About

Kris Kelly-Frère

I’m a mad-alchemist-poet-guide-firestarter. If that sounds intriguing I think we will get along.

I make magic serious business and want to help you explore the edges of what seems possible. You can count on me to make sense of chaos and ensure that we have a roadmap leading to a better tomorrow.

I’m an architect by training and a systemic designer by practice. I’ve staked my career on the idea that folx will rise to the challenge if asked a good enough question. I’ve worked across a range of public, private and government institutions to craft experiences, establish design labs, and deliver groundbreaking social R & D projects. I know how to move innovation dreams across the threshold into reality. I can’t wait to dig into the mud together.

I'm currently the Creative Lead for J5 in Calgary, working to help build a more humane world. In the last few years I was supporting the transformation of a regional recreation centre into a next generation social infrastructure hub and movement. I also led a hybrid public health research project + social innovation lab called the Vivo Play Project. (vivoplayproject.com)

Prior to that I was a Senior Innovation Designer helping to found the Civic Innovation YYC Project at the City of Calgary. This work was about helping government embrace new ideas and collaboration. We were building strategic design capacity within the City of Calgary administration - and working to craft new channels for citizens to create with their governments. Along the way we nurtured adaptive tools and mindsets. I believe that government can, and must, do better. I appreciate the challenge of asking "how could I be a better ancestor" as we tackle emergent and complex problems.

I've earned a Master’s degree in Architecture and was part of the core team that designed the experiences and operations for Canada's newest science centre, TELUS Spark. I'm an Alumni of Leadership Calgary, The Banff Centre, and have broad experience applying both design and strategic thinking at a range of scales. My work also includes an active art practice, community leadership and critical writing. In another life, I was a tap dance instructor. Sometimes I coach high intensity rowing classes. I can't stop drawing.