B. Lynbrook, NY, U.S.A.
Currently Located: Lafayette, LA, USA
Currently Located: Lafayette, LA, USA
Artist Bio
Kate Gordon currently holds the position of Assistant Professor Figure Drawing & Foundations at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. She earned an M.F.A. from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and a B.F.A. from Pratt Institute. Gordon has shown her paintings, collages, and video works nationally; exhibitions include a solo show at the Hilliard Art Museum, curation into the Weatherspoon Art Museum’s Art on Paper exhibition, an invitation to create a public video installation at Block 2—a visual platform for new media artists in Raleigh, NC, and a solo exhibition at The Carrack, an artist-run project space, in Durham, NC. Most recent professional accomplishments include participating in Kolaj Institute’s Artist Residency in Scotland, curation into the Contemporary Drawing exhibition at UNC Asheville, and inclusion in Le Mieux Galleries maximalist group show “Is This Too Much?”
Artist Statement
Moving to southern Louisiana during a pandemic has pushed me to consider what a survivalist mentality can look like in a geographic location. The plants are trying to survive the heat, the land is trying to survive the erosion, and the people are trying to survive a pandemic. There is no softness or comfort in a survivalist mind, but a forcing together of elements in the hopes that all will be well if you find the right combination quickly. This sensation has entered my studio practice, where I am desperately trying to mine as much imagery as possible and make sense of it as quickly as possible. However, I continually arrive at a stitching together of the everyday and the absurd where very little sense is present.
My collage practice is a means to merge the visual information generated in my subconscious and conscious mind. I think through imagery non-linearly and intuitively. I articulate those images through painting, specifically with watercolor and fluid acrylic, generating imagery in large quantities and with little judgment of the content. Once I have created a volume of paintings, I can cut them apart and draw connections between different mental and physical spaces.
At times, the work physically extends into space, forming a diorama, and at other times, it is stitched together into a singular surface; this decision is instinctual and aligns with the process of the artwork revealing itself over time. Stitching is a means to keep the parts of a piece together, but it also allows them to be separated if necessary. Recently, printed photo components have been added on and behind the painted surfaces, introducing another visual dimension and textural quality to the work, creating a density that resonates with the maximalist world I am observing.
Alongside my thinking through survivalism, becoming a mother has brought the additional concept of contraction into the work. Contraction, as a force and in the context of childbirth, shortens and tightens, creating immense pressure and a form of unavoidable chaos, allowing for both an ending and a beginning within the life cycle. My most recent body of work examines the concept of contraction as it relates to the changes happening in the environment through climate change and how this is reflected through the nature and progression of pregnancy. These themes arrived organically in an outpouring of visual information through the vehicle of painting and were fastened together with a collagist mentality.
My collage practice is a means to merge the visual information generated in my subconscious and conscious mind. I think through imagery non-linearly and intuitively. I articulate those images through painting, specifically with watercolor and fluid acrylic, generating imagery in large quantities and with little judgment of the content. Once I have created a volume of paintings, I can cut them apart and draw connections between different mental and physical spaces.
At times, the work physically extends into space, forming a diorama, and at other times, it is stitched together into a singular surface; this decision is instinctual and aligns with the process of the artwork revealing itself over time. Stitching is a means to keep the parts of a piece together, but it also allows them to be separated if necessary. Recently, printed photo components have been added on and behind the painted surfaces, introducing another visual dimension and textural quality to the work, creating a density that resonates with the maximalist world I am observing.
Alongside my thinking through survivalism, becoming a mother has brought the additional concept of contraction into the work. Contraction, as a force and in the context of childbirth, shortens and tightens, creating immense pressure and a form of unavoidable chaos, allowing for both an ending and a beginning within the life cycle. My most recent body of work examines the concept of contraction as it relates to the changes happening in the environment through climate change and how this is reflected through the nature and progression of pregnancy. These themes arrived organically in an outpouring of visual information through the vehicle of painting and were fastened together with a collagist mentality.
Artist CV
EXHIBITIONS
2024 Louisiana Contemporary, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA (curated by Lauren Haynes)
2023 Juried Small Works Exhibition, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT (curated by Melanie Carr)
2023 Solo Exhibition, Cheeseburger Apocalypse, Dean’s Gallery Fletcher Hall, ULL, Lafayette, LA
2023 14th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Drawing, Cooke Gallery, UNCA, Asheville, NC (catalog)
2022 Watershed Weaver, Dry Ice Gallery, Chattanooga, TN
2022 Is This Too Much?, Le Mieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA (curated by Christy Wood)
2022 Artist Respond: Post Roe Louisiana, Carroll Gallery, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
2022 La Louisianne, Imperial Calcasieu Museum, Lake Charles, LA
2021 And Now For Something New, Le Mieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA (curated by Lee Deigaard and John
Barnes Jr.)
2021 Twenty Years Marais Press: Imprinting a Campus and Collection, Hilliard Art Museum, Lafayette, LA
(catalog)
2021 Louisiana Contemporary, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA (curated by Hallie Ringle)
(catalog)
2021 Solo Exhibition, Mind The Gap, East Baton Rouge Public Library, Baton Rouge, LA
2021 Slammed, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA (curated by Jaik Faulk and Ben Hickey)
2020 Seasonal Repression, Field Projects, New York, NY (curated by Jacob Rhodes)
2020 Solo Exhibition, Alligator Naps, Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette, LA (curated by
Ben Hickey)
2019 Introductions, Fletcher Hall Gallery, Lafayette, LA
2019 Into the Condensed and Not Yet Known, Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette, LA (curated
by Chris Bennett)
2019 Solo Exhibition, Juggling Chainsaws, The Carrack, Durham, NC
2019 Inside Out, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT (curated by Karl Goulet)
2019 Art on Paper 2019, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC (curated by Elaine Gustafson)
2019 Solo Exhibition, Impossible Spaces, Public Video Art Installation, Raleigh, NC (curated by Stacy
Bloom-Rexrode)
2018 Solo Exhibition, Evedrops, 68 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Winter Salon, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017 Solo Exhibition, Get Out Where, Greensboro Project Space, Greensboro, NC
2017 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC
2016 Not at the Beach, Sharp Studio, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Messenger Project, Salt Gallery, Greensboro, NC
2015 Shifting States, The Kitchen Gallery, New London, CT
2014 Oh, The Places You Will Go, Bern Seiderman Gallery, Lynbrook, NY
2014 The Garden, Chauncey Stillman Gallery, Old Lyme, CT
2013 All Paintings Great and Small, Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT
WORKSHOPS, RESIDENCIES, LECTURES
2024 Kolaj Institute's Artist Residency. Sanquhar, Scotland
2021 Mineral House Virtual Residency
2021 Visiting Artist Lecture, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
2020 Surviving Art School, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA
2020 Visiting Artist Lecture, Winthrop University. Rock Hill, SC
2019 Gallery Talk, Hilliard Art Museum. Lafayette, LA
2019 Art on Paper Gallery Talk, Weatherspoon Art Museum. Greensboro, NC
GRANTS/AWARDS
2024 Faculty Travel Research Grant
2020 Friends of the Humanities
2021 Research Rising Star Award, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
2019 Elemore Morgan, Jr. Visual Arts Endowment Fund
2019 Friends of the Humanities
2019 UNCG Summer Research Fellowship
2017 UNCG Research Travel Grant
2015 Holderness Fellowship
2015-2017 Graduate Assistantship Scholarship, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Greensboro, NC
2011 Full Circle Award, Summa Cum Laude, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
2007-2011 Presidential Merit Scholarship, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2023 “Drawing Discourse”, University of North Carolina Asheville, 2023:Pg.122-123.
2022 “20 years of Marais Press: Imprinting a Campus & Collection”, University of Louisiana Press, 2022:Pg.143.
2021 “Alligator Naps”, 2021 Annual Report College of the Arts, 2021: Pg.16.
John R. Kemp, “Artist Profile: Kate Gordon”, Acadiana Profile Magazine, 2021, Pg. 20-21.
“Louisiana Contemporary”, Ogden Museum Publication, 2021, Pg.17.
“Visiting Artist Interview: Kate Gordon”,Mineral House Media, access date: July 1, 2021.
https://www.mineralhousemedia.com/media/kategordon
“Alligator Naps”, Oxford American, 2021, Pg. 94.
James Fox-Smith, “Kate Gordon”, Country Roads Magaazine, 2021, Pg. 54.
2020 “Coming Soon”, View Finder Hilliards Art Museum, 2020, Pg.4-5.
2019 “Meet the New Faces”, 2019 Annual Report College of the Arts, 2019: Pg.3-4.
EDUCATION
2017 MFA, Studio Art, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Greensboro, NC
2011 BFA, Painting, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
2009 Semester Abroad, Pratt Institute. Venice, Italy
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2019- present Assistant Professor Figure Drawing and Foundations, Department of Visual Arts, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 2018-2019 Sabbatical Coverage Lecturer, Department of Visual Arts, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Greensboro, NC
2017- present Visiting Lecturer, PreCollege Program, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
2015-2017 Instructor, Department of Visual Arts, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Greensboro, NC
RELATED EXPERIENCE
2012-2015 Assistant Director of Admissions, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. Old Lyme, CT
2011-2012 Gilding Apprentice, Lowy Frame and Restoration Company. New York, NY
2008-2010 Conservation Intern, Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, NY
2024 Louisiana Contemporary, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA (curated by Lauren Haynes)
2023 Juried Small Works Exhibition, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT (curated by Melanie Carr)
2023 Solo Exhibition, Cheeseburger Apocalypse, Dean’s Gallery Fletcher Hall, ULL, Lafayette, LA
2023 14th Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Drawing, Cooke Gallery, UNCA, Asheville, NC (catalog)
2022 Watershed Weaver, Dry Ice Gallery, Chattanooga, TN
2022 Is This Too Much?, Le Mieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA (curated by Christy Wood)
2022 Artist Respond: Post Roe Louisiana, Carroll Gallery, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
2022 La Louisianne, Imperial Calcasieu Museum, Lake Charles, LA
2021 And Now For Something New, Le Mieux Galleries, New Orleans, LA (curated by Lee Deigaard and John
Barnes Jr.)
2021 Twenty Years Marais Press: Imprinting a Campus and Collection, Hilliard Art Museum, Lafayette, LA
(catalog)
2021 Louisiana Contemporary, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans, LA (curated by Hallie Ringle)
(catalog)
2021 Solo Exhibition, Mind The Gap, East Baton Rouge Public Library, Baton Rouge, LA
2021 Slammed, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA (curated by Jaik Faulk and Ben Hickey)
2020 Seasonal Repression, Field Projects, New York, NY (curated by Jacob Rhodes)
2020 Solo Exhibition, Alligator Naps, Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette, LA (curated by
Ben Hickey)
2019 Introductions, Fletcher Hall Gallery, Lafayette, LA
2019 Into the Condensed and Not Yet Known, Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum, Lafayette, LA (curated
by Chris Bennett)
2019 Solo Exhibition, Juggling Chainsaws, The Carrack, Durham, NC
2019 Inside Out, Five Points Gallery, Torrington, CT (curated by Karl Goulet)
2019 Art on Paper 2019, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC (curated by Elaine Gustafson)
2019 Solo Exhibition, Impossible Spaces, Public Video Art Installation, Raleigh, NC (curated by Stacy
Bloom-Rexrode)
2018 Solo Exhibition, Evedrops, 68 Jay Street, Brooklyn, NY
2018 Winter Salon, Greenpoint Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017 Solo Exhibition, Get Out Where, Greensboro Project Space, Greensboro, NC
2017 MFA Thesis Exhibition, Weatherspoon Art Museum, Greensboro, NC
2016 Not at the Beach, Sharp Studio, Brooklyn, NY
2016 Messenger Project, Salt Gallery, Greensboro, NC
2015 Shifting States, The Kitchen Gallery, New London, CT
2014 Oh, The Places You Will Go, Bern Seiderman Gallery, Lynbrook, NY
2014 The Garden, Chauncey Stillman Gallery, Old Lyme, CT
2013 All Paintings Great and Small, Cooley Gallery, Old Lyme, CT
WORKSHOPS, RESIDENCIES, LECTURES
2024 Kolaj Institute's Artist Residency. Sanquhar, Scotland
2021 Mineral House Virtual Residency
2021 Visiting Artist Lecture, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY
2020 Surviving Art School, Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette, LA
2020 Visiting Artist Lecture, Winthrop University. Rock Hill, SC
2019 Gallery Talk, Hilliard Art Museum. Lafayette, LA
2019 Art on Paper Gallery Talk, Weatherspoon Art Museum. Greensboro, NC
GRANTS/AWARDS
2024 Faculty Travel Research Grant
2020 Friends of the Humanities
2021 Research Rising Star Award, University of Louisiana at Lafayette
2019 Elemore Morgan, Jr. Visual Arts Endowment Fund
2019 Friends of the Humanities
2019 UNCG Summer Research Fellowship
2017 UNCG Research Travel Grant
2015 Holderness Fellowship
2015-2017 Graduate Assistantship Scholarship, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Greensboro, NC
2011 Full Circle Award, Summa Cum Laude, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
2007-2011 Presidential Merit Scholarship, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
BIBLIOGRAPHY
2023 “Drawing Discourse”, University of North Carolina Asheville, 2023:Pg.122-123.
2022 “20 years of Marais Press: Imprinting a Campus & Collection”, University of Louisiana Press, 2022:Pg.143.
2021 “Alligator Naps”, 2021 Annual Report College of the Arts, 2021: Pg.16.
John R. Kemp, “Artist Profile: Kate Gordon”, Acadiana Profile Magazine, 2021, Pg. 20-21.
“Louisiana Contemporary”, Ogden Museum Publication, 2021, Pg.17.
“Visiting Artist Interview: Kate Gordon”,Mineral House Media, access date: July 1, 2021.
https://www.mineralhousemedia.com/media/kategordon
“Alligator Naps”, Oxford American, 2021, Pg. 94.
James Fox-Smith, “Kate Gordon”, Country Roads Magaazine, 2021, Pg. 54.
2020 “Coming Soon”, View Finder Hilliards Art Museum, 2020, Pg.4-5.
2019 “Meet the New Faces”, 2019 Annual Report College of the Arts, 2019: Pg.3-4.
EDUCATION
2017 MFA, Studio Art, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Greensboro, NC
2011 BFA, Painting, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
2009 Semester Abroad, Pratt Institute. Venice, Italy
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2019- present Assistant Professor Figure Drawing and Foundations, Department of Visual Arts, University of Louisiana at Lafayette. 2018-2019 Sabbatical Coverage Lecturer, Department of Visual Arts, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Greensboro, NC
2017- present Visiting Lecturer, PreCollege Program, Pratt Institute. Brooklyn, NY
2015-2017 Instructor, Department of Visual Arts, University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Greensboro, NC
RELATED EXPERIENCE
2012-2015 Assistant Director of Admissions, Lyme Academy College of Fine Arts. Old Lyme, CT
2011-2012 Gilding Apprentice, Lowy Frame and Restoration Company. New York, NY
2008-2010 Conservation Intern, Metropolitan Museum of Art. New York, NY