Bill Kelly - (1943-2023)

EARTH ARTIST AWARD: 2023

In grateful recognition of Bill Kelly, his life and work as a humanist artist dedicated to peace, justice and ecology. Honouring the combined power of his human spirit and his 'magic pencil' to address through art the darkest challenges of our times, of war, violence, asylum, xenophobia and environmental decay with the realism of humanity. Celebrating his embodiment of the power of art to transform despair to trust, division to communion, and hatred to love.

GIFTS TO HOME FOR HUMANITY AND THE WORLD:

• Award winning documentary film, “Can Art Stop a Bullet: Bill Kelly’s big picture”, featuring Home for Humanity and Theatre of Transformation (link to the film: www.kellysbigpicture.com/

• ‘Gift of Peace’ personally hand-printed art book featuring graphic art by Bill Kelly and peace poetry by Rama Mani.

• Original humanist visual art works gifted to Home for Humanity’s Transformation Art Gallery, inaugurated by Bill Kelly on 18 April 2018;

BIO:

William Kelly was born in Buffalo, New York in 1943, and received his artistic training at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia and the National Gallery School in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), his country of part-time residence since 1968. He was also a Fulbright Fellow for which he studied at Prahran College of Advanced Education.In addition to creating traditional prints, drawings and paintings, Kelly has organized and participated in collaborations in public art and theatre. Kelly promotes his humanist ideals in his art, for example; in response to a 1987 mass murder in Melbourne, Kelly spent five years on works for an installation titled "The Peace Project." "The Peace Project" was first exhibited in 1993 in both Melbourne and Boston, Massachusetts. It was the first visual art project to receive the Australian Violence Prevention Award. His work has been exhibited in over 20 countries with an installation in Guernica, Spain and traveling group exhibitions throughout Europe and South Africa (representing Australia in the Dialogue Among Civilizations International Print Portfolio organized to coincide with the cultural activities of the 2010 FIFA World Cup).

WEBSITE/LINKS: http://www.williamkelly.com.au/