Rachel Hausmann-Schall, artist residency and adult program manager
In my almost five-year stretch of working at the Museum, I’ve heard countless community members share stories of their favorite memories of programs, residencies, or exhibitions. Of course, Birds in Art is a fan favorite every year, but I’ve also heard many members and program participants fawn over Federico Uribe’s exhibition The World According to Federico Uribe, the Corning Museum of Glass Mobile Hot Shop residency, and Walter Wick’s exhibition Walter Wick: Games, Gizmos, and Toys in the Attic. Nearly all have something in common: programs with visiting artists that built connections with our community.
While we celebrate the avian world annually with our flagship exhibition, Birds in Art, it’s sometimes the programs and exhibitions that occur in our “off season” that have longer staying power. I suspect that a recent residency with local ceramicist Kate Marotz will be a highlight for many Museum goers and community members for years to come.
Kate Marotz grew up in central Wisconsin with a love for the outdoors and anything art-related. After attending UW-Stout for her undergraduate degrees in studio art and art education, she became a high school art teacher at Mosinee High School. Kate’s love for ceramics grew throughout her college experience, where she learned how to throw on the wheel and began to understand the chemistry behind glazing, firing, and finishing ceramics. In her classroom, Kate taught all forms of art, from painting and drawing to sculpture and Advanced Placement courses.
As countless artists yearn for a regular studio practice that can sustain their day-to-day lifestyle, it’s not many artists that can actually make that happen. For Kate, it was just a couple of years ago that she decided to quit her teaching job to pursue pottery full time. With a focus on hand building and a unique style of pinch pots, I began recognizing Kate’s work throughout the central Wisconsin area, noticing it in local shops and seeing it at art festivals around the state. With many exhibitions and art fairs under her belt, Kate now enjoys the perks of her pinch pots taking her all over the country to teach workshops and participate in events, sales, and art-related experiences.
Kate’s passion for pottery is undeniable. She recently completed a two week residency at the Museum’s Glass Box Studio, where she offered open studio sessions, an artist talk, a workshop, led Art Kids, and traveled with the education department to visit multiple schools and share her journey as a full time practicing artist with our area students.
During her workshop, participants were glued to Kate’s demonstrations, where she shared pinching and coil building techniques and discussed the basics of working in clay. During her outreach visits and artist talk, Kate discussed her inspirations from the ceramic community and art world, citing Barbara Hepworth as being a main source of inspiration.
Kate’s residency connected students to pottery and illustrated that art making is a viable and fruitful career path, something I know local audiences appreciated. Residencies are a wonderful way to experience deepening connections within our community, and I hope that you have the chance to engage in programs with visiting artists at the Woodson Art Museum.
Learn more about upcoming residencies and programs with visiting artists here: https://www.lywam.org/artist-residencies-in-wausau/
