Kelly Jo is an artist and strategic designer.
She creates meaningful participatory experiences using serious play and transdisciplinary approaches to promote generosity, solidarity, economic justice, and re-thinking of the American Dream.
She uses methods from social science, performance, improv theater, service design, and game design to create deceptively simple interactions that are magical, unexpected, and at times transformational.
She has over two decades of experience creating values-focused visions of the future, utilizing systems thinking and collaborative storytelling.
She’s led magical flash mobs on secret tours, created life-changing self-discovery tools, designed games for cultural change, and helped reimagine healthcare into what is now known as Obama Care.
She’s worked for IBM to imagine the future of play, social home media experiences, healthcare, and much more. She’s designed futuristic cars for Daimler Chrysler, including new visions for what ownership can mean for both consumers and manufacturers. She’s designed new sustainable manufacturing methods for Nike and alternatives to traditional footwear closures - aka no more laces, zippers, or velcro! She’s also taught at The College for Creative Studies in Detroit and created popular online classes focused on values and purpose.
She has an MFA in Transdisciplinary Design from The New School’s Parsons School of Design, in New York, NY, and a double major BFA in Fine Arts and Industrial Design - Transportation from The College for Creative Studies, in Detroit, MI.
She works out of her home studio in the Treme, New Orleans with her wildly enthusiastic pit bull named Lucky by her side.