Biography

Caffyn Kelley is multidisciplinary artist, writer and educator whose work in various media is united by a concern for the environment, social issues and community process. She has taken an interdisciplinary approach throughout her professional life and in her personal creative work. Some of the fruits of this approach include Gallerie, a quarterly publication on women in the arts that Kelley originated, edited and published between 1988 and 1993. Gallerie made space for women artists to speak for themselves on a wide range of social and personal issues. It was widely reviewed and distributed internationally. More recently, she has developed a body of work around the concept of “mapping” home and nature, with large-scale public projects in Vancouver that link art with environmental concerns. Another body of work, exploring the cultural meanings of homosexuality with attention to homophobic stereotypes, has been presented in interactive workshops and published online at www.queermap.com. Kelley has a Masters degree in Educational Studies. She works as an educator, artist and writer in the online environment, where she has designed online courses and conferences on art. She initiated the Art of Engagement Online Network. Kelley lives on Salt Spring Island where she serves on the board of directors of several community organizations, including Gays and Lesbians of Salt Spring Island (GLOSSI) and the Islands Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies. She a sex educator with a postgraduate Associate in Sex Education Certificate from the Institute for Advanced Studies in Human Sexuality.