Katie Chandler

Duration: September-October 2021

Katie Chandler is a returning resident artist from our 2016-2017 year and a figurative ceramic sculptor. All of her jobs, from high school through adulthood, have revolved around customer service in one form or another. In one 8-hour shift, the various personalities and moods can run the gamut. Learning how to identify, relate, and connect to these various types of people and their moods has rolled over into her ceramic work. The subtle ways in which someone moves their eyes, brow, and the corners of their mouth, all give way to what they are thinking and how they are feeling, and this is what inspires her to create.

For this period of time, Katie plans to explore the topic of trauma and healing through a series of figurative sculptures. Each sculpture will focus on a specific stage of recovery based on her own personal experience: 1) Acknowledgement 2) Acceptance 3) Healing and Repair

quick facts

How many years have you been working as a clay artist? I have been working on and off with clay since 2004.

What is your main clay body that you currently use? I prefer to use a stoneware clay, but I will use what ever I can get a hold of. I can work with just about any clay body except porcelain. Porcelain and I have not learned to work together.

What is the primary method you use for building your work? I mostly hand build with slabs, but sometimes I will use coils and molds.

What is your favorite studio tool? I have a flat wooden tool the size of a tongue depressor that is straight and flat on one end and curved on the other end. I use is to compress and smooth my seams.

Do you have any future clay wishes or dreams? Future dream is to have my own space to work.

ARTIST STATEMENT

trau·ma

1: A serious injury or shock to the body.

2: An emotional shock that causes lasting psychological damage.

In this residency, I plan to explore the topic of trauma, and more importantly, a path towards healing. Trauma is deeply personal, and how each person responds to a traumatic event is unique. But for many people, including myself, a natural response is to try to lock it away deep inside where it can never escape. This coping mechanism allows us to carry on with our daily lives, and we hope that if we can just suppress it for long enough, the trauma will eventually wither away and die.

Days turn into months, months turn into years, and despite this the trauma continues to fester. Internal and external factors chip away at the facade, exposing cracks in the hardened exterior that has been so carefully developed and maintained. As this toxicity seeps out, it can impact our daily lives and infect our relationships with loved ones. It’s not until we acknowledge and accept the trauma that we can finally release it from its self-imposed prison. This ultimately creates an opportunity for healing and repair, perhaps even a rebirth of sorts.

BIOGRAPHY

BORN: Evansville, INdiana | USA 

Katie Chandler currently resides in Evansville, Indiana. She graduated from the University of Southern Indiana (USI) in 2007 receiving a Bachelor of Science with a concentration in Ceramics. Despite working full time since graduation, Katie has always found creative ways to keep her hands in clay. Through continued education at USI, summer programs at the New Harmony Clay Project, and small projects at home, Katie has continued to hone her skills through the years. Katie has recently finalized plans to build her own ceramics studio on her property in Evansville, with construction planned to begin in 2022. Consistent access to a dedicated workspace will allow Katie to further explore and refine herself as an artist in the years to come.