Kelly D. Pelka (b. 1972) is a multidisciplinary artist, living in Chicago, IL. She’s always been interested in the arts, history and science. Her first inspirations were from the abundance of commercial materials she had access to, due to the family run paint and wallpaper business started in the basement of her childhood home. Also, from her bedroom window, she was able to see the tops of the city’s most renowned skyscrapers, leading to an interest in architecture. Simultaneously, she was discovering the history of her mom’s immigration from Germany (Polish ancestry) to Chicago during the “displaced person’s” movement of the early 1950’s. All of this fueled her curiosity to learn about people’s stories, connection to space, place and structures from a focused lens on “what is essential”. Formal studies include a BFA in Visual Communications and BFA in Art Education, with additional courses in Photography, Ceramics and Mural Painting. She worked as a graphic designer for a few years, mostly creating flyers for the 90’s Chicago Club scene. Soon after, purely by chance, she gravitated towards art education. This ended up being a 30 year career, alongside exhibition curation, designing and her own art practice. As an educator, she pioneered a self-directed curriculum in youth arts, ranging from working with schools and organizations to starting her own brick and mortar space (Right-Brained Studio), later transitioning to a mobile program. She also started a fashion brand (Re-Girl, in collaboration with Graciela Llorente); combining up-cycled used clothing, organic fabrics and her own art. Pelka’s work has been collected and shown worldwide. More recently her art was featured on a skateboard collection for UMAverse as well as shown in the publication Thrasher Magazine. Her studio is located inside Mana Contemporary and can be viewed by appointment or during open studio events.