Collection: Kari Woolsey - Featured Artist

Artist Statement:

Through referencing specific objects and vessels found in the home, I connect my work with our domestic spaces. An overlooked corner of a living room or a catch-all windowsill, can talk about very tender moments of our lives, either of introspective moments or relationships with loved ones. I explore that space just under the surface of familiarity through formal elements like color, texture, line, as well as, referencing specific vessels commonly found in our everyday lives. My work becomes the expression of intimacy of the home, and how aspects of our domestic life might be uncomfortably sensitive. 

The everydayness of objects speaks to the amount of attention we lack to give them. They are common, easily replaced, and readily forgettable. Yet, these objects are unquestionably needed while also representing decisions that reflect our own daily needs, design tastes, and our personalities. Ultimately, these domestic vessels reference what is actually found in our homes on a daily basis: a compilation of time, material things and memories.

Bio: 

Kari Woolsey’s ceramic work focuses on the everydayness of objects and vessels around us through making functional pottery, as well as larger installations. She received a BFA in Ceramics from Florida Atlantic University in 2011 and a MFA in Ceramics from Southern Illinois University Carbondale in 2018. She has completed artist residencies at Clay Arts Vegas, Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts, Watershed Center for the Ceramic Arts, and New Harmony Clay Project. Currently, Kari resides in Carbondale, IL. She teaches ceramics classes as an Assistant Professor of Practice at SIUC.

Find Kari’s Artaxis page: https://artaxis.org/artist/kari-woolsey/

Find Kari's Instagram: @kariwoolsey