NARM Quarterly Summer 2022 | Page 2

(Cover and back page images: Kelley Booze, Hope Ahead. Springfield, Ohio, 2021)

Summer featured artist: Kelley Booze

Kelley Booze is inspired by observations and reflections about how we relate to our surroundings and the spaces we occupy. Her artworks are often influenced by industrial spaces and man-made places of utility that are now idle or dormant.

Fascinated by the adaptability and resilience of nature and its persistence in the human-altered urban landscape, Booze explores transitional, unused, and vacant spaces to provide a groundwork to examine perceptions of time, notions of memory, and the infrastructure of the natural world. There are often elements of commonly overlooked objects such as utility poles, fences and guardrails. Roads, sidewalks and power lines serve as a metaphor for the ever-present connections that are no longer utilized.

In addition to her studio practice, Booze teaches painting, drawing and other various classes and workshops. Her work is part of many private and public collections in the U.S., France, Germany, and Israel.

"Hope Ahead," the mural featured in this NARM Quarterly, was painted in May 2021 by Project Jericho youth under the guidance of Booze who was the lead artist and mural designer.  Project Jericho provides in-depth visual and performing art experiences to youth and families in Clark County, Ohio.

The mural was created in partnership with Bike Greater Springfield and will be used not only as a wayfinding tool for those traveling along the bike path, but also as a symbol of the good that will come to Springfield after a year of isolation during the pandemic.  

View Kelley's website here: www.kelleybooze.com

Kelley Booze, Hope Ahead (detail). Springfield, Ohio, 2021