b. 1980. Living and working in Athens, GA

Education

2014

MFA Photography, Rhode Island School of Design. Providence, RI

2003

BA Social Economics, University of Massachusetts. Amherst, MA

Selected Exhibitions

2018

Michael (solo), 1708 Gallery. Richmond, VA

Emerges: Collaborations, Athens Institute for Contemporary Art. Athens, GA. Curated by Kira Hegeman and Jon Vogt.

Michael (solo), Suite Gallery, Lamar Dodd School of Art. Athens, GA

2015

The Gun Show. Flash Forward Festival. Boston, MA. Curated by Maja Orsic of Robert Klein Gallery.

The Soul & the Pawnshop, Sediment Gallery. Richmond, VA

2014

Pale Firework, Gelman Gallery, Providence, RI

Seven Stories Tall, Clamp Art, New York, NY

RISD Graduate Thesis Exhibition, Rhode Island Convention Center, Providence, RI

The Beloved Community, Exposé Gallery, Providence, RI

2013

Nature’s Gifts, Warwick Art Museum. Warwick, RI

Cloaked and Crashing, Exposé Gallery. Providence, RI

My Soles Have These Stories, Sideways Gallery. Boston, MA

Under the Influence, Gelman Gallery. Providence, RI

All The Dire Motives, Sol Koffler Gallery. Providence, RI

Complexity, Gelman Gallery. Providence, RI

Arc of Alchemy, Sol Koffler Gallery. Providence, RI

2012

First Year MFA Photography, Red Eye Gallery. Providence, RI

2010

Casual Abyss, Hamburger Eyes. San Francisco, CA

2009

Pop Noir, Southern Exposure Gallery/Electric Works. San Francisco, CA

2008

I Feel I am Free But I Know I am Not, SF Camerawork. San Francisco, CA

Optic Illusion, Southern Exposure. San Francisco, CA

Getting Closer, Spare Room Project. San Francisco, CA

2006

Recent Works, Off the Wall Gallery. Hadley, MA

2005

New Work, Open Square. Holyoke, MA

Forest Kelley (solo), Woods Memorial Library. Barre, MA

2004

Other (solo), University of Massachusetts Fine Arts Center. Amherst, MA

Publications

2018

Newton, Karen. “Uncle Michael.” Style Weekly (Vol. 36, No. 22), May 29, 2018

2015

The Ones We Love Issue No. 2. Iowa

2013

Capricious Issue No. 14. Brooklyn, NY

Scrapped Issue No. 2. Brooklyn, NY

2012

Herring, Oliver. TASK, Illinois: University Galleries of Illinois State University.

2009

Camerawork Volume 36 No. 1. San Francisco: SF Camerawork.

The Continuing Story of Life on Earth Issue 013. San Francisco: Hamburger Eyes.

Leaving a Mark Issue 2. San Francisco: Cutter Photozine.

Grants / Awards

2018

Best Music Score. International Documentary Association. Hale County This Morning, This Evening (Composers: Scott Alario, Forest Kelley and Alex Somers)

2015

School of the Arts Research Grant. Virginia Commonwealth University

2014

Graduate Studies Grant. Rhode Island School of Design. Jurors: Michael Mandiberg and Allan Wexler.

2013

Graduate Studies Grant. Rhode Island School of Design. Jurors: Alyson Baker and João Ribas.

Teaching

2017-present

Photography Fellow. University of Georgia. Lamar Dodd School of Art. Athens, GA

2016

Visiting Lecturer. Amherst College. department of Art and the History of Art. Amherst, MA

Adjunct Instructor. Syracuse University. Department of Transmedia. Syracuse, NY

Visiting Artist. University of Rochester. Department of Art & Art History. Rochester, NY

2014-2016

Adjunct Instructor. Virginia Commonwealth University. Departments of Painting + Printmaking. Photography. and Art Foundation. Richmond, VA

2014

Teacher of Record. Rhode Island School of Design. Department of Photography. Providence, RI