Cate O'Connell-Richards

Lives and works in Madison, WI, USA

Artist statement

My work calls attention to the intersection of objects of labor with objects of spirituality. It is no surprise that it was tools of the home, the earth, that became associated with witchery and rebellion. They were weapons of the unheard, those systematically denied autonomy and wealth by a ruling patriarchal class. Today, these handmade tools are fetish objects animated by romantic notions and false memories of history. They assume new forms as bourgeois decorative elements, emblems of a perceived authenticity. After all, if you put the word craft before/after a word it somehow becomes magical. I question held binaries of many kinds - including art/craft, the precious/quotidian, and pomp/shame. I am interested in learning traditional craft techniques and origins so that I may aid in their preservation and teach honest histories - I enjoy finding ways to subvert tradition to comment on the history of craft in this country. I am an artist first, and craft-informed.

Artwork