College of Visual and Performing Arts Dean bruce d. mcclung has announced the appointment of Kelley O’Brien to the position of Assistant Professor in New Media & Design.

O’Brien has taught at numerous institutions, most recently as Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Kenyon College and also as Visiting Lecturer of Visual Culture at the National College of Art and Design in Dublin, Ireland.

Specializing in video-based practices and digital media, O’Brien’s work negotiates boundaries between industrial and “natural” landscapes, through a feminist perspective, to explore cultural links between gender hierarchy and the domination of the natural world. Her work parallels the death and rebirth of ecosystems and social movements, in hopes of adding understanding to our environments.

She has exhibited internationally in the Philippines, Ireland, South Korea, and nationally at the Everson Museum of Art (Syracuse), Transformer Station (Cleveland) and The McDonough Museum of Art (Youngstown). O’Brien has been awarded grants from the Ohio Arts Council and a Fulbright Scholarship to the Philippines. Residencies include the Green Papaya Art Space, the Irish Museum of Modern Art, Laboratory, Scottish Sculpture Workshop, and Wassaic Projects.

O’Brien has engaged in collaborative projects with Francis Halsall under the title “Mapping Systems” since 2015. Collectively, they have held workshops, lecture courses, and curated residencies in Ireland, the Philippines, and the United States.

O’Brien received her Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from The University of Tennessee and holds a Masters in Fine Art in 3D Design from Cranbrook Academy of Art.

Please join us in welcoming Kelley O’Brien to the CVPA faculty!