Lee Kelly, an artist whose monumental steel sculptures grace gardens and museums across Oregon and beyond, died of natural causes Monday at Leland Iron Works, his home and studio. He was 89.
For more than six decades, Kelly worked primarily at his home studio on the site of a lush, five-acre 1920s dairy farm in Oregon City. Kelly and his late wife, , purchased the farm in the early 鈥�60s, transforming it into a workplace and sculpture garden.
He later spent many years partnered with the late Susan Hammer, who served as a member of OPB鈥檚 board and was a co-chair and supporter of OPB鈥檚 Campaign 2022.
This episode from OPB鈥檚 鈥淥regon Art Beat鈥� begins with a segment featuring metal sculptor Lee Kelly:
Kelly鈥檚 works include the 鈥淢emory 99鈥� in Portland鈥檚 Northwest park blocks, the steel lattice of 鈥淎kbar鈥檚 Garden鈥� at the University of Oregon, and 鈥淎kbar鈥檚 Elephant鈥� in the lobby of Portland鈥檚 Fox Tower.
His 鈥淟upine Fugue,鈥� fabricated in gleaming stainless steel, is the most central and visible piece in the Oregon Garden, an 80-acre labyrinth of botanical wonders outside Oregon City.
Read more about Kelly鈥檚 place as a key figure in Oregon鈥檚 art scene:
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