Caitlin X On View Gallery
Kismet. And you just know when you know.
I’m not sure how many times I’ve eluded meeting Caitlin, but we finally met in the same manner as I find most of my artists. You hear a name, someone makes a nod, says check them out, and then a deep dive into social media accounts to determine if they’re a fit for studio128showroom.
Caitlin has something to say, so there’s that. And then she’s multi-disciplined in performance art, pottery, photography and so on. Her work is incredibly genuine and thoughtful. She also works at the ceramics center...which is two hops from our quaint little studio128. She also holds a job at Illuminations...where I also worked. Talk about getting weird...as I was scrolling through her feed, I begin to wonder how many times I’ve walked right past Caitlin. What I do remember about our paths finally crossing was that it was a rainy night around 10pm. I had just been told to check out her Insta account and did so in the parking lot, waiting for the rain to stop. I was able to catch several glimpses of what she looked like. There was a break in the rain and stacking items hurriedly into my arms, I made a mad dash into the cherry building for a late night work session. Two steps in, I literally ran smack into the clay covered pixie that is Caitlin. Immediately we spun into an in-depth conversation about climate change, the ceramics world in Iowa and her performance art. I felt as if I had known her for quite some time and decided that I had complete faith in her vision for an exhibition. Kismet. And you just know when you know.
We recently caught up with Caitlin at one of her studios(she has two), to talk about feminism, flooding in Iowa from climate change and pomegranates.
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Q.) For this series, what outside influences, besides visual artwork, were in your orbit?
A.) Much of my work for this small series was inspired by conversations I have had with those involved with the Cedar Rapids Sunrise Movement hub, reading about our current climate crisis and how it has affected Iowa, my keeping up with Greta Thornburg on various social media platforms, and other outlets concerned with ecology. Simultaneously, I just moved to Cedar Rapids, so much of this work was influenced by my hunt to recenter myself and understand this city, how it presents itself, and how it has been affected by flooding.
Q.) How would you describe the subject or elaborate on the content matter for this show?
A.) This work is a documentation of spaces where I have experienced great peace since my move to Cedar Rapids. It is a gesture towards grounding the Self. Existential dread is a grueling enemy, and staying focused and determined is the only was to be useful amidst our cultural and ecological crisis. One cannot combat something so large and impossible when they are frantic and bobbing about, cast far out to sea with anxiety.
Q.) What research do you do before you start creating?
A.) Before I begin the creative process, I make endless lists of what I want to draw out and focus on within the work. I draft the work as one might draft an essay- main themes, supporting materials, and conclusions about said topic. I then tumble down a rabbit hole, hunting for information that both buoys me with hope and simultaneously fully introduces me to the gravity of the subject. I continue to research throughout a project’s development, but I always begin with a distinct and concrete “topic sentence” and draft. Writing and developing the work in a written format is the only way I can begin or end my research.
Q.) In your mind, what was integral for this body of work to be created?
A.) I would not have been able to make or create this work without having relocated to Cedar Rapids. This work is a meditation of resolving much internal strife so as to move forward and be a true participant in the goings on of the world around you. I have found great opportunity and potential in relocating to Cedar Rapids. The city has a dedication to and awe for what it survived in the summer of 2008. The documentation and daily remembering of that incident, through street signs, building markers, preservation, and multiple visits to the Czech Village have yielded significant fruit for my work here and for those to follow.
Q.) You have two studios to work out of, how do you use each space differently?
A.) I have two studios because I work in a wide array of media. My studio at the Cherry Building is devoted to ceramics and all things dusty. My home studio is devoted to making all the textile work my performance pieces require. I also process my photography, video work, cyanotypes, and finishing touches from my home studio. It’s important to have a space that isn’t so messy, and is solely my own, to resolve pieces.
Q.) Why pomegranates?
A.) I started making pomegranates as a way to symbolize Persephone. In a previous body of work centered around sexual violence and the growth of the Me Too movement, she became an archetypal image that I felt compelled to work with. Her story in the annals of history (especially art history) has been romanticized to a severe degree. I started using symbols associated with her to add a new dimension to that narrative, especially as I reflected on our current cultural climate. Pomegranates became a part of a larger vehicle to discuss the way stories contribute to or subtract from womxn’s lived experiences.