Artist CV
TEXTILE ARTIST KNITWEAR DESIGNER COSTUME DESIGNER TEACHER
I am a textile artist and designer with 25 years of experience in fiber arts, fashion, and costume design. As the founder and designer of KRELwear, I specialize in engineering knit fabrics that cater to all body types while adhering to sustainable practices. I have taught knitting and crochet to individuals of all ages in school, community and 1:1 settings. My artistic practice involves creating surreal worlds using crochet and knit techniques, often evoking childhood memories. I am recognized for my collaborations with various artists, performers, and creative directors.
RESIDENCIES
2024 Stone House Residency, Rogers City, Michigan
2013-15 Art Center - Miami, Florida; Artist Residency
1993 Capellagarden - Oland, Sweden; Textiles Residency
AWARDS
2024 Bandshell Laboratories, Rhythm Foundation
2023 & 24 Miami Dade Artist Grant
2022 Knight Arts Champion, Knight Foundation
2021 No Vacancy, Miami Beach Arts & Culture Grant
2021 Best Fashion Designer, Miami New Times
2019 Principal of the Day, Miami Design and Architecture High School
2011 Top 30 People in Miami, Miami New Times
2010 100 Most Creative, Miami New Times
2010 Best Fashion Designer, Miami New Times
2008 Sweetest Thing Miami, Daily Candy
2008 Style Wars – US Champion
2005 Best Fashion Designer, Miami New Times
2004 Fresh Faces of Fashion, GenArt Miami
COMMUNITY ACTIVATIONS
2024 “Cosmic Constellation” – Collaboration with Afrobeta we created white pom-poms with our community through several activations at different locations around Miami. The installation was a sky scape emulating stars and snow during a free show at the Miami Beach Bandshell which was featured in Google’s Super Bowl advertisement promoting 50 non-profits in 50 states.
2017 –25 “THE INTERKNIT” – An ongoing interactive fiber art installation where the audience is encouraged to add their stitches, creating a real world-wide-web. Since its initial commissioning for the World Happiness Summit in 2017, it has traveled to 13 locations around the US, including a one-year installation at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden, Miami Book Fair, Vogue Knitting Live, Superfine Art Fairs, and Young at Arts school bus that engaged children throughout Broward County.
2008-2020 “Quickie Couture” custom fashion made on the spot with prefabricated tubular knit fabrics for over 1,500 people and animals world-wide. Includes Scope Art Fair 2008 – 2010, cities include NY, Miami, Iceland, Costa Rica, Berlin.
SELECTED COMMISSIONS
2024 Cosmic Constellation collaboration with Afrobeta, Rhythm Foundation, Miami Beach Bandshell, FL
2022 Multi-colored Knitted Palm Tree, Hublot, Miami Design District, FL
2019 3 Photo-booth Yarn Installations, Miami Open, Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens
2017 Fabric Rainbow Interactive Installation, Pulse Points Fundraiser, New World Symphony
2017 The Interknit Interactive Craft Installation, World Happiness Summit, Miami
2012 “Glow Vines” Backdrop for Chromatics Concert, Olympia Theater, Miami, FL
2011 “Tights in the Sky Installation” Museum of Contemporary Art, Mystery Dates, Private Residence, Miami Beach, FL
EXHIBITIONS
2023-24 Solo Exhibition, Karelle Levy, Knit Does Not Equal Sweater, Green Space Miami, FL
2023 “Resurrected Arc Angel” Hallelujah! Salon de Refuse, Green Space Miami, FL
2023 “Berber Tent” Global South Movements, Green Space Miami, FL
2023 “Duality Glow” & “Peachy Keen” BluPrint Group Show, Bridge Red Studios Miami, FL
2023 “Tutti Fruiti” Portal FAMA Show, ArtNezs, Miami, FL
2022 “Camouflage” World Textile Biennial, Miami International Arts Museum, Doral, FL
2022 “Fabric Palm Trees“ Hublot Commission - Miami Design District Palm Court
2019 “Patcha Mama” Museum of Sustainability, Miami
2019 “Rainbow” From Eden to Sahara, The Surfcomber
2019 25 Foot Long Patch Work Canopies, P.I.G. Festival, Little Haiti Cultural Art Center, Miami, FL
2017 “Patchwork Souk” SuperFine! Art Fair Miami, FL
2016 Various fiber artworks on canvas, Can You Feel It, Gallery 2612, Wynwood
2015 “Fly Knitty” The Machine Show, SwampSpace, Miami Design District
2015 “Glow Vines” Felt Sew Knot Bound, FAT Village
2014 “KREL2go, Karelle Levy Solo Show” Palos Verdes Art Center, California
2012 “Trip the Fabric Fantastic” Solo Show Blackall Studio, London, UK
2017 “Rainbow Market Place” World Happiness Summit, Ice Palace, Miami
2017 “Rainbow Sky” 100+ Degrees in the Shade, Design District Miami
2016 “Pink Mountain” Girls Club, Ft. Lauderdale
2014 “Fabric Patchwork Canvases” RE: Mac Fine Arts, Fort Lauderdale, FL
2013-14 “Rainbow Cascade” (Feb-March), “KREL-bot” Installation (Dec-Jan), Lincoln Rd, Miami Beach
2013 “Fiber Fantasy” Art in Windows Walgreens 67th St & Collins, Miami Beach, FL
2013 “Neon Vines” The Drawing Room, The Broken Shaker, Miami, FL
2013 “What Goes Up Must Come Down” Fiber Optics, 1310 Gallery, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2011 “Patched Camper”, Bread and Butter Berlin, Berlin Germany
2010 “Oh the Tangled Webs We Weave” David Castillo Gallery, Miami, FL
2009 “Knit Voodoo Dolls” Little Sisters Show, Spinello Gallery, Miami, FL
2001 “Knitting, Weaving, Sewing” (Solo Show), Diaspora Vibe Gallery, Miami, FL
ARTIST TALKS & WORKSHOPS
2022 Young at Arts Museum, Ft. Lauderdale, FL
2021-22 Miami Beach Botanical Gardens, PomPom Classes
2019 Moda Sustanible, Altos De Chavon, Dominican Republic
2018 Crochet Video Instruction Class, Creativiu.com
2018 Jewish Museum of Art, Miami Beach
2015 Fashion Project, Bal Harbour Shops
2013 Pecha Kucha, Art Catto, Loule Portugal
2011 Girl’s Club, Ft. Lauderdale
2010 Pecha Kucha, Bass Museum, Miami Beach
2009 Conversation at Locust Projects, Miami FL
2009 Greater Miami Jewish Federation, Miami FL
2008 Parsons School of the Arts New York, NY
2008 Art Institute Miami, FL
PERFORMANCES & COSTUME DESIGN
2024 Afrobeta, Cosmic Constellation Glowing Costumes for Cuci Amador and Smurfio
2023 Elena Rose, Winged Angel Shred Knit Costume
2022-23 Birds of Paradise 2 & 3, Pioneer Winter Collective, Costume design, Miami & Ohio
2020 Miami City Ballet, Commissioned legwarmers for the Rodeo production
2018 Miami Motel Stories Mimo, Juggerknot Theater Company
2016 Latin Grammys, Wisin dancers
2014 Ekphrasis, Dance Now! Ensemble, Bass Museum of Arts, Miami Beach, FL
2014 Mixtape 2, UMMAGUMMA FORZA ZUMA! Mad Cat Theatre Company, Miami Florida
2013 BLOW ME! Mad Cat Theatre Company, Miami FL
2012 Ancient Evening, Matthew Barney – New York, NY
2011 Sanford Biggers and Moon Medicine – Art Public for ART BASEL Miami Beach
2009 TM Sisters: Whirl, Crash, Go! live costume collaboration, Locust Projects, Miami, FL
2009 Mad Tea Party, Bass Museum, Miami, FL
2009 Fashion Art Ball, K2G performance, Fontainebleau Hotel, Miami, FL
2004 Parallel Universe, Art Basel Miami, FL
2004 Omni Miami, Art Basel Miami, FL
2004 Toob Performance installation, Chroma Boutique, Miami, FL
2004 Arroz Con Mango, curated by Jose Elias, Surreal Saturday, PS 742, Miami, FL
2003 Oscar's Den, Bussandri Showroom, Miami Design District
2003 Sayonara Kusama with Leah Solo Taylor, Bass Museum, Miami Beach, FL
2002-03 Roving Friday Performance Art, Wynwood Art District, FL
2002 Halloween Performance, Bass Museum, Miami Beach, FL
2002 Women in Performance, St. John's Church, Miami Beach, FL
2002 CONCEPT, The Living Room, Miami, FL
2002 ElectronicMusicCenter2, with Johanna Levy, Miami, FL
2001-02 Tubular Performance, Capsule Media Coral Gables, FL
2001-03 Ecdysis, Here & Now Festival Miami Light Project, Miami, FL
2004 Plastered Techno Ballerina; The Light Box, Miami, FL
2002 Geisha, Miami Design District, FL
2001 Dressing, The House, Miami, FL
2001 Spunky, w/ Alexandra Wyroba, Exit Art Gallery, NYC
2001 Photos and Clothes, Light Box Gallery, Miami Light Project, Miami, FL
2001 Krelware worn exhibition #1 & #2, Kava Art Club, Miami, FL
2000 Surrealist Saturday, Artemis Performance Space, Miami, FL
1999-2000 Cornucopia of the Arts, Vizcaya Museum and Gardens, Miami
1993 Black and White, AS220, Providence, RI