique conceptually driven program, one of a kind in the state of Texas, at Sam Houston State University—WASH [Workshop in Art Studio + History].