Cathleen Cramer is an interdisciplinary artist, teacher, and mother based in Chicago, Illinois. She holds a BA in Fine Art from the University of Wisconsin, Madison and a Masters in Teaching from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her artistic practice is rooted in collage mentality, prioritizing spontaneity, flexibility, and process. She recently completed the Bridge Program at Chicago’s Hyde Park Art Center and her work has been featured in Kinhouse Catalogue and Chicago Collage Magazine. Exhibition highlights include Terrain Biennial, ARC Gallery, Evanston Art Center, and Lillstreet Art Center.
Statement
My work draws inspiration from remnants of daily domestic life to confront issues of eco-anxiety, grief, and colonialism. The materials I choose to manipulate relate specifically to the dominant aspects of my current life: motherhood and domestic labor. Through highly personal media choices, like my childhood bedsheets, found wood and house paint, and inherited tablecloths, upholstery fabric and books, I hope to connect seemingly trivial domestic ephemera to larger global issues.