Alumni to Watch

Jane Kelsey-Mapel

Jane Kelsey-Mapel with her newest sculpture, created with her students at Paradise Valley Community College.

Concerning her figurative sculpture, Jane Kelsey-Mapel, (B.A., Arts, '76) states, "I am seduced by my chosen medium of clay, but what really drives my art is a desire to communicate. I am fascinated by the challenge of transforming an abstract idea into a concrete visual image which touches people emotionally."

The imagery she employs derives from her personal experience, yet addresses universal issues of family, friendship and personal growth. The figures are rarely singular. They are commonly paired with animals or everyday objects. Thus, they become metaphorical statements regarding relationships on multiple levels.

Kelsey-Mapel is a full-time studio artist with a home and studio in Phoenix. She is represented by Victoria Boyce Gallery in Scottsdale. Her work has been featured in international and national publications including Sculpture magazine from Beijing, China; Ceramics Monthly; Phoenix Home and Garden; and the book, The Sculpture Reference Illustrated.

Kelsey-Mapel has been a dedicated art educator in both Texas and Arizona community colleges and universities and at the Scottsdale Artists' School. She has also been an Artist in Residence, producing award-winning ceramic tile murals with elementary school students and the community.

She is currently an artist in residence at Paradise Valley Community College and recently worked with her students to construct a 12-foot-high concrete and mosaic free-standing sculpture on the plaza of the new Center for Performing Arts. The form is based on one of Kelsey-Mapel’s ceramic sculptures of a horse with a bird riding on its back. The columnar legs and simplified body of the horse will become a gateway, enticing one to walk under its 7-foot-high belly.

Jane Kelsey-Mapel