Residency Artist - Visual Arts

Kate Gorman

153 N. State St.
Westerville, OH  43081
Phone: (614) 260-0358
Email: k8.gorman@gmail.com

I work in a traditional medium, the quilt, but I work in a contemporary way, using a collage technique. Working in residencies, I enjoy creating murals out of fabric that reflect the world of the students. I have used themes such as community, friendship and peace, but have also made residency quilts that reflect one or two elements of the student's curriculum, such as the rainforest or characters from literature. When working with students, I like to find out their own stories and to help them in finding a visually effective way of telling them. I think it is important to use the arts to enhance and define student's education. I have made quilts with students from pre-school through high school and enjoy teacher workshops as well.

I work in fiber for the tactile experience but I also appreciate the inherent patterns and textures found in cloth. I usually begin with an idea or a theme and create an image working with color, pattern and shape. I am influenced by traditional folk arts, Renaissance portraiture and mythology. Most recently I have worked on a series of portraits that explores connections between contemporary figures and characters from mythology.

My background is in literature and illustration. I am largely a self-taught quilt maker, but I have taken several workshops at the Quilt and Surface Design Symposium. I have shown my work both regionally and nationally.