Highland Park Erects Mike Kelley Memorial

Stuffed animals, candles and kind words filled a concrete carport at the end of Tipton Way in Highland Park last week, in a tribute to recently deceased artist Mike Kelley. 

Kelley, , created world renowned work from his studio on Annan Way in Highland Park for more than two decades. 

In the wake of his death, Highland Park residents have erected small memorials to Kelley around the neighborhood—the largest of which could be found on Tipton Way, located a block away from his Annan Way studio.

Margaret Lee, who was Kelley's neighbor in South Pas, recently heard about the memorial. She writes about her memories of Kelley in an e-mail to Patch:  

When he first moved in, [Kelley] said he did art installations and we just kind of left it at that. ... I had NO idea that he was a giant in the art world. We talked more about cacti and succulents than anything else since we share a common patch of dirt. I am very sad that there wasn't a way to extend a life line to him or to know how much he was hurting inside.

We've lived in our house since December 1986. I think Mike moved in mid-2008, so we have known him since then. Since our houses border each other, and the lots up here are irregular, we have decent visibility of our houses though we all work long hours and seldom saw each other except in passing. 

I have just learned in the last couple of days the magnitude with which he influenced and shaped contemporary art, but I will most remember Mike as a low-key, easy going neighbor who shared an interest of succulents, cacti and runaway cats. May he rest in peace.

Scroll through our gallery above to see photos from the Kelley memorial, or add your own. There will be a private service—closed to the public—held for Kelley this month.