Kelly Witmer earned her BFA at University of the Arts in Philadelphia and Parsons in Paris, and currently splits her time between Los Angeles and Joshua Tree, CA. Witmer has taught her technique of kiln-formed glass at Anderson Ranch, and has attended residencies at Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts in Maine, Atlantic Center in Florida, and Can Serrat in Spain. She has completed several public art projects in Los Angeles, Santa Rosa, and the San Diego International Airport. She had a solo show in 2024 at Museum of the Southwest in Midland, Texas and a two person show at Oceanside Museum of Art West Gallery in 2025.
Using enduring materials such as glass, ceramic and metal, my artistic practice explores the delicate boundary between control and surrender. I've developed a technique that pushes these materials to their limits—melting sheets of glass into ceramic or steel forms, using gravity to catch them at precise temperatures where transformation occurs but before breakage. This investigation has evolved to incorporate larger scales and the integration of salvaged car components, creating a dialogue between organic and mechanical forms.
Symmetry anchors my compositions, reflecting the human body and our deep connection to the machines that have become extensions of ourselves. Through my evolving language of forms, I’m influenced by both external landscapes and internal territories. My work often grapples with personal experiences of illness affecting my reproductive system, the process of aging, and my shifting perceptions of femininity.
By combining industrial elements with fluid, body-like forms, I create sculptures that speak to our shared vulnerabilities and the evolving relationship between human physicality and mechanical enhancement. The careful manipulation of heat and gravity in my process mirrors these themes—a constant negotiation between strength and fragility, control and release. The glass shapes act as windows, escalating the level of voyeurism for the viewer, inviting them to contemplate their own relationship with change, adaptation, and the increasingly blurred boundaries between the organic and technological worlds.
CV
Kelly Witmer
born in Lancaster, PA.
BFA from University of the Arts, Philadelphia
additional studies at Parsons School of Design in Paris, France, and Corcoran School of Art, Washington, DC
exhibitions:
2025 Two person exhibition at Oceanside Museum of Art West Gallery, Stitched and Forged
Dorado 806, Santa Monica, CA, Western Mystique
Abigail Ogilvy Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Game Time
Maloof Foundation, Rancho Cucamonga, CA, Handwork: Human Scale- California Desert Sculptors
2024 Solo exhibition at Museum of the Southwest, Midland, Tx, Solid Motion
San Diego International Airport, Espacios & Lines
Techne Art Center, San Diego , CA, Primal Instincts
Middle Room Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, The Middle Becomes Eclectic
Rhet Baruch Gallery, Los Angeles, CA, Smokey Trails
2023 Culture Object, NYC, Light Emitting Objects
The Other Art Fair, Los Angeles, CA
2022 LSH_CoLab, Los Angeles, CA, South of Normal, show and publication
Brand Library, Works on Paper, Glendale, CA
2020 Tenderfoot Projects, Yucca Valley, CA
2019 The Other Art Fair, Los Angeles, CA
Barba Contemporary Art, Palm Springs, CA
Alt Summit, Ace Hotel, Palm Springs, CA
JTAG, Joshua Tree, CA
2018 LA Municipal Gallery, Barnsdall Art Park, annual juried show
Midnight Oil Gallery, Joshua Tree, CA (solo)
ArtVallarta, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
2017 Smart Objects, Los Angeles/Landers, CA
Outpost Projects, Surveying the Land, Yucca Valley, CA
2016 Fold Gallery, Los Angeles, CA
Taylor Junction Gallery, Joshua Tree, CA
2015 JTAG, Joshua Tree, CA
Wignall Museum of Contemporary Art, Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Highway 62 Gallery, Joshua Tree, CA
Taylor Junction Gallery, Joshua Tree, CA
La Luz de Jesus, Los Angeles, CA,
2014 Vibiana, Herradura exhibition, Los Angeles, CA
Hi-Desert Nature Museum, Yucca Valley, CA
High Desert Test Sites Sky Village show, Yucca Valley, CA
public art commissions:
MGM Grand, Vegas, NV, wall installation in reception, 2022
Grand Augmented, Los Angeles, CA, Augmented Reality installation, 2022
UCLA TMS Clinic, Los Angeles, four wall mural print installations, 2020
City of Santa Rosa, CA, installation of nine ceramic mosaics for "Downtown Connect", 2015
Eagle Rock, tile mosaic on Eagle Rock Blvd., 2008
City of LA, bus stop mural on Echo Park Ave., 2001
artists residencies:
Atlantic Center for the Arts, New Smyrna, FL. Studied with Yishai Jusidman, Graciela Iturbide, and Gabriel Kuri
Watershed Center for Ceramic Arts, Newcastle, ME
Can Serrat, Barcelona, Spain