Kathleen Studebaker is a multi-media sculptor focusing on wood, metal, cast plastic and a variety of other materials. She is a fabricator and all-around tinkerer, and has a (potentially unhealthy) interest in order and organization. She has developed a broad knowledge-base of material processes through her work in almost every type of shop imaginable (from all-glass furniture and elaborate corporate trophies, to traditional wood working and academia), and, in addition to her art, she uses these skills to build furniture, alter and make clothing, create an infinite variety of custom storage solutions, fix just about anything that breaks, make tools & jigs, put pockets on everything she owns and just generally make things nice, tidy and functional.
 
She has a great love of detailed fabrication and problem-solving, and makes every element of each of her works by hand. Her work often references the far-flung future, or perhaps alternate realities, and is inspired by astronomy, narrative fantasy, and the intersection of digital technology with mechanical function. Her custom glass etchings and sculptures can be found in dozens of homes across the US (and a few outside it), and her work is a part of many private collections, including the permanent collections of The Dina Wind Art Foundation in Philadelphia, Southern Illinois University and The University of New Hampshire. In 2023, she was awarded 3rd place in Sculpture at the prestigious annual “Art of the State” exhibit, held at The Pennsylvania State Museum in Harrisburg. In 2024, she was selected for inclusion in The 82nd Woodmere Annual, and was awarded 2nd place in the bi-annual benefit exhibition at Bridgette Mayer Gallery; both in Philadelphia. Her latest solo exhibition was held at Rosemont College in Bryn Mawr, PA in March 2025, an she has an upcoming two-person show at Pii Gallery in Old City, Philadelphia in the summer of 2026.
 
She has a planned feature in the Fall edition of RQ Magazine, and has been previously featured in publications such as Art Spiel (Philadelphia, PA), The Leo Weekly (Louisville, KY), The Southern Illinoisan (Carbondale, IL), and on Hyperallergic.com. She earned her MFA in sculpture from Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, IL in 2013, and is currently working as a studio artist based in Philadelphia, PA, where she furiously organizes her life and work on a daily basis. To learn more about Kathleen and her work,  follow her on Instagram @KathleenStudebaker_art.

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-updated Sept 2025