Artist: Kate Fisher
Kate Fisher, MINNESOTA
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I think of my work as domestic art: it is either for or about the home. As an artist and story collector, my ultimate goal is to make meaningful connections with others through my work. At the root of this practice is my observation that everyday objects, and our interactions with them, have the power to impact us in meaningful ways.
I collect inspiration from the ever-changing landscape inside my house. It is an endless source of ideas for forms, subject matter, and surface treatment. Since the birth of my two children, my domestic landscape has been radically altered. My most recent works analyze and celebrate this transformed space. I respond to the haphazard child detritus or paraphernalia I now find commonplace. The objects I make are a study and celebration of the beauty to be found amongst a mess. The work is sturdy, bright, and just right.
A native Midwesterner, Fisher holds deep passions for endurance sports and creative practices - viewing both as a craft capable of cultivating community and change while offering engagement with creative problem-solving and risk-taking skills. She holds BAs in both Art History and Studio Art from St. Olaf College and earned her MFA at the University of North Texas. She is an artist, educator, mother, and story collector. Fisher is a multi-titled employee of the Loppet Foundation: A non-profit dedicated to creating a shared passion for year-round outdoor adventure in the Minneapolis area, focusing on underserved youth and families. A life long solo-sport lover, when not at work or in the studio she can be found biking, running, skiing, coaching, or enjoying roads and trails. Fisher lives in St. Louis Park, Minnesota with her partner, children, and a Boston Terrier named Gatsby.
Education
MFA in Ceramics, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.
1996-2000 BA in Art History, BA in Studio Art, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota.
Cum Laude
Current Position
2021 – Present Trail Kids Manger, Winter Event Operations Manager, and Volunteer Coordinator
The Loppet Foundation, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Selected Professional Experience
2008 - 2021 Studio Art Technician, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota.
Visiting Assistant Professor, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota.
2015 - 2021 Founder/Advisor of The Ron Galls Cup Library, an educational cup-lending program for the St. Olaf College Community.
2014 - 2021 Founder of BothArtistandMother.com, an ever-expanding dialogue-based community of artist/mothers.
2011 - 2014 Instructor of Art (Sculpture), Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota.
2008 Children’s Workshop Instructor (Ages 9-12), Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, Colorado.
Anderson Ranch Arts Center Outreach Program Instructor (4th Grade), Snowmass Village, Colorado.
2006- 2007 Ceramic Studio Intern, Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, Colorado.
2006 Instructor of Art (Ceramics and Intro to Art), Lawrence University, Appleton, Wisconsin.
Selected Residencies
January 2020 Anderson Ranch Arts Center Cross-disciplinary Studio Concentration, Snowmass Village, Colorado
Summer 2017 Artists Invite Artists (AIA), Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana
2006-2008 Anderson Ranch Arts Center, Snowmass Village, Colorado.
Selected Awards
2021 St Olaf College ROAR (Recognizing Outstanding and Admirable Results) Award
2020 HipPop Emerging Artist, American Craft Council Show, St. Paul, Minnesota
**Event Canceled Due to Covid-19**
2019 Anderson Ranch Arts Center Presidential Scholarship
St Olaf College Professional Development Grant
2018 St. Olaf College Mellon Grant: Broadening the Bridge, Exploration Grant
2017 Honorable Mention, Mugshot 1, Mojo Coffee Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Corporate Purchase Award, Mugshot 1, Mojo Coffee Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2016 Equal Merit Award for Functional Ceramics, TableTop Exhibition, The Art League Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia
St. Olaf College Mellon Grant: Broadening the Bridge, Exploration Grant
2015 Metropolitan Regional Arts Council Next Step Fund Grant
St. Olaf College Creative Undergraduate Research and Inquiry (CURI) Project Award
St. Olaf College Academic Innovation Fund Grant
2014 St. Olaf College Mellon Grant: Broadening the Bridge, Exploration Grant
2010 Anderson Ranch Arts Center Brooks Fellowship
Anderson Ranch Arts Center Mack Scholarship
Selected Exhibitions/Events - Juried and Invitational
2022 Yunomi Invitational, Clay AKAR, Iowa City, Iowa
Northern Clay Center NCECA Gallery Expo, Online in Conjunction with NCECA in Sacramento, California
8 Fluid Ounces, Louisana State University School of Art – Glasell Gallery, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
January Featured Artist Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2021 Holiday Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Parallel Woman, Artist, Mother, Arts Mill Gallery, Grafton, Wisconsin
Art of the Holidays, Minnetonka Center for the Arts
Western Wisconsin Pottery Tour, River Falls, Wisconsin
Cannon River Clay Tour, Northfield, Minnesota
Yunomi Invitational, Clay AKAR, Iowa City, Iowa
Geaux Cups IV, Clay Center for New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana
Soda Pop, Online Pop-Up during NCECA Virtual Conference
Beautiful Possibilities, Woodwalk Gallery, Egg Harbor, Wisconsin
2020 Hold Me, Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, Florida
5 Piece Invitational, The Anderson Center, Red Wing, Minnesota
Western Wisconsin Pottery Tour, River Falls, Wisconsin
Form and Function, Carleton College, Gould Library Athenaeum, Northfield, Minnesota
2019 Member’s Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Western Wisconsin Pottery Tour, River Falls, Wisconsin
Cannon River Clay Tour, Northfield, Minnesota
Sin: Seven Deadlies in Clay, Pearlman Museum of Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota
Women Who Teach, St. Catherine’s University, St. Paul, Minnesota
Mugshot 2, Mojo Coffee Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Crowns (Traveling Exhibition) Traveling to:
Canton Museum of Art, Canton, Ohio
University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, Virginia
2018 Connetivity, Flaten Art Museum, St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota
Atmospheric, New Orleans Clay Center, New Orleans, Louisiana
Western Wisconsin Pottery Tour, River Falls, Wisconsin
Cannon River Clay Tour, Northfield, Minnesota
Crowns (traveling exhibition) Traveling to:
Cade Center Gallery, Ann Arundel Community College Gallery, Arnold, Maryland
NCECA 2018 Conference Concurrent Exhibition, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Westminster College-Foster Art Gallery, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania
Northern Virginia Community College, Alexandria, Virginia
Northern Virginia Community College, Woodbridge, Virginia
2017 Mugshot 1, Mojo Coffee Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Both Artist and Mother, Red Lodge Clay Center, Red Lodge, Montana
Member’s Exhibition, Northern Clay Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
First Annual Mug Show, Eye of the Dog Gallery, San Marcos, Texas
Yunomi Invitational, ClayAkar, Iowa City, Iowa
2016 Art of the Holiday, Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Minnetonka Minnesota
Winterfest, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, Maryland
4th Annual Cup Show, Studio 550, Manchester, New Hampshire
Form and Function, The Amelia Center Gallery, Gulf Coast State College, Panama City, Florida
TableTop, The Art League Gallery, Alexandria, Virginia
Anderson Ranch Arts Center Legacy: Mentoring Artistic Excellence, Bartle Hall, Kansas City Convention Center, Kansas City, Missouri
2015 Art of the Holiday, Minnetonka Center for the Arts, Minnetonka Minnesota
Both Artist and Mother, The Jamestown Art Center, Jamestown, Rhode Island
Stool Samples, The Midnight Brigade, Minneapolis, Minnesota
2014 365: A Shared Experience, Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, Wisconsin.
Cycle-ology: The Intersection of Art and Cycling, Northfield Arts Guild, Northfield, Minnesota.
Drink!, Slipe Gallery, University of Hartford’s Hartford Art School, West Hartford, Connecticut
4th Biennial Central Time Ceramics Exhibition, Heuser Art Gallery and Hartmann Center Gallery, Bradley University, Peoria, Illinois
Objects for Consideration, Soo Visual Arts Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Spring Faculty Exhibition, Soeffker Gallery, Hamline University, St. Paul, Minnesota
Clay, Fiber, Paper, Metal, Glass, Wood Exhibit, Octagon Center for the Arts, Ames, Iowa
2013 Artifacts from the Inferno: Contemporary Woodfired Ceramics, Baltimore Clayworks, Baltimore, Maryland
History in the Making, Genesse Center for the Arts, Firehouse Gallery, Rochester, New York
Possession, Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, Minnesota
Map It, Riverside Arts Center, Ypsilanti, Michigan
Tributaries, Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, Wisconsin
6x6x2013, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester, New York
Texan’s & Exes, Winter Street Studios, Houston, Texas
Selected Lectures / Workshops / Performances
2019 Tale of a Red Clay Rambler, Episode 277
Kate Fisher talks with Mikey Walsh about being both artist and mother
Tales of a Red Clay Rambler, Episode 276
Kate Fisher: On motherhood, making and endurance sports
NCECA Project Space, Minneapolis, Minnesota – The Mother of All Confessions - Both Artist and Mother goes live in the form of a temporary interactive interview/confessional booth
2018 Squirrel Haus Arts, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Visual co-lecture with Israeli artist/activist Shira Richter about the “secret” creativity that goes into creating humans
2016 Smokestack Pottery, Ft. Collins, Colorado
Demonstration of surface techniques, lecture on current work, and led a community soda firing
Who’s Your Mama Podcast, Season 1 Episode 9
Recorded professional interview and conversation about being an artist and mother
Macalester College, St. Paul, Minnesota
Demonstration of techniques and lecture on current work
2014 Southwest Christian High School, Chaska, Minnesota
Demonstration of techniques and lecture on current work
2013 Duluth Art Institute, Duluth, Minnesota.
Demonstration of mold making and current work techniques
Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Demonstration of recycled material crochet techniques
In conjunction with the Fritz Haeg Exhibition At Home in the City and the Art School Seri
Selected Publications
Anatomy of a Good Pot, 2021, by Ryan Coppage
Encyclopedia of Inspiration Volume C: Ceramics, Uppercase, 2020, by Carol Epp & Julia Krueger
Well Behind the Wheel: The Intersection of Wellness, Ceramics, and Feminism, p. 47-52, The Dispatch / Folk Rebellion, February 2018 by Rachel Newman.
Being Both: Artist/Mother, Vol. 45 No.1, Winter/Spring 2017, Studio Potter (Web Exclusive).
Cups to Go, Spotlight Section, p.80, Ceramics Monthly, April 2017.
Art Without Waste: 500 Upcycled & Earth Friendly Designs, Rockport Publishers, 2014 by Patty Wongpakdee (ed).
The Best of 500 Ceramics: Celebrating a Decade in Clay, Lark Books, 2012 by Linda Kopp (ed).
500 Plate & Chargers: Innovative Expressions of Function & Style. Lark Books, 2008 by Suzanne Tourtillott (ed).
500 Pitchers, Lark Books, 2006 by Suzanne Tourtillott (ed).