Mary Reid Kelley

Mary Reid Kelley, renowned for her short films, frequently incorporates her skills in painting and drawing into her multimedia projects.

Since 2008, she has partnered with videographer Patrick Kelley on a collection of ambitious videos distinguished by whimsical wordplay, elaborate costumes, and sets meticulously crafted by her.

Biography of Mary Reid Kelley

Mary Reid Kelley was born in Greenville, SC in 1979. She embarked on her artistic journey by earning a BFA from St. Olaf College and later completing her MFA in painting from Yale University in 2009.

Her artistic prowess spans various mediums, with a particular focus on short films that seamlessly integrate her background in painting and drawing. Renowned for her black-and-white videos, Reid Kelley's works delve into themes of gender, class, and urban development.

Since 2008 and up to the present day, her remarkable videos have seamlessly blended live performance, animation, drawing, sculpture, and digital design. Through her poignant characters—a nurse, a prostitute, a bohemian, the Minotaur—she skillfully addresses the constraints of their historical circumstances through witty verse.

Throughout her illustrious career, Reid Kelley has garnered numerous awards and honors, including the Jerome Foundation Artist Residency Fellowship at Blacklock Nature Sanctuary (2004), the Schoelkopf Travel Grant (2008), Rome Prize (2011), the Louis Comfort Tiffany Foundation Grant (2013), MacArthur Fellowship (2016), and Baloise Art Prize (2016).