“We are incredibly proud of Kate,” said Ian MacKenzie-Thurley, executive director at the Fitton Center. “This opportunity enhances her standing both as an artist and as a teacher, which in turn, enhances the Fitton Center’s ability to meet its mission to build community excellence through the arts and culture.”
Rowekamp was one of four artists from across the country who completed an artist’s residency at Annmarie Sculpture Garden and Art Center in Maryland as part of its Artists in Action program. She and three other artists spent a week in May on the 30-acre grounds creating art and interacting with visitors.
“I had a studio space for a full week where I could work on art, eight hours a day, it was great. The only thing I had to focus on was making art,” said Kate Rowekamp, director of education and outreach at the Fitton Center.
Also, visitors would come to the arts center, and they would walk through and talk to the different artists that were in residence.
“It was cool because I could do live demonstrations and talk with them about the materials I was using,” Rowekamp said.
During the residency, Rowekamp worked on her “Dozens Series,” where she takes solid ovals slightly larger than a standard chicken egg and turns them into various small sculptures.
“When I applied to be a part of the program, I pitched a project I wanted to work on. So, when I got there, I followed through with working on that. And, basically what I’ve been doing is I have these plastic Easter eggs that I cover in clay. That way, every sculpture starts out exactly the same,” she said.
Rowekamp continued, “From there, I build up different creatures, faces, and things like that, to see how different I can make them even though they’re starting off all the same, and I call it the ‘Dozens Series.’”
She worked on seven different sculptures during the residency, including sculpting and painting. Pieces in the series she was able to work on included “Punk,” “Beaver” and “Pineapple.” She has completed 19 pieces in the “Dozens Series” to date.
Rowekamp had a studio set up in the Art Center and she was able to stay in the artist’s house on the premises for the week. She experienced nice weather. It was pleasant and sunny. In addition to the surrounding sculptures, there was also a lot of wildlife such as tree frogs or snakes. Rowekamp also took a lot of pictures, so she could look back and reflect upon each day.
“I could just walk from the artist’s house, through the sculpture garden, to get to my studio space. It was inspirational, and it was a great way to start the day. It’s a beautiful place,” Rowekamp said.
She said it was great to get out of her comfort zone and do something she’d never done before.
“I work a full-time job, and I’m also a working artist, so I don’t have as much time in my schedule as I’d like to do things. It was good to broaden my horizons, creatively. I’ve never done an artist residency prior to doing this one, so it was something I’ve always wanted to do. It was on my professional artist bucket list to get into a residency and work somewhere different,” said Rowekamp.
Rowekamp joins Billy Simms, printmaking instructor at the Fitton Center, who previously completed the residency. Simms was also awarded back-to-back Artists in Action positions in 2018 and 2019.
“Billy really encouraged me to go ahead and do it. So, he was great. He gave me tips when I was getting ready for the residency,” Rowekamp said. “I’m also really thankful that the Fitton Center was so supportive by giving me the time to go and do it.”
Additionally, Rowekamp’s work is currently on display online as part of the 76th Annual Ohio Exhibition hosted by the Zanesville Museum of Art. The exhibition will be on view through Sept. 9 at www.zanesvilleart.org/76th-ohio-annual-online-gallery. The juried exhibition is for artists in Ohio.
“Since it’s a competition, I just wanted to enter and see if I could get in. It’s exciting whenever your work is recognized in that way. It’s also cool to have been accepted, because then, I’m able to share my work with an audience I might not typically get to share it with,” Rowekamp said.
Ohio artists submitted more than 500 pieces for the exhibition, and 79 will be on display as part of the show. Rowekamp’s ink-and-watercolor piece “Thrift Shop” will be on view.
“It’s one of my most recent pieces that I’m most proud of,” Rowekamp said of the work, which is part of a collection called the “Homebodies Series.”
The series is about how we personalize our spaces, whether it’s at home or our workspaces, to add a sense of comfort.
“It’s important to feel like you’re in a space that’s safe and comforting, and personal to you. So, I’ve been working on a series where there’s different animals in place of people, but they all have jobs, and they all have home lives, and you can see the different things they bring with them from home to work, to personalize and add a comfortable sense of home in their space,” she said.
The main character of the “Thrift Shop” painting is a trumpet-playing badger, who is a shop keeper for a thrift shop.
“I give him a pet fish and added some plants. They’ve got a sticker on their cash register and things like that,” Rowekamp said.
She said it was a cool experience once the show went up online to see all the different pieces in the exhibition.
“I think it’s always great to support art museums and the artists that are in the exhibition by checking it out online,” said Rowekamp. “It’s free, and there really aren’t any barriers to entry, so it’s a great way to be able access and see artists from your local area.”
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