About

Artist Statement

I am an interdisciplinary fiber artist focusing on hand dyed shibori textiles, soft sculpture, and slow stitching. My work serves as a catalog of my experiences as a mother and an exploration of gender roles. Since the birth of my daughter five years ago, the balance between my home life and studio practice has become an endless competition for time. To alleviate this perpetual cycle of anxiety, I obsessively sew numerous duplicates of simple forms which are then combined to build large biomorphic abstractions. From the time spent stitching each form to being elbow-deep in a dye vat, my work relies on process. I have learned to appreciate slowing down and focusing on each step that culminates in a new piece. I revel in the calmness that comes with the sensory connection to my work as I manipulate the materials. I use what I have on hand to create, repurposing old textiles such as my husband’s ripped oxfords and thrifted linen tablecloths, all of which come with their own history. I employ boro and sashiko techniques to blend these textiles together, building up texture with stitches. The pairing of traditional “women’s work” with the competing forces in my life irrevocably fuse my tactile memory into each piece.

Bio

In Spring 2018, Kate Eggleston exhibited her first major body of work, Stand Still, Dive Deep, at Artworks Trenton. She also exhibited a collaborative installation, AUTOMATON, with fellow artist Christy O’Connor at Artworks Trenton in 2016. She has participated in group exhibitions at NJ and NY galleries including La Bodega Gallery in Brooklyn, Gallery Aferro, Index Art Center, Atlantic Highlands Arts Council, West End Arts Center at the New Jersey Repertory Theatre, Visual Stream Gallery Collective, and Speakeasy Gallery. Her fiber art has been featured in the November 2018 edition of Princeton Magazine. She attended artist residencies at _gaia studio (Wonder Women 9: Superfood) in 2015, Tyler School of Art at Temple University (Summer Sculpture Intensive: Rock Pickle Scissors) in 2012, and completed the Creative Capital Blended Learning Professional Development Program for New Jersey Artists in 2016. She was awarded 1st Place for Textiles (at Highland Park Arts in the Park) in 2017, and 3rd Place for her Indigo Sukkah installation (at Sukkahwood). Eggleston was a Student Mini Grant Recipient of the Andrew W. Mellon Arts Common Good Grant from Drew University in 2014. She is an active member and volunteer with Artworks Trenton, Monmouth Arts Council, Hopewell Valley Arts Council, and the Monmouth County Park System. She received her BA in Visual Art and a K-12 New Jersey Art Teacher Certification from Ramapo College in 2005. Beyond her studio practice, Eggleston has over 13 years of experience teaching artists of all ages. She primarily teaches indigo dyeing and shibori workshops and youth fiber art classes at the Visual Arts Center of New Jersey and Thompson Park Creative Center. She lives in New Jersey with her husband, daughter, and their dog June.

Contact Info

Email at katherine.p.eggleston@gmail.com

Instagram at kate.eggleston

Facebook at Kate Eggleston Art