Bio
Jacky Kelsey is a soft sculptor informed by a background in drawing and puppetry. They maintain a strong belief that art is an essential outlet for play, and that play is a necessity for all. Based in Chicago, they have experience as a seamstress, upholsterer, costume maker, and puppeteer. These niche skills inform their sculptural work, which deals with themes of body, comfort, neurodivergency, and queer identity.
Jacky earned their BFA at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 2018. They work closely with the International Chicago Puppet Theater Festival, where they were granted a month-long position as artist in residence in 2022. During this time, they designed and fabricated costumes for the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation and Hedwig Dances Chicago. Jacky assisted in puppetry design for various Roughhouse Theater productions and performed a short in their “Nasty, Brutish and Short” puppetry cabaret. Jacky’s soft sculpture figures were displayed in the Krasl Art Center’s “Body Language” Exhibition in 2018, and Ground Level Platform’s “Sleepover Show” in 2020. Their interactive “Dice Game” installation transformed the main plaza of the MCA’s “Prime Time: Question Everything” event in 2019. In addition, their work is featured in the “Queer Art: Special Edition” publication by Collect Art Magazine and the Mirror/Image publication curated by Riana Gideon.