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 2022 her work was featured in two exhibitions in Berlin, Germany, and she was awarded a Certificate of Artistic Achievement at the Luxembourg Art Prize. In 2023, she was one of two artists included in “Constructed/Inspirations” at City Arts Salon, & one of three artists invited to be a part of “Piece by Piece” at Cerulean Arts, both in Philadelphia. Also 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. She has a an upcoming solo show at Rosemont College in Bryn Mawr, PA in early 2025.
 
She has been featured in publications such as 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.