KATHRYN KELLY: Intimate Architecture: Jewelry for Personal Landscapes

November 18, 2022 - February 15, 2023

"My approach to jewelry design envisions each piece as a building in miniature, part of a personal landscape constructed by the wearer to his or her exacting specifications."
In the Viewing Room, we look to Dina Wind as a source of inspiration for generations tocome. We also want to honor badass women who will stop at nothing. One of her series came to mind, perhaps my favorite, called Brooches for Buildings. These upcycle sculptures relate to the Pop Art movement and were inspired by her son’s jewelry of the 1980’s. You might think of them as adornments for a building or for an empty wall; I see them as medals for spaces. Kathryn Kelly creates medals for our bodies by designing sculptures for humans. - Gerard Silva, Curator Fleisher Art Memorial
"Materiality is an equally important facet of my work, with recycled sterling silver and gold, reclaimed ebony and bone and specially selected gemstones forming the building blocks of my collections. The result is expertly crafted jewels - atypical in form, minimal in silhouette and informed by a design logic rooted in architectural history." - Kathryn Kelly
- Open Pantheon Ring
  Polished sterling silver, sapphires
- Pantheon Pendant
  17.5 mm, Polished sterling silver, sapphire watch crystal
"Inspired by one of the most architecturally significant buildings in history, the Pantheon family of pieces translates details - the hemisphere, oculus and coffered ceiling – into a statement making collection of genderless jewelry. Domes are rendered in clear quartz crystal. Stepped recesses, or coffers, appear on secondary surfaces, serving to lighten the piece’s weight and offer depth."
- Domed Pantheon Ring
  Polished sterling silver, clear quartz crystal
- Pantheon Niche Bangle
  Polished sterling silver, sapphires
- Double Arch Signet Ring
  Satin sterling silver
- Narrow Aventurine Tag Pendant
  16 x 30 mm, Satin sterling silver, aventurine
- Ebony Single Arch + Silver Lined Rings
  Ebony, sterling silver, sapphires
" A modern interpretation of the Colosseum in Rome’s EUR district, this structure’s austerity and monumentality inspired the forms of its eponymous collection. Arches and circular elements relate to the outer arcade while the Gemini ring set references the sculptures of Castor and Pollux at the building’s exterior."
- Gemini Ring Set
  Polished + satin sterling silver, sapphires
- Wide Aventurine Tag Pendant
  20 x 24 mm, Satin sterling silver, aventurine
- Oval Seal Fob Pendant
  17 x 24 mm, Satin sterling silver, mammoth ivory
Ebony and Bone Door Knocker Ring

Size 8.25 US, Satin sterling silver, ebony, bone

Intimate Architecture:

Jewelry for Personal Landscapes

Gerard Silva, Curator

Fleisher Art Memorial

Architectural, sleek, and elegant are words that come to mind at first glance, but Kathryn Kelly’s jewelry is more complex than that. Intellectual, sculptural, and innovative are my choice words to describe her work. To appreciate Kelly’s work you must immerse yourself in her intricate vision of a utopian world where construction is impecable and complex, feeling both monumental and soft.
Kelly’s unique background in architechture and furniture design allows her to exhibit a body of work that is detail oriented and refined. You can compare her work to that of a photographer trying to frame a view in order to capture the perfect picture. In this case, Kelly uses her influences as points of reference in order to construct small body sculptures meant to enhance your environment. A window, a door, fretwork, a chair, an environment: these are some of the many points of reference that Kelly considers in order to create modern jewelry designs. Her consideration of both the negative and positive space is an equal rights affair adding a special, unexpected feature to her work.
As a modernist looking at the past, Kelly challenges her audience to think of the environment we inhabit, the clothes we wear, the choices we make. Every angle, every line, every curve is considered when she constructs her designs, achieving a geometric and organic balance.
Single Arch Signet Ring

Polished and satin sterling silver

Her pieces speak to our intellect and challenge normal perspectives by constructing and deconstructing space and creating harmony. Think of Schiaparelli’s design of a shoe hat inspired by Salvador Dalí or Margiela’s faceless watch, pieces that defeat our perception. Although Kelly is more subtle with her delivery, there’s no denying that she explores outside the box.
"Andrea Palladio’s Villa Capra (also known as Villa la Rotonda) has stood as an example of Renaissance perfection for centuries. Its sacred geometries, symmetry and proportions continue to influence architects of today. The overlapping and intersecting geometries of its floor plan have inspired the forms in this family of pieces whose ring sets are designed to be worn separately or together and nest in their own custom-made containers."
- Mixed Material Chain Bracelet
  9” long, Ebony, brass, sterling silver
- Ebony Bangle
  66mm, Ebony
- Cantilever Bowl Ring
  Size 7.5 US, Satin sterling silver, sapphires
- Scupper 2 Part Ring Set
  Scupper 2 Part Ring Set, Satin and polished sterling silver
Mixed Material Chain Necklace

23” long, Ebony, brass, sterling silver
- Rotonda 3 Part Ring Set
  Size 7.5 US, Polished sterling silver
- I Beam Bangle
  Satin brass, polished sterling silver, sapphires
"Integral to my collections are the landscape of presentation bases included with each piece. Turned on the lathe and capped in glass domes, these containers house the jewelry for display when not being worn. Together with each piece, the collections create architectural environments inviting the user to imagine personal landscapes experienced through intimate interactions."
- Waning Gibbous Hoop Earrings
  40mm, Polished sterling silver, 14k gold
"A natural source of inspiration for artists and designers for millennia, the phases and landscape of the moon inform each of the designs in the Lunar Family. Minimal and classic in silhouette, each piece is made of sterling silver and 14k gold. The three sets of larger hoops are completely handmade, with fabricated 14k gold hinges, details and ear wires."
- Waxing Gibbous Pendant
  34mm, Satin sterling silver, 14k gold
- Waxing Gibbous Hoop Earrings
  30mm, Satin sterling silver, 14k gold
In conjunction with the Viewing Room exhibition,

please join us for an in-person reception and trunk show:

January 18, 2023

6:00 - 8:00pm

1606 S. 8th Street

Philadelphia, PA

REGISTER HERE
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