Benjamin Kelley was born in Flushing, Michigan and lives and works in Baltimore, Maryland. He received a BFA in sculpture from Central Michigan University and an MFA from the Rinehart School of Sculpture at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Kelley’s work explores ideas of contemporary functionality and purpose regarding found objects and industrial relics.
His works have been exhibited both locally and nationally, including solo exhibitions at Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, MD; American University Museum, Katzen Arts Center, Washington, DC; Rueff Gallery at Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN; and Space Studios, Midland, MI. Local group exhibitions have included those at Contemporary Museum; Maryland Art Place; Gallery Four; and Creative Alliance. Kelley has been awarded the Toby Devon Lewis Fellowship and has been finalist for the Janet and Walter Sondhiem Prize at the Baltimore Museum of Art in 2015 and the Walters Art Museum in 2017. His work has been featured in the Washington Post, Washington City Paper, and the Baltimore City Paper.