Artist Statement:
The permanence of craft allows for an extended connection with others by playing a continuous role in our daily lives, allowing for unspoken conversations to slowly unfurl in the background, creating deeper, more meaningful relationships. I use design and woodworking as a way to explore connection – connection with others, connection with the natural world, connection with creativity, and connection to myself. The modern world leaves many of us disconnected from our communities, nature, our creativity, and even ourselves. This wonderful unspoken language of creation allows me to embrace and exist within a vulnerability that is often elusive or completely lacking within spoken language.
Artist Bio:
Katherine Edmonds is a craftsperson, designer, and educator based in Corvallis, Oregon. She earned a BA in Biology from Rhodes College (Memphis, TN) and an MA in Ecology from the University of Georgia (Athens, GA). She also has an extensive design education, having completed a Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering with a focus in design at Oregon State University (Corvallis, OR). She has honed her traditional craft skills at the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship (Rockport, ME), completing their furniture intensive program, in addition to attending continuing education classes at Anderson Ranch (Snowmass, CO), Florida School of Woodwork (Tampa, FL) and Port Townsend Wood School (Port Townsend, WA). To further her knowledge in traditional woodworking, Edmonds apprenticed with two master furniture makers, spending a year working with Richard Shrader in Athens, Georgia and another year working with Pat Megowan in Corvallis, Oregon. She is also an alumni of the Crew at Oneta Woodworks, where she spent several years building out local bars, restaurants, and breweries in Athens, Georgia.
Katherine has held over thirty-five different jobs, doing her best to sample all corners of the job market. Primarily, she has worked in some form of education, including ski instruction, whitewater kayaking guide, college professor, preschool teacher, and of course woodworking instructor. Recently, learning to fully embrace her neurodivergence and kinesthetic learning and living style, she has once again returned to the physicality of craft. She has taught in both the Art and Design Program in the College of Forestry and the Design Program in the School of Engineering as a graduate teaching assistant (Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR).
Currently, she teaches classes and mentors woodworkers at Highland Woodshop, a community woodshop in Corvallis, OR, which she co-operates with two business partners. She is also a founding steering committee member of Tarweed Folk School (Corvallis, OR), where she teaches classes, helps with programming, and designs and manages their website.
Edmonds loves experimenting with new materials and techniques, continuing to expand her knowledge base as a craftsperson. Presently, she finds herself focused on marquetry and pyrography as techniques to merge her inspiration and skillset. She finds that her physical experiences with the natural world often find their way into her designs, expanding her knowledge about ecological and biological processes.
Want to hear more of Katherine's story, listen to her podcast interview with Closing the Gap.