William Joseph Kelly (born 1943) is an American artist,

humanist Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry. The meaning of the term "human ...

and human-rights advocate.

Education

William Kelly was born in

Buffalo, New York Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from Sou ...

in 1943, and received his artistic training at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and the National Gallery School in

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Victoria (Australia) Victoria is a state in southeastern Australia. It is the second-smallest state with a land area of , the second most populated state (after New South Wales) with a population of over 6.5 million, and the most densely populated state in ...

, his country of part-time residence since 1968. He is also a

Fulbright Fellow The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

for which he studied at Prahran College of Advanced Education

Artist and writer

In addition to creating traditional prints, drawings and paintings, Kelly has organized and participated in collaborations in

public art Public art is art in any media whose form, function and meaning are created for the general public through a public process. It is a specific art genre with its own professional and critical discourse. Public art is visually and physically acce ...

and theatre. Kelly promotes his

ideals in his art, for example; in response to a 1987 mass murder in Melbourne, Kelly spent five years on works for an installation titled "The Peace Project." "The Peace Project" was first exhibited in 1993 in both

and Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first visual art project to receive the Australian Violence Prevention Award. His work has been exhibited in over 20 countries with a current installation in

Guernica Guernica (, ), official name (reflecting the Basque language) Gernika (), is a town in the province of Biscay, in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, Spain. The town of Guernica is one part (along with neighbouring Lumo) of the mu ...

, Spain and current traveling group exhibitions throughout Europe and also South Africa (representing Australia in the Dialogue Among Civilizations International Print Portfolio organized to coincide with the cultural activities of the

2010 FIFA World Cup , image = 2010 FIFA World Cup.svg , size = 200px , caption = ''Ke Nako. (Tswana and Sotho for "It's time") Celebrate Africa's Humanity'It's time. Celebrate Africa's Humanity'' (English)''Dis tyd. Vier Afrika se mensd ...

). Kelly authored an anthology, ''Violence to Nonviolence: Individual Perspectives, Communal Voices'', that was published in 1994. His artwork has also appeared in other books, such as ''Cultures of Crime and Violence: The Australian Experience'' and "Women's Encounters with Violence''. In 2000 Kelly founded the Archive of Humanist Art, which highlights prints and drawings of artists from all over the world that address humanist concerns. Kelly is acknowledged for the contribution his work makes to the areas of human rights, social justice and reconciliation both nationally and internationally – with projects linked to the Basque Country, Spain;

Robben Island Robben Island ( af, Robbeneiland) is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 kilometres (4.3 mi) west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, north of Cape Town, South Africa. It takes its name from the Dutch word for seals (''robben''), hence the Dutch/Afrik ...

, site of the notorious prison that once held Nelson Mandela; the Republic of Georgia and Northern Ireland. He currently has studios in Melbourne and

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

. Kelly's artworks are reproduced in publications worldwide and are represented in over 40 public and corporate collections.

Educator

Kelly was Dean (1975–1982) of the

Victorian College of the Arts The Victorian College of the Arts (VCA) is the arts school at the University of Melbourne in Australia. It is part of the university's Faculty of Fine Arts and Music. It is located near the Melbourne city centre on the Southbank campus of the ...

following

Lenton Parr Thomas Lenton Parr AM (11 September 1924 – 8 August 2003) was an Australian sculptor and teacher . Sculptor Born in East Coburg, Victoria, Lenton Parr spent eight years in the Royal Australian Air Force (Svc No. A33223) before enrolling to st ...

. He has delivered guest lectures at

Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences The Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences is the graduate school of Yale University. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest graduate school in North America, and was the first North American graduate school to confer a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D ...

, The New York Studio School and others in Europe, South Africa, North America, Eastern Europe, Australasia. He currently lives and works in Nathalia in regional Victoria, where in 2010 he established th
G.R.A.I.N. Store (Growing Rural Art in Nathalia)
, a not-for-profit rural arts centre with a regular schedule of exhibitions, performances and workshops by visiting, local and indigenous emerging and established creative artists.

Awards

For his role as an international artist, humanist, human rights advocate, and founder of the Archive of Humanist Ar

Kelly received the Courage of Conscience Awar

from The Peace Abbey in Sherborn, Massachusett

He was recipient of the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) (for Services to Visual Arts and Urban Design). He is Founding and Honorary Life Member of the Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Founding Member of the Urban Design Forum, and former member of the Board of the Australian Print Workshop.

References

External links

Archive of Humanist Art

Studio International site "William Kelly – Artist as Peacemaker"

Dictionary of Australian Artists Online entry

Prints and Printmaking Database of Catalogues

* ttp://cs.nga.gov.au/Detail.cfm?IRN=177610 Screenprint poster by William Kelly
2009 Mars Gallery Exhibition images

* ttp://artsearch.nga.gov.au/Detail.cfm?IRN=182448&PICTAUS=TRUE record of work in National Gallery of Australia collection
Transcript of nterview with Julie Copeland on Australian Broadcasting Commission program 'Exhibit A' 28 May 2006

G.R.A.I.N. Nathalia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelly, William American humanists Artists from Buffalo, New York Living people University of the Arts (Philadelphia) alumni Activists from Buffalo, New York Recipients of the Medal of the Order of Australia 1943 births National Gallery of Victoria Art School alumni American expatriates in Australia Swinburne University of Technology alumni Fulbright alumni