Rate My Professor Kelly Bair

Kelly Bair is an Associate Professor of Architecture and Associate Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Illinois, Chicago's School of Architecture in the Architecture and Design faculty. She earned a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Los Angeles (2003-2005) and a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the University of Colorado Boulder (1995-1999). Bair joined UIC in 2011 as Assistant Professor, advancing to Associate Professor. Previously, she taught as lecturer or adjunct faculty at UCLA, Southern California Institute of Architecture, Woodbury University, Washington University, Otis College of Design, and Pasadena City College. In her professional career, Bair serves as partner at BairBalliet, a design office pursuing speculative and built architectural projects. Earlier roles include project designer at Belzberg Architects (2007-2009), Gnuform (2006-2007), Greg Lynn Form (2005-2006), Office of Mobile Design (2002-2004), Pugh+Scarpa Architects (2000-2002), and Doelling, Brennan, Peschl Architects (1998-2000). She was principal of Central Standard Office of Design from 2008 onward.

Bair's academic interests center on architectural research via speculative and built projects, co-founding Possible Mediums—a collaboration with Kristy Balliet, Adam Fure, and Kyle Miller—to innovate architecture's teaching, production, and engagement. She co-authored the book Possible Mediums (Actar, 2018). Her projects have been exhibited prominently, including 'The Next Port of Call' at the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale in the US Pavilion's 'The Architectural Imagination,' exploring Detroit's urban potential; finalist for the 2018 MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program; Chicago Architecture Biennial (2015); and venues such as the Architecture and Design Museum Los Angeles, Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Yale University Gallery, and Carnegie Mellon University's Miller Gallery. Selected publications include articles in The Architectural Review (2014), Project Journal (2013), and Suckerpunch (2012). Awards encompass the ACSA Creative Achievement Award (2015) for Possible Mediums, Graham Foundation Grant (2012), UIC Dean's Research Prizes (2015, 2016), and Honors College Faculty Fellow Research Grant (2015). Bair has presented lectures at events like We@UIC 'Core Work,' MAS Context Spring Talks (2016), On Error Symposium at University of Buffalo (2012), and Digital Provocations at University of Minnesota (2012). She served as ACSA Faculty Councilor (2012-current, as of 2016), on UIC graduate admissions and search committees, and contributed to developing an interdisciplinary digital fabrication lab protocol (2015).