Kate Eggelston, "A day without treif is a day without sunshine"
Artist's clothing, Santa hats, Joan's tablecloth, thrifted fibers, plastic beads, cotton batting, poly batting, thread
37"Hx27"Wx1"D
2023
My sculptural ham slice quilt is titled A day without treif is a day without sunshine. Treif is Yiddish for "unkosher." The title is a directly quoted joke my Uncle Fritz used to say as he'd gleeful take a bite of his BLT, and it never failed to crack me up as a kid. We never kept a kosher home growing up, so enjoying a little piggie wasn't an issue in my family. Some kosher rules are based on outdated food restrictions meant to keep people from succumbing to illness in ancient times (pre-refrigeration; for example, trichinosis from pork). I want the viewer to have a giggle but be slightly grossed out by the slab of shiny, textured ham slung on the wall.
STATEMENT
I am a multidisciplinary artist and educator. My work exemplifies my desire to lean into life’s discordant moments and use that energy to recharge. I use repetition, bold colors, and mark making to catalog my experiences as a mother, wife, teacher, and artist through works on paper, sculpture, and textiles. My process-based studio practice relies on repetitive movements and the replication of small objects, manifesting as numerous duplicates, which are used as the raw materials for larger pieces. The balance of hard and yielding, jagged and soft, all blend together in often humorous ways through form and space. My work is aesthetically pleasing on the surface, but it elicits an odd sense of unease. I invite the viewer to embrace a little discomfort and look beyond it to the possibilities.
BIO
I was recently awarded a grant from NJ Transit, Mid Atlantic Arts, and the NJ State Council on the Arts to create a temporary fiber art installation at the New Brunswick train station (on view September-November 2022). My latest solo show, Please Scream Inside Your Heart (2021), was held at SMUSH Gallery in Jersey City. I exhibited Still Deep (2019) featuring my fiber work with the Monmouth Museum’s NJ Emerging Artists Solo Series. Stand Still, Dive Deep (2018), my first major body of work, exhibited in Artworks Trenton’s ArtLab, focused on soft sculptures created from textiles hand dyed in indigo. I have participated in group exhibitions throughout the tri-state as well as across the US. I will be attending the Space and Time Artist Residency at Guttenberg Arts in Fall 2023. I attended artist residencies at ChaNorth (2021), Vermont Studio Center (2019), _gaia studio (2015), Tyler School of Art at Temple University (2012), and will attend Guttenberg Arts Space and Time Residency in Fall 2023. I was a Student Mini Grant Recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Arts Common Good Grant from Drew University (2014). I received my BA in Visual Art and a K-12 New Jersey Art Teacher Certification from Ramapo College in 2005. Beyond my studio practice, I have over 16 years of experience teaching artists of all ages and skill levels in a variety of mediums. I currently work as a Project Manager at StoneDog Studios, a woman owned and run set and prop fabrication studio in Freehold, NJ. I live in Manalapan, NJ with my husband, our daughter, and our nutty dogs June and Lucy.
Artist's clothing, Santa hats, Joan's tablecloth, thrifted fibers, plastic beads, cotton batting, poly batting, thread
37"Hx27"Wx1"D
2023
My sculptural ham slice quilt is titled A day without treif is a day without sunshine. Treif is Yiddish for "unkosher." The title is a directly quoted joke my Uncle Fritz used to say as he'd gleeful take a bite of his BLT, and it never failed to crack me up as a kid. We never kept a kosher home growing up, so enjoying a little piggie wasn't an issue in my family. Some kosher rules are based on outdated food restrictions meant to keep people from succumbing to illness in ancient times (pre-refrigeration; for example, trichinosis from pork). I want the viewer to have a giggle but be slightly grossed out by the slab of shiny, textured ham slung on the wall.
STATEMENT
I am a multidisciplinary artist and educator. My work exemplifies my desire to lean into life’s discordant moments and use that energy to recharge. I use repetition, bold colors, and mark making to catalog my experiences as a mother, wife, teacher, and artist through works on paper, sculpture, and textiles. My process-based studio practice relies on repetitive movements and the replication of small objects, manifesting as numerous duplicates, which are used as the raw materials for larger pieces. The balance of hard and yielding, jagged and soft, all blend together in often humorous ways through form and space. My work is aesthetically pleasing on the surface, but it elicits an odd sense of unease. I invite the viewer to embrace a little discomfort and look beyond it to the possibilities.
BIO
I was recently awarded a grant from NJ Transit, Mid Atlantic Arts, and the NJ State Council on the Arts to create a temporary fiber art installation at the New Brunswick train station (on view September-November 2022). My latest solo show, Please Scream Inside Your Heart (2021), was held at SMUSH Gallery in Jersey City. I exhibited Still Deep (2019) featuring my fiber work with the Monmouth Museum’s NJ Emerging Artists Solo Series. Stand Still, Dive Deep (2018), my first major body of work, exhibited in Artworks Trenton’s ArtLab, focused on soft sculptures created from textiles hand dyed in indigo. I have participated in group exhibitions throughout the tri-state as well as across the US. I will be attending the Space and Time Artist Residency at Guttenberg Arts in Fall 2023. I attended artist residencies at ChaNorth (2021), Vermont Studio Center (2019), _gaia studio (2015), Tyler School of Art at Temple University (2012), and will attend Guttenberg Arts Space and Time Residency in Fall 2023. I was a Student Mini Grant Recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Arts Common Good Grant from Drew University (2014). I received my BA in Visual Art and a K-12 New Jersey Art Teacher Certification from Ramapo College in 2005. Beyond my studio practice, I have over 16 years of experience teaching artists of all ages and skill levels in a variety of mediums. I currently work as a Project Manager at StoneDog Studios, a woman owned and run set and prop fabrication studio in Freehold, NJ. I live in Manalapan, NJ with my husband, our daughter, and our nutty dogs June and Lucy.
Artist's clothing, Santa hats, Joan's tablecloth, thrifted fibers, plastic beads, cotton batting, poly batting, thread
37"Hx27"Wx1"D
2023
My sculptural ham slice quilt is titled A day without treif is a day without sunshine. Treif is Yiddish for "unkosher." The title is a directly quoted joke my Uncle Fritz used to say as he'd gleeful take a bite of his BLT, and it never failed to crack me up as a kid. We never kept a kosher home growing up, so enjoying a little piggie wasn't an issue in my family. Some kosher rules are based on outdated food restrictions meant to keep people from succumbing to illness in ancient times (pre-refrigeration; for example, trichinosis from pork). I want the viewer to have a giggle but be slightly grossed out by the slab of shiny, textured ham slung on the wall.
STATEMENT
I am a multidisciplinary artist and educator. My work exemplifies my desire to lean into life’s discordant moments and use that energy to recharge. I use repetition, bold colors, and mark making to catalog my experiences as a mother, wife, teacher, and artist through works on paper, sculpture, and textiles. My process-based studio practice relies on repetitive movements and the replication of small objects, manifesting as numerous duplicates, which are used as the raw materials for larger pieces. The balance of hard and yielding, jagged and soft, all blend together in often humorous ways through form and space. My work is aesthetically pleasing on the surface, but it elicits an odd sense of unease. I invite the viewer to embrace a little discomfort and look beyond it to the possibilities.
BIO
I was recently awarded a grant from NJ Transit, Mid Atlantic Arts, and the NJ State Council on the Arts to create a temporary fiber art installation at the New Brunswick train station (on view September-November 2022). My latest solo show, Please Scream Inside Your Heart (2021), was held at SMUSH Gallery in Jersey City. I exhibited Still Deep (2019) featuring my fiber work with the Monmouth Museum’s NJ Emerging Artists Solo Series. Stand Still, Dive Deep (2018), my first major body of work, exhibited in Artworks Trenton’s ArtLab, focused on soft sculptures created from textiles hand dyed in indigo. I have participated in group exhibitions throughout the tri-state as well as across the US. I will be attending the Space and Time Artist Residency at Guttenberg Arts in Fall 2023. I attended artist residencies at ChaNorth (2021), Vermont Studio Center (2019), _gaia studio (2015), Tyler School of Art at Temple University (2012), and will attend Guttenberg Arts Space and Time Residency in Fall 2023. I was a Student Mini Grant Recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Arts Common Good Grant from Drew University (2014). I received my BA in Visual Art and a K-12 New Jersey Art Teacher Certification from Ramapo College in 2005. Beyond my studio practice, I have over 16 years of experience teaching artists of all ages and skill levels in a variety of mediums. I currently work as a Project Manager at StoneDog Studios, a woman owned and run set and prop fabrication studio in Freehold, NJ. I live in Manalapan, NJ with my husband, our daughter, and our nutty dogs June and Lucy.