Using jewelry as my format, I intend to make notion of death an idea of beauty and a tangible object to be worn on one’s outer layer. I use my memories with nature as a child as a material source. It is important that the flowers and silhouettes that I use are significant to me. This early timeframe of childhood was one of not really understanding what death means. I acknowledged that I was supposed to be sad after I buried a small little mole that I found at the edge of the woods. But now I know what grief feels and looks like. I understand we all carry these moments of sorrow in our inner layers of our being.
I consider myself to be equal part teacher and maker, I teach full time Metalsmithing at Lincoln Sudbury High School in Sudbury, MA, as well as Intro to Jewelry courses at Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston, and at Metalwerx, a school for jewelry in Waltham, MA. Previously I have taught enameling and metalworking courses at the Worcester Center for Crafts, Peters Valley School of Crafts in Layton, NJ, and Haystack School of Crafts in Deer Isle, ME.
Kelly was featured in Pistachio's winter 2021 exhibition 'Reinventing the Pearl' alongside Brooke Marks-Swanson, Katerina Pimenidu, Rho Tang, Nora Tengely, and Billie Theide
