Image: Allison NanceKelly O’Brien is a book artist who has recently discovered that she has a knack for large-scale paper installation, as well.
This should come as no surprise, considering the various crafty people in her family: a wood-working great-grandfather, a great aunt who installed dress shop window displays, a great uncle who hand-painted commercial signs, a sister with a gift for writing, a father who is a whiz with handtools, and a mother whose latent installation art talents (she decorated cathedrals for holidays and weddings, back in the day) recently emerged when she helped Kelly install Grace's Garden.
Nonetheless, Kelly has taken a winding path to get to this point: ballet dancer, corporate drone, small business owner, government contractor...and now happily back into the arts.
Since discovering the book arts in 2007, she has been an avid and serious student of the art form. Her technical training includes classes at Penland School of Craft, Haystack Mountain School of Craft, workshops with Susan King, and private coaching with Lisa Kokin.
Kelly is a juried artist at the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria, VA, where her work can be found at Printmakers Inc in Studio 325. You'll also find Kelly on Facebook and Artist Books 3.0. She lives near Frankfurt, Germany with her husband, Ian.
Collections
University of California, Irvine Library Artists' Books Special Collections
Cornell University, Johnson Museum of Art, The Collection of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Library of Congress
Martha Jefferson Hospital, Charlottesville, VA
Private collections
Representation
Minnesota Center for the Book Arts
ArtSpring-Pyramid Atlantic retail store, Silver Spring, MD
Exhibitions
Huntington Mall Gala Opening, installation art invitational (one of two artists), curated by microWAVE project, December 4, 2011 - January 7, 2012.
HearSee, invitational exhibition, Gallery 9, Alexandria, VA, December 1-31, 2011.
Art Whino G40 Summit, installation art invitational curated by microWAVE project, May 19 - June 17, 2011
March Madness, Target Gallery's March of Dimes fundraiser, March 17 - 27, 2011, Alexandria, VA JUROR'S CHOICE AWARD from Michael O'Sullivan
Our Nest, in honor of a "factory-wide" nest theme, Printmakers Inc Studio 325 in the Torpedo Factory, March 1 - April 30, 2011, Alexandria, VA
Photo Book Works, 23 Sandy Gallery, January 27 - March 12, 2011, Portland, OR
In Three Acts: Work by Kelly O'Brien, solo, The National Institutes of Health Clinical Center Sculpture Gallery, January 14 - March 4, 2011, Bethesda, MD
Haiku, pairing co-op members' art with haiku, Printmakers Inc, January 1 - February 28, 2011, Alexandria, VA
35 Impressive Years, Printmakers Inc, November 1 - December 31, 2010, Alexandria, VA
Beyond Text: Contemporary Books, invitational group, Montgomery College Cafritz Foundation Arts Center, October 15 - November 15, 2010, Silver Spring, MD
Small group show, ArtSpring-Pyramid Atlantic retail store, November 4-7, 2010, Silver Spring, MD
Sequenced Fibers, University of Nebraska at Omaha, October 1-29, 2010, Omaha, NE
Photo Book Works, Abecedarian Gallery , September 30 – October 30, 2010, Denver, CO
Inventive Structures: Books Beyond the Codex, Creative Arts Workshop, May 15 - June 25, 2010, New Haven CN
WomanMade at Target Gallery, May 1-30, 2010, Alexandria, VA
Newly Juried Artist Show. The Torpedo Factory Art Center’s Target Gallery, April 10-18, 2010
Pandora’s Box, Target Gallery, December 10, 2009 - January 10, 2010
Make an Impression, Robert C. Williams Paper Museum, Georgia Institute of Technology, October 16, 2009 – January 4, 2010, Atlanta, GA
The Beautiful Book, Abecedarian Gallery, November 5 - December 19, 2009, Denver, CO
Bonefolder 2009 Bind-o-Rama, Book Arts Web
The Beautiful Book, 23 Sandy Gallery, June 5-27, 2009, Portland, OR
Talks, projects, demos, fairs, etc.
The Nest Project, indoor and outdoor installation art exhibitions, Target Gallery at the Torpedo Factory, April 2 - May 15, 2011, Alexandria, VA
Marketing 101 for the Book Arts, Corcoran School of Art, March 8, 2011
Moving Parts, Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair, November 7, 2010, Silver Spring, MD
Art Activated! demonstration, Torpedo Factory Art Center Studio 325, September 11, 2010, Alexandria, VA
Moving Parts launch party, Hillyer Art Space, Washington, DC, December 11, 2009, 6-8 pm. Featuring live performances by CityDance Ensemble, silent auction, raffle, hands-on activities, artist talks and more
SONY Professionals Network, Moving Parts documentary preview by Francisco Campos-Lopez
Art on the Avenue, juried arts festival, Alexandria, VA, October 3, 2009
Handmade Mart juried craft fair, Silver Spring, MD, May 31, 2009
Sonnets, commissioned edition of 100 dancer photo transfers on handmade paper for CityDance Ensemble VIP event, 2008