Kate Rusek, who joins us from New York City, is one of GoggleWorks 2022 Summer Residents. She received her dual B.F.As from The University of Miami and an M.A from Savannah College of Art and Design. Kate is a sculpture, textile artist and an Emmy winning costume and puppet designer who has worked for clients such as The Jim Henson Company, NBC Universal, Netflix, and the greater New York City performing arts community.

When we asked Kate how she found out about GoggleWorks and the Summer Residency she had this to say. 

“I found the residency through NYFA (New York Foundation for the Arts). I’ve been circling you all for a very long time. I applied to the 14th Annual Juried Exhibition and got accepted into the show.. When I came in April to deliver my pieces, I had a wonderful conversation with Isla, she showed me around and I was floored by just the breath of the facilities, of what little I had actually seen.”

Kate’s artwork is a myriad of sculptural techniques that vary in mediums from metal, fabric, plastic, found objects and much more. Her work explores the method of using these materials and objects around us to open a platform of discussion with the audiences who visually interact with her work. 

We asked Kate about her work, the conversation of her work and she stated,

“I think my practice has been about exploring grief, from its inception, even when my work looked very different than it does now. Right now is a time of extreme grief for the planet, from this pandemic that we’ve just been through and are still in. It’s a sensation and an experience. It’s a feeling that we need the arts to tackle something beyond language but also to develop more language. We also need to be able to tap into that multifaceted experience with all of our senses to think about it from different angles and perspectives. I’m hoping that my personal lense will speak to others and promote these conversations through experiencing something visually interesting, beautiful, moving, all those things.”

“I’m thrilled to be among these other two really impressive artists in residence. On top of that, these experts that are running the individual studios, being surrounded by this wealth of knowledge, it is just such an enriching space.”

We have seen what Kate has created and the ideas for more art to come. We are excited to see what new work, and discussions, arise from her time here at GoggleWorks.