Richard Keely is an artist and former educator from Southern California . Originally trained as a painter, Keely’s work during the last thirty years has turned towards sculpture, photography and installation. With the sculptural work Keely is concerned with transforming ordinary items into objects that resonate with a familiarity yet cannot be pinned down; promoting an experience situated somewhere amongst utility, ritual, adornment, decoration and relic.
Richard Keely's Installation projects have included collaborations with Santa Fe based artist Lynne Hendrick, and his wife Anna O’Cain. With these installations Keely, Hendrick, and O’Cain explore ideas concerning the visceral side of accumulating, storing, preserving, and communicating ideas and information. Additionally, Keely and O’Cain have collaborated on a large body of work on the topic of hurricane Katrina that includes photography, installations and film.
Keely’s work has a national/international reputation including inclusion in a group residency and exhibition Art Rally Koumi, Komi, Japan, group exhibitions’ Ready Lane, Tijuana and Ensenada, Baja California, solo exhibitions at gallery 4016 in Los Angeles and CAD/XO Gallery in Chicago and collaborations with Anna O’Cain for the Alt Picture Show, Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego, Ben Maltz Gallery (Otis School of Art, Los Angeles), Bread & Salt, Art Around Adams and the Spruce Street Forum in San Diego. Additional collaborations with O'Cain include a Ceremonial performance Kat and Lilly Lee at Beyond Baroque in Los Angeles and INSITE 2000 in San Diego. Richard has exhibited his work and given lectures at several well-known Universities and has been a “Visiting Artist” at Murray State University, Oberlin College and Montana State University. Currently Richard Keely is living in Lemon Grove, CA. and is Professor Emeritus of the School of Art and Design at San Diego State University.