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