Meet Trailblazer Catherine Armistead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Catherine Armistead.

Catherine, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. I love the outdoors, and have spent time hiking in the White Mountains, Appalachian Trail, Pisgah National Forest, and Yosemite, and much of my inspiration comes from patterns and structures in nature. Growing up, I was always passionate about art and learning new ways to express my ideas, and I knew it was something I wanted to pursue in college.

I went to Tufts University for its Dual Degree program with the School of the Museum of Fine Arts (SMFA), graduating with a B.S. in Engineering Psychology and a B.F.A. in Studio Art. Through my classes at the SMFA, I was able to find my artistic voice across a variety of media while working to weave in conceptual content.

My experience as a user interface designer considering user behavior for website designs contributes to how I approach the viewer through my artwork. I work with multiple mediums, including metalworking, etching, papermaking, drawing, and fiber arts, and commonly incorporate a variety of media into my work. I really consider my process a conversation between myself and the materials I’m working with. Based in Cambridge, I make work that questions the constructed barrier between humans and the environment and alludes to the increasing intertwinement of the manmade and natural.

Recently, I have participated in juried shows at the Cambridge Arts Association and Viridian Artists Gallery in New York.

Has it been a smooth road?
As an artist recently (a little over a year) out of college, it’s been a fairly difficult adjustment to leave the creative, bustling community and plethora of resources that you take for granted in school. Finding an affordable studio space where I can safely solder, electroform, and enamel was particularly challenging – and rigging up my ventilation equipment after securing a space was no easy task, either!

Additionally, it can be difficult to receive rejection after rejection for art shows, especially when you’re shelling out $30+ for folks to consider you. It has been extremely important for me to remember that whether or not my work gets seen or purchased, what feeds my soul above all is the act of making. Because of that, it’s been a very good thing for me to have a job outside the industry, so that I can continue taking risks, having failures, and making weird things that won’t necessarily sell well.

I think the best advice I can give to other young women artists working full-time is to continue making work on at least a weekly basis, to allow yourself to be selfish with your studio time, and to go after potential opportunities with ferocity. You won’t always see the benefits, but when you do, they will be major. On another note, there’s a lot of stigma in some galleries around buying pre-made frames or working with inexpensive materials, and as someone starting out you often just don’t have the option to pay hundreds of dollars for a custom frame when the piece may not sell. I think it’s important to never feel bad for presenting your work in a more humble frame or being creative to avoid high-cost materials.

We’d love to hear more about your business.
I balance myself between a variety of work – production line jewelry and one of a kind pieces, large-scale installations, mixed media drawings, and sculpture. I’m most interested in ideas about the Anthropocene: how we as humans have altered the earth and how our cohabitants are learning too and will learn to transform and break down our waste. My recent work attempts to recycle and transform plastic waste into something valuable and almost natural – toying with the imposed barrier between manmade and natural worlds. I hope that my work compels people to cultivate an awareness of the remarkable world around us, an appreciation for the multitude of patterns within it, and a sense of ownership for their role in the destruction of natural habitats.

Do you feel like there was something about the experiences you had growing up that played an outsized role in setting you up for success later in life?
I feel exceedingly lucky to have a family that is genuinely interested in and excited by my growth as an artist. Having parents that encourage me to pursue my dreams is invaluable.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.catherinearmistead.com
• Phone: 704-654-0008
• Email: catherine.armistead@gmail.com
• Instagram: @carmistead.art

Image Credit:
Daniel Corral

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