Nelly
Kate (she/her) grew up in the
American South, where she established a career in music and sound design. Her early work led her to tour nationally and to share the stage with artists such as tUnE-yArDs, Mirah, Stephen Vitiello, and Angel Olsen. She gradually expanded her engagement with the public beyond performance into installations of oral history projects, interactive sculpture, and itinerant walks.
![](https://freight.cargo.site/t/original/i/f54b0569bbde04825600ca3327f63eb42d16e4af367404e44ae2c0d8c7cf8a37/IMG_0150.jpeg)
In 2015, Nelly turned her focus to inaudible sound—exploring captions, sonic visualizations, and haptics. During her MFA candidacy at Cranbrook Academy of
Art (Print Media ‘21), she developed a technique for utilizing suminagashi marbling and
fluid cymatics to make ‘sound prints’.
Some of her favorite opportunities to-date include contributing to ‘...derelict in uncharted space...’, residencies at Haystack’s Open Studio, Walkaway House, Wedding Cake House; 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.
She’s currently part of the 6th Now + There Accelerator cohort and a studio resident at Vernon Street Studios.
Currently accepting commissions for art + film direction, music supervision, and closed captioning/sonic descriptions. Adores opportunities to talk inclusive design with art, design, and UX students.
Some of her favorite opportunities to-date include contributing to ‘...derelict in uncharted space...’, residencies at Haystack’s Open Studio, Walkaway House, Wedding Cake House; 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.
She’s currently part of the 6th Now + There Accelerator cohort and a studio resident at Vernon Street Studios.
Currently accepting commissions for art + film direction, music supervision, and closed captioning/sonic descriptions. Adores opportunities to talk inclusive design with art, design, and UX students.
SELECTED EXHIBITIONS
SELECTED PRESS
SELECTED SCREENINGS / PERFORMANCES
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 / PERFORMANCES
‘...derelict in uncharted space...’ (collaboration with Fayen d’Evie, Benjamin Hancock, Rebecca Bracewell, Andy Slater, Jon Tjhia, Lloyd Mst, Georgina Kleege, and Luke King)
Chunky Move • Melbourne Fringe Festival — Melbourne, AUS [2023]
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]