Amen, Kelly Gale - KGA Design (b. 1949)
Found 1 Works by this Artist
(b. 1949)
Lives and works in Houston, Texas
Kelly Gale Amen (American, b 1949) Born in Weatherford, Oklahoma in 1949. Kelly Gale Amen has lived and worked in Houston, Texas since 1972. A Founding Member of ASID and ASOFA, Kelly started KGA Design in 1974 and has been an influential participant in the Houston arts & design community ever since. His work has been featured in all available media, from a feature on HGTV’s Extreme Homes, to frequent spotlights on his design projects in local and national print media, to publication in books and magazines.
In the 1990s Kelly began creating his own Functional Art Furniture to give voice to his personal vision. At the time artists were fomenting a movement to include functional art within the arena of fine art. Architects and Designers were creating functional work to augment their portfolios and allow their artistic work to be legitimized within that realm. He is also a founding member of the American Society of Furniture Artists.
His KGA Triple Benches are on display as a permanent installation in Houston’s Shady Groves Victims Memorial at Tinsley Park. Kelly is proud to have had one of his Memorial Benches installed in Houston’s Bob Lanier Public Works Building. He has his Art Furniture in the Houston Museum of Natural Science, the Thomas P. Stafford Air and Space Center in Weatherford, Oklahoma, the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma, and many other locations. Kelly has thrown his support behind many charitable ventures throughout his career, adding his special slant on how to engage and reward those involved in fundraising as well as those receiving the benefit of those funds. Some of those organizations are The Texas Children’s Cancer Center, Aids Foundation Houston, and most recently, the Zina Garrison Foundation. Starting in 2007, Kelly branched out with the signed & numbered edition collections, partnering with many charitable organizations. Information about his bench program can be found here. With his activities ranging through tireless support of the arts to active participation as a creator of Functional Art Furniture and sculpture, Kelly enjoys an international reputation for cutting edge concepts and design. obtaining a Graduate Degree in Interior Design from University of Oklahoma, designer Kelly Gale Amen did the unthinkable: turned living with art into art of living. Now, after almost five decades of excellence in interior design, Kelly’s name is a renowned brand.
The journey of KGA Design starts in 1974, when Kelly quit his two-year job at Foley’s to launch a brand of his own. It took two years for his work to grace the cover of a national magazine for the first time. Since then, his acclaimed interior vision has been displayed in many of the world’s biggest publications, from Vogue to Southern Accents to Residential Interiors. He designed homes, stores, boats, and even a controversial condom-filled Tiffany’s window in 1987. His projects earned him awards like Traditional Designer Of The Year in 1998, and the Texas Star of Design award in 2008.
Kelly’s work extends beyond rooms and houses and into carpentries and metal foundries. The late 20th century brought about the creation of the KGA Design Art Furniture brand, which now presents an extensive catalogue of award winning cast metal and wood furniture, as well as pillows, patterns, and commemorative benches. The pieces, all bespoke and one-of-a-kind, are to be found in institutions like the American Embassy in Moscow, the Stafford Museum, or IAH Airport.
1974 also marked the year when Kelly was a founding member of ASID – the American Society for Interior Designers. Passionate about bringing communities together, he has since created and been involved in a plethora of philanthropic projects. Ranging from developing education for children through the Zina Garrison foundation to enriching the lives of cancer patients through his own charity endeavour, Cancer Below The Belt, Kelly makes a goal out of supporting the environments in which he thrives. His actions did not go unnoticed – in 2001, he was named Humanitarian of the Year by the Texas AIDS foundation.
Today, Kelly continues to design vigorously and develop his vision to newer and newer depths.
https://www.kga.net/