Beloved daughter and friend, accomplished visual artist, filmmaker, and designer, Kelly Bigelow Becerra, age 49, passed away July 8, 2024 in the company of loved ones at her home in Bridgeport, Connecticut.  Kelly was raised in Jonesville, Michigan where she grew to find beauty in all around her, courage, and her meaning in life.

A 1993 graduate of Jonesville High School.  Kelly played trumpet in Honor Band,  Marching Band and Pep Band.  A talented actress and member of Drama Club, Kelly starred in The Matchmaker and Solid Gold Cadillac at the Sauk Theater in Jonesville.  Kelly also played on the Jonesville varsity tennis team and was a member of the Quiz Bowl team.

An alumna of the Cleveland Institute of Art and a graduate of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago; Kelly, affectionately known as Artstar Kelly, lived a life fully immersed in art.  Kelly remains well-respected for her bold ideas, artistic vision, skill, and achievements, her advocacy for the arts, arts education, and quality design.

Kelly was an early digital art pioneer of scanography.  Working with flatbed scanners to fully scan, from head-to-toe, classmates and family members as well as large-scale objects such as her childhood hobby-horse, trees, her grandmother’s china cabinet, and her grandfather’s farm buildings and equipment, to create thought provoking work.  Her work used the visual language of her upbringing, appearing quilt-like and pastoral, depicting her experiences growing up on a family-owned farm in a small rural community.  Her art has been shown and collected by significant institutions such as The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum.  Kelly was featured in her own exhibition at Eastern Connecticut State University in 2009;  Kelly Bigelow Becerra "Bittersweet".   Kelly was also featured in Art Stuff-"Pretty Things" show at ArtSpace New Haven in 2008 and PublicArt install-Bridgeport 2010.

She was a multiple award-winning filmmaker, along with her film partner, Roland Becerra. Their films, Dear Beautiful and Agatha, were shown in festivals worldwide including Cannes and as an official selection of The Sundance Film Festival. Together Kelly and Roland’s films have received countless nominations and have been awarded over 40 awards, including Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Animation, Best Animated Feature, Best Experimental Film, Best Special Effects, and Best Feature Editing.

Kelly also created the design and branding for the City of New Haven, including the iconic Made in New Haven stamp, as well as for local business improvement projects in Bridgeport.  The City of New Haven is creating a permanent installation in Kelly’s memory to honor her contributions to their beautiful city.

Throughout her life and career, she loved teaching and mentoring art students in her hometown of Jonesville, as well as other artists, creatives, and frankly, anyone who would listen, helping them see beauty, art, and design in the world around them. When Jonesville needed a long-term substitute art teacher, Kelly paused her life on the East Coast to return to Jonesville to teach the students of her alma mater.  Her students thrived as her passion and enthusiasm for art helped them to recognize their own potential and meet the high standards that she had set for them.  Kelly continued to mentor Jonesville students long after she returned to Connecticut, providing advice for those going into the fields of art or film, even as she struggled with symptoms from cancer.  Kelly has left plans to continue to inspire and support young artists in Jonesville.

Kelly resided at Read’s ArtSpace in downtown Bridgeport, Connecticut where she could be seen roller skating in its hallways. She was a founding resident of Read’s ArtSpace, and her personality and guidance have shaped both its artist community and building history.  Prior to that, she lived in Wooster Square in New Haven where she loved to sit in the park among the cherry blossoms.  

Kelly was unmistakably true to herself.   You'd often see her in her knee high socks, doll shoes, a bow or cat ears in her hair, and one of her trendy, hand made, pleated skirts. Her beautiful smile and bright eyes, Kelly matched the beauty that she found all around her.  She loved the beauty of a rose and grew orchids.

Her candor, her fierce belief in curiosity and possibility, her truth and empathy, her humor and pluck, her deep and unwavering friendship, and her extraordinary grace in coping with life’s hardships and challenges made her easy to love and adore.  Kelly was a bright light, a loving and outgoing person who had a way of making everyone around her feel like the most important person in her orbit. She leaves behind so many who adored her and were warmed by the light of which she was made.

She is mourned by her dear mother, Donna Bigelow; her beloved art teacher and mentor who was the “single biggest influence of her life,” John Loveless; her husband and film partner, Roland Becerra; her partner and caregiver, Jackrabbit Pollack; her best friend, chosen family, and caregiver, Erin McDonough; and many more friends and family near and far.  She was predeceased by her beloved standard poodle, Lucian.  Kelly's cremated remains will be laid to rest beside Lucian at the Sunset View Cemetery in Jonesville, Michigan.

Kelly's final wishes were to preserve her artwork and provide funds and resources, guidance counseling and support services for art students in her hometown of Jonesville, Michigan.  In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Kelly's Go Fund Me to help make these wishes a reality.  https://gofund.me/55d01e5b

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