Jessamy Kelly

Job title:

Lecturer

Role:

Interim Head of Subject Area - Design

Office:

Hunter Building, R.3A

Office hours:

Monday, 9am - 2.30pm; Tuesday , 9am - 2.30pm; Wednesday 9am - 5pm; Thursday, 9am - 2.30pm

Biography

Dr Jessamy Kelly is a lecturer in Glass and a practising glass artist based in Edinburgh.

She is the Director of Education in the School of Design, at Edinburgh College of Art.  This role focuses on curriculum development and management as well as operational and strategic management. She studied Glass and Ceramics at the University of Sunderland and went on to complete her Masters in Glass at Edinburgh College of Art in 2002. She gained her practice-based PhD at the University of Sunderland in 2009. She is the vice chair of the RAFT Research Group,  trustee of the Scottish Stained Glass Trust and a member of the International year of Glass Committee.

Research interests

  • Glass & Ceramics
  • Sustainability
  • Contemporary Craft
  • Material culture
  • Digital Technologies

Teaching

Jessamy's current specialist elective courses are The Business of Craft and Objects of Desire, she also teaches on the MFA Glass Programme, delivering lectures, seminars and workshops that contextualise the field of contemporary glassShe specialises in glass blowing, kiln forming and glass casting; which she presents through studio-based teaching. She has interdisciplinary experience, in the areas of ceramics and glass product design. She aims to assist her students in developing innovative and experimental studies in the field.

She welcomes PhD applications from students interested in working in the field of contemporary glass and ceramics and other material related fields. ​

Research

Jessamy's research interests are focused on materiality, material intersections, new digital technologies and craft processes. Through her research and creative practice she examines the qualities of glass as a medium and its ability to imitate or be mixed with other materials. Her research outputs include papers for leading peer reviewed journals such as the Society of Glass Technology, Glassac and the MDPI Special Arts Edition. She has co-curated a range of exhibitions and events at ECA including the Transition: ECA Glass Alumni exhibition, the North Lands 20 Conference and the annual RAFT research group exhibitions. She has also worked collaboratively on a number of interdisciplinary research projects and as a design facilitator and co-curator for museum-led design projects and exhibitions. Her work has been exhibited widely throughout the UK as well as internationally in France, the Czech Republic, the Netherlands and in the United States.​ She is currently vice chair of the RAFT research group based at ECA.

PhD Supervision Topics

  • Glass
  • Ceramics
  • Crafts
  • Design
  • Digital Technologies
  • Materiality
  • Product Design
  • Sustainable Design
  • Inter-disciplinary Design

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