Kathy Strauss pulling a print
Kathy Strauss in studio

Kathy Strauss personal STATEMENT

Working in both science and art as I do (and have done for 30 years) I have a continuous urge to peer beneath the surface of things. Quilts I’ve made in previous years imposed grid-like patterns on natural images, almost classifying or quantitating. My work of recent years, however, has been constructing batik sculptures of silk gauze layers, and creating layered monotypes that include solved calculus problems that relate to the printed image(s). The work was best described by Jed Dodds, Visual Arts Director of the Creative Alliance (Baltimore MD) for the “Subsurface” exhibit, October 2002:

“The urge to peer below the surface of things is at the root of all intellectual inquiry. We look under the hood, dig deep, peer within – all our attempts to understand the nature of things. Artists understand this, as do scientists….When one lift the veils, one must be prepared to see what’s beneath….Kathy Strauss constructs diaphanous batik sculptures which begin with the idea of scientific inquiry, but raise the emotional ante….Searching for clues, the viewer plays the role of archeologist, digging below the surface to confront not just the abstract story of an ancient culture or complex organism, but of individuals who stood the same ground as they.”

selected exhibits

  • Revealed (Invitational); Butler County Community College, Butler PA (March 2020
  • Springalong (Invitational); Columbia Art Center; Columbia MD (April - May 2019)
  • Visionary Women (Invitational); Columbia Art Center; Columbia MD (March 2019)
  • Fossil Tales (Invitational); Haber Space, Central Booking; New York NY (February-March 2018)
  • Natura Mathematica (Group Show); Haber Space, Central Booking; New York NY (April-May 2017)
  • Under the Scope (Invitational); Goucher College, Baltimore MD (October 2016)
  • Show Some Spine (Solo Show); Laughing Pint; Baltimore MD (September 2016)
  • Sky and Sea (Solo Show); Creative Alliance; Baltimore MD (June 2016)
  • Big Show (Group); Creative Alliance; Baltimore MD (1995 – 2020)
  • Member’s Exhibition (Juried); PyramidAtlantic, Silver Spring MD (2013)
  • Art to Dine For (Invitational); Monkton MD (2012)
  • Time/Space/Matter (SoloShow); Minas Gallery, Baltimore MD (2012)
  • FoodScape (Invitational); Baltimore MD (2003, 2004, 2012)
  • Big Show (Group); Creative Alliance; Baltimore MD (1995 – 2015)
  • Visiting Artist (Invitational); Bromo Seltzer Tower, Baltimore MD (2011)
  • Untitled Show (Invitational); Institute for Genome Sciences; Baltimore MD (2009)
  • National Print and Drawing Show, (Juried); Baltimore MD (2008) Winner of Purchase Prize
  • Roots (Invitational); SoWeBo Arts, Baltimore MD (2007)
  • PieceWork (Invitational); Minas Gallery, Baltimore MD (2006)
  • ArtScape (Juried); Theatre Project; Baltimore MD (2006)
  • Nat’l Juried Bead and Fiber Exhibit (Juried); Delaplaine Visual Arts Ctr, Frederick MD (2005)
  • Global International Competition (Juried); Gallery International, Baltimore MD (2004)
  • Material World (Juried); Target Gallery; Alexandria VA (2004)
  • ArtScape (Juried); Maryland Art Place; Baltimore MD (2003, 2004)
  • Evolutionary Threads (Three Person Show) Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts; Annapolis MD (2002)
  • SubSurface (Three Person Show); Creative Alliance; Baltimore MD (2002)
  • Two Views of the Forest (Two Person Show); Space Telescope Science Institute; Baltimore MD (2000)
  • Fiber/Art/Science (Two Person Show); Space Telescope Science Institute; Baltimore MD (1999)
  • Knot as They Seam (Invitational); Maryland Art Place; Baltimore MD (1998)
  • And the Cloth Makes Me Sing (Invitational); Adler Gallery; Baltimore MD (1996)
  • Diane Kuthy/Kathy Strauss (Two Person Show); Creative Alliance; Baltimore MD (1996)
  • Beyond, Within (Solo Show); Space Telescope Science Institute; Baltimore MD (1996)
  • Beneath the Surface (Solo Show); Park School; Baltimore MD (1995)
  • Above and Below (Juried); Baltimore Life Gallery; Baltimore MD (1995)
  • Arts & Crafts (Juried); Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts; Annapolis MD (1994 and 1995)
  • Eastern Shore Invitational (Invitational); Academy of the Arts; Easton MD (1993)
  • Curious Creatures (Solo Show); Dorchester Arts Center; Cambridge MD (1991)
  • Perception/Presence/Progression (Three Person Show); Maryland Hall for the Creative Arts; Annapolis MD (1991)
  • FiberArts '89 International (Juried); FiberArts Guild of Pgh; Pittsburgh PA (1989)
  • Kathy Strauss and Tzu-Wen Kwok (Two Person Show); Frank Katz Gallery; Baltimore MD (1989)
  • A Different View of the Sea (Solo Show); Corner Gallery; New York NY (1988)
  • Maryland's Best 1987 (Juried); Howard Co. Center for the Arts; Ellicott City MD (1987)
  • Kathy Strauss (Solo Show); American Assoc. for Advanc. of Science; Washington DC (1987)
  • Alumni Show (Invitational); Westminster College; New Wilmington PA (1985)
  • Untitled Show (Two Person Show); Tuttle Memorial Gallery; Baltimore MD (1985)

ART INCLUDED In

  • Permanent collection, Institute for Genome Sciences, Baltimore MD
  • Permanent collection, Notre Dame of Maryland University, Baltimore MD
  • Gateways to Art, Understanding the Visual Arts (Thames & Hudson, London © 2012)
  • Issue 7 of Link, A Critical Journal on the Arts in Baltimore and the World (2001)
  • Textile Museum, Celebration of Textiles (2001, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008)
  • Baltimore Museum of Art, Textile Day (2009, 2011)

EDUCATION

  • Westminster College, New Wilmington, PA, BA in Art and Concentration in Biology, 1978
  • Sea Education Association, Woods Hole, MA, Scientific Art, 1978
  • Corcoran School of Art, Washington, DC, 1980
  • UMUC, Minor in Mathematics, 2014
  • Science Applications International Corp., Wildlife International, Ltd., and University of Maryland, 1978-Present as a Chemist