
Nelly
Kate grew up in the American South, between North Carolina and Virginia, where she established a career in music and
sound design. Her early work led her to share the stage with artists such as
tUnE-yArDs, Stephen Vitiello, The Blow, Mirah, and Angel Olsen. Her
community-driven work clarified
her focus on public engagement through installations of oral history projects,
interactive sculpture, and itinerant walks.
In
2015, Nelly Kate turned her focus to inaudible sound—exploring captions, sonic
visualizations, and tactile vibrations. During her MFA candidacy at Cranbrook
Academy of Art (2021), she developed a technique for utilizing suminagashi
marbling and fluid cymatics to make ‘sound prints’. She continues to refine
this process through her current residency at Boston Center for the Arts, while
developing new performance work.
Some of her favorite opportunities to-date include residencies at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Walkaway House, Wedding Cake House, Carver Community High School; performances at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Mint Museum, and Mattress Factory; lectures/workshops at Parsons School of Design, Virginia Commonwealth University, American University, Portland Art Museum, and The American University of Paris.
Some of her favorite opportunities to-date include residencies at Haystack Mountain School of Crafts, Walkaway House, Wedding Cake House, Carver Community High School; performances at Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Mint Museum, and Mattress Factory; lectures/workshops at Parsons School of Design, Virginia Commonwealth University, American University, Portland Art Museum, and The American University of Paris.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
SELECTED PRESS
SELECTED SCREENINGS
Low Frequency Travel Agency (SOLO) • Black Iris Gallery • Richmond, VA [2013]
10-1 100 101 • Quirk Gallery • Richmond, VA [2013]
Haggle (Sound for Leslie Rogers) • Anderson Gallery • Richmond, VA [2013]
Interstitial Transduction • InLight • Richmond, VA [2012]
Sestina • The Rotunda • Philadelphia, PA [2008]
SELECTED PRESS
Sound of Mettle • QC Nerve [2021]
Halls of Memories • Style Weekly [2015]
Sound Scavenging • Style Weekly [2014]
Under 30 and on Their Way • Richmond Magazine [2012]
The Astonishing Nelly Kate • RVA Magazine [2011]
SELECTED SCREENINGS
Low Frequency Travel Agency
TEDxRVA [2014]
Black Iris Gallery [2014-Present]
And Then We Were Jumping (Score for Jordan Bruner)
CutOut Fest—Querétaro, Mexico [2014]
London International Animation [2014]
Animation Block Party — Brooklyn, NY [2014]
Fest Anca—Slovakia, Croatia [2014]
Animafest — Zagreb [2014]
Pictoplasma — Berlin [2014]
Anima Festival — Brussels [2014]