Kate Rusek
September 21 - November 21, 2025
Public Reception:
Thursday, September 24, 4 - 6 pm
Cross Cut (How much more can we pull out of the hill?), 2019
Desire as Colonial Organism, 2024
Kate Rusek creates highly textured sculptures that explore the relationship between people, manufactured materials, and the natural world. Influenced by environmental disasters, ecological systems, and emotional landscapes, Rusek transforms synthetic and discarded materials into dense, colorful forms that can resemble plants, organisms, or imagined environments. The work asks viewers to consider how we assign value to materials and how creativity and care might help us imagine more regenerative futures.
Tunicate Heart, 2024
Cold Water Women, 2024
Rusek earned two B.F.A. degrees from the University of Miami and an M.A. from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Their work has been exhibited throughout the United States at venues including Socrates Sculpture Park, Spring/Break Art Show, Governors Island Art Fair, and the Gallery of Visual Arts at the University of Montana. They have participated in residencies at the Archie Bray Foundation, Vermont Studio Center, the Hambidge Center, and Materials for the Arts, among others. Rusek is also a recipient of the Windgate Distinguished Fellowship for Innovation in Craft and was named the 2023 Devra Freelander Fellow at Socrates Sculpture Park.
In addition to their studio practice, Rusek has worked for more than 15 years as a tailor, costume builder, and puppet designer for film, television, and live performance. They are a member of IATSE Local 764 and received a Daytime Emmy Award for their work on Sesame Street.