Kate Rivers
Kate River constructs of layers of text, ephemera, and oil stick creating dense patterns, while exploring social and political issues. The work addresses the human compulsion to collect things that often adds meaning to our lives reflecting past memories and events. Rivers gathers material from garage or estate sales, and second-hand stores, posters from urban areas, and items from daily life. Some of the materials that she uses are a variety of maps, old typed or hand-written letters, canceled postage stamps and clothing tags. Clothing tags are especially seductive because they are well designed and suggest issues of class and the compulsion to collect. In addition she incorporates items of whimsy and reflections of the everyday. Often, “I feel like a voyeur looking into the lives of others long past and reflecting on those lives.”
A recurrent theme in Kate Rivers work is the image of a nest. The nest is a powerful metaphor suggesting comfort, home, protection and family. In addition, she works with color and texture creating large wall pieces from the covers of books. Books, once valued and collected, have become a burden with issues of space and storage a problem with smaller and smaller livable spaces. The availability of online libraries is a challenge to the need to collect books. They are now difficult to sell at auctions, garage sales and resell stores.
Kate Rivers
EDUCATION
Professor Emeritus – East Central University – Oklahoma
University of South Carolina, Master of Fine Arts Degree
Columbus College of Art and Design, Bachelor of Fine Art
Arizona State University MA Film Theory and Criticism
SOLO/TWO PERSON EXHIBITIONS
2021 Kay Contemporary Art – upcoming
2020 Blue Print Dallas – December
- Blue Print Gallery
2018 David Anthony Fine Art – October
2016 David Anthony Fine Art – December
2015 The William and Joseph Gallery, September
2014 Artspace 111, Fort Worth Texas: February-March
JRB Fine Arts, Oklahoma City OK – April
2013 Mathews Gallery, Santa Fe NM – June
2012 Paseo Originals, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – December
Living Arts, Tulsa, Oklahoma – April
2011 Mathews/Deloney Newkirk Galleries August
2010 August Istvan Gallery Opening August
Artprize September-October 2010 Grand Rapids Michigan.
Fort Worth Community Arts May
Istvan Gallery OKC August 2010
2009 City Arts Solo October-November – Oklahoma City
Conduit Gallery March Dallas, Texas
2008 MFA Gallery Dallas Texas, June-August
Istvan Gallery Oklahoma City OK September
2004 IAO Gallery, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma September-October
2005 Solo Exhibition, Kansas City Artists Coalition, Kansas City, Missouri October-November
SELECTED GROUP EXHBITION’S
2017 Farmington Art Museum – Best of Show – Fall
2016 Group Show – David Anthony Fine Art – September
2015 New Mexico Museum of Art – Art on the Edge – April-August
2014 Meyer Gallery – Park City Utah Summer
2013 A.C.A Gallery, NYC group Exhibit
2012 New American Paintings – west division – exhibition in print.
2011 Red Dot IAO Gallery November 2010
Oklahoma Visual Artists Coalition 12X12
Benrimon Contemporary, New York, New York. May-June
Omelet Party Fundraiser for Oklahoma Museum of Art
2010 12X12 Fred Jones OKC September
The Art of the Doll – OKC
Arkansas Art Center Delta Show
Leslie Powell November January
Art Prize Michigan October 2010
2009 Suzanne Mears Art Holiday Show Dec
IAO Gallery Red Dot November
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition 12X12 Art Show and Auction October
Suzanne Mears Art Art of the Dog July
MSCC Forsyth Center Galleries Texas A&M University Regional Juried Art Exhibition March-May BEST OF SHOW
VAST Visual Arts Society of Texas April-May
Oklahoma Friendly: National Juried Exhibition March-April
CafCity Arts Group Invitational. February – OKC
13th Biennial Oklahoma Centerfold University of Arts and Sciences, Oklahoma
2008 9X12 Works on Paper Fort Worth Community Arts Center December
13th Biennial Oklahoma Centerfold” Leslie Powell Lawton
QX.net Nude International 2008 Juror Jay Gorney
Annual Paper in Particular National Exhibition juror Robert Mueller
Lexington Art League January-February Loudoun House Gallery
2007 ISTVAN Gallery Grand Opening
50th Annual Delta Exhibition Juror James Surls Arkansas Arts Center Oklahoma Suite II Leslie Levy Fine Arts Lawton Oklahoma
Seven State Biennial USAO Art Gallery Leslie Levy Fine Arts Oklahoma November 2007 February 2008 The Figurative Impulse Art Corridor II Fort Worth, Texas Group Invitational
Oklahoma Suite II – Two Year Traveling Exhibit
Edge Art Now IAO Gallery Juried Show April
Oklahoma Friendly National Juried Show March-April 7 FIRST PLACE Mixed Media Oklahoma City University
2006 Paseo Art Gallery Group Juried Show December-January
Heroes and Outlaws Oklahoma Centennial Exhibit January
Oklahoma Art Guild National Juried Exhibition April First Place
Facets of the Feminine – March
2005 Seven State Biennial Purchase Award
Oklahoma Painting and Drawing Biennial VIII
The Shafer Regional Invitational Art Exhibition January-February
Café City Arts Exhibit January-February
2004 24 Works on Paper Traveling Exhibit
Goddard Center 35th Annual Juried Show
OVAC Artful Experience Printmaking Oklahoma April
2003 Not So Silent Night Invitation
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Biennial OKC April
Mixed Media/Collage Juried Exhibition Best of Show Norick Art Center Oklahoma City University
2002 Goddard Center 33rdAnnual Art Exhibit First Place
Lawton Oklahoma Monotype Invitation Group show
IAO Mixed Media Juror Laura Wariner April
Biting the Apple 2002 Sex Machines IAO Gallery, March
Oklahoma Arts Guild 34th Annual Regional Juried Exhibition March-April
2001 Three Person Invitational Murray State College
Mixed Media Norick Art Center Oklahoma City University Feb- March
Four Person Independent Artists of Oklahoma – Oklahoma City January
2000 Southwestern University Three Person Invitational October
Independent Artists of Oklahoma Eleventh Annual Mixed Media Juried Exhibition juror Jon Burris Best Use of Mixed Media
Mixed Media/Collage Exhibition; Norick Art Center, Oklahoma City University, First Place.
Museum/Public Collections – selection
Idaho College of Osteopathic Medicine, Meridian, Idaho
University of Virginia Hospital, Charlottesville Virginia – Purchase: 2018
State of New Mexico – Bataan Building – 2016
Central New Mexico Community College – 2017
Eastern New Mexico University – 2016
Oklahoma State University
East Central University
Texas A&M
University of Science and Art Chickasaw OK
Publications
New American Paintings – 2018
New American Paintings 2014, Issue 114
Trend Magazine Fall/Winter 2013/2014
New American Paintings, West Issue #103, juror Bill Arning 2012
The Magazine September 2012
Studio Visit Magazine 2011/2010
Southwest Art July 2011
The Santafean August 2011
SELECTED AWARDS and GRANTS
New Mexico Art in Public Places 2017
Prospectus #239 2016 AIPP Large Scale Purchase Initiative
New Mexico Art in Public Spaces – finalist 2014/2015
Oklahoma Visual Artists Coalition 2009 Fellowship Award
BEST OF SHOW TEXAS A&M FORSYTH GALLERY
VERMONT STUDIO CENTER – FELLOWSHIP
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Framing Grant – 2009
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Education Grant 2008
Jay Gorney Award of Merit
USAO Purchase Award
Oklahoma Painting and Drawing Biennial VIII honorable mention
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Materials Grant
Oklahoma Visual Arts Coalition Travel Grant
Norick Art Center Oklahoma City University Best of Show
Goddard Center One of Four First Place Awards
East Central University Education Grant
IAO Gallery Best Use of Mixed Media
Norick Art Center One of Two First Place Awards
East Central University – Dean Travel Award for Scholarly Activity
WORKSHOPS AND LECTURES PRESENTED
Oklahoma Visual Artists Coalition: Gallery Representation. October 2010Monotype Demonstration Untitled Artspace 2010
Mixed Media Workshop Oklahoma Art Guild June 2010
Quartz Mountain panel artist residencies April 2009
Zacryl Intaglio Printmaking Untitled ArtSpace 2008
Smart Plate Digital Printmaking Untitled Artspace 2006
Book Arts Manchester England, March 2005
Lithography Demonstration Artful Experience OKC 2005/2004
Monotype Lecture Nelsen Atkins Print Consortium October 2003
Paper CAA Conference February 2002 (Philadelphia) The On-Going Debate of the MFA Degree.
Paper Presentation Problems in Academia, and Investigation of Professional Practices. SECAC Conference 2001, Columbia, SC
Portrait Drawing and Painting Demonstration, Columbus, Ohio
RESIDENSIES, WORKSHOPS, LECTURES
Santa Fe Art Institute July August (Residency) 2010
VERMONT STUDIO CENTER NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2008
Zacryl Non-toxic printmaking Los Milagros Print Studio October 2005 The Business of Art Untitled Gallery November 2004 OVAC
Going Digital Oklahoma City University October, 2004 – OVAC
Nontoxic printmaking Santa Fe New Mexico August 3 20, 2004
Monotype Workshop Ron Pokrasso Santa Fe, New Mexico
Monotype Workshop Quartz Mountain – 2001
Monotype Workshop Quartz Mountain – 200
SCHOLARSHIPS AND ASSISTANSHIPS
Arizona State University Teaching Assistantship
University of South Carolina Teaching Assistantship and Fellowship
Ford Foundation Scholarship
Columbus College of Art and Design Three Year Full Scholarship
Columbus College of Art and Design Outstanding Junior Studio Major Full Year Scholarship
