Katherine McDowell—Alumna, 1990
“I had some inspiring art teachers in high school, and under their instruction I began to identify myself as an artist.”
The Inside Story
Like most children, I drew and painted a lot. I had some inspiring art teachers in high school, and under their instruction I began to identify myself as an artist. Senior year I devoted myself to applying to art colleges, and after a lot of hard work, was accepted at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. My parents were endlessly supportive, even though I'd be moving from the small town of Lowville, in upstate New York, to Manhattan.
Current Status
I am still pursuing my dream of having an art career, and have shown my paintings and photographs in various group shows. I also design costumes for dance companies. I have designed for the Mark Morris Dance Group, Jose Limon Company, American Ballet Theater Studio Company, Ben Munisteri Dance Projects, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and Ice Theatre of New York, among others. Venues include The State Theater at Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and The Joyce Theater.
Career Path/Artistic Path
While studying art at Cooper Union, a close friend of mine from childhood attended Juilliard as a dancer, and I designed all of the costumes for his choreography projects. I incorporated what I was learning in classes about painting, color and composition into the clothes I made for the dancers and their movements. While in college, I also interned with a dress designer I admired, and became her seamstress when I graduated. I worked at her shop for around five years after college and also freelanced, designing dance costumes and assisting other designers. I was gaining valuable practical information about clothing construction while also experimenting with various artistic design elements that fed back into my artwork. I went back to school at the Fashion Institute of Technology to refine my technical skills. Each choice I made on my career path improved both my designing and artistic abilities. For years, my artwork was largely costume-oriented. I had been a painter in college, but eventually became more interested in the canvas than the paint. I started to sew on my paintings, and then abandoned the stretcher and made wearable sculpture. To document my work, I turned to photography, which eventually became my primary exhibition medium.
Now, I find myself returning to painting and drawing, though I am still enamored with the fabric surface I paint on. I'm currently working on various colors of velvet fabrics, rather than canvas.
Exhibitions
My work has been seen at the Zabriskie Gallery, ArtistsSpace and Momenta Gallery (all in New York City), the Pelham Art Center and Chautauqua Institute (both in upstate New York), and Griffin Gallery in Madison, New Jersey.
My work can be seen online at www.artistsspace.org and www.re-title.com.
Recognition through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
“I had some inspiring art teachers in high school, and under their instruction I began to identify myself as an artist.”
The Inside Story
Like most children, I drew and painted a lot. I had some inspiring art teachers in high school, and under their instruction I began to identify myself as an artist. Senior year I devoted myself to applying to art colleges, and after a lot of hard work, was accepted at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. My parents were endlessly supportive, even though I'd be moving from the small town of Lowville, in upstate New York, to Manhattan.
Current Status
I am still pursuing my dream of having an art career, and have shown my paintings and photographs in various group shows. I also design costumes for dance companies. I have designed for the Mark Morris Dance Group, Jose Limon Company, American Ballet Theater Studio Company, Ben Munisteri Dance Projects, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and Ice Theatre of New York, among others. Venues include The State Theater at Lincoln Center, the Brooklyn Academy of Music and The Joyce Theater.
Career Path/Artistic Path
While studying art at Cooper Union, a close friend of mine from childhood attended Juilliard as a dancer, and I designed all of the costumes for his choreography projects. I incorporated what I was learning in classes about painting, color and composition into the clothes I made for the dancers and their movements. While in college, I also interned with a dress designer I admired, and became her seamstress when I graduated. I worked at her shop for around five years after college and also freelanced, designing dance costumes and assisting other designers. I was gaining valuable practical information about clothing construction while also experimenting with various artistic design elements that fed back into my artwork. I went back to school at the Fashion Institute of Technology to refine my technical skills. Each choice I made on my career path improved both my designing and artistic abilities. For years, my artwork was largely costume-oriented. I had been a painter in college, but eventually became more interested in the canvas than the paint. I started to sew on my paintings, and then abandoned the stretcher and made wearable sculpture. To document my work, I turned to photography, which eventually became my primary exhibition medium.
Now, I find myself returning to painting and drawing, though I am still enamored with the fabric surface I paint on. I'm currently working on various colors of velvet fabrics, rather than canvas.
Exhibitions
My work has been seen at the Zabriskie Gallery, ArtistsSpace and Momenta Gallery (all in New York City), the Pelham Art Center and Chautauqua Institute (both in upstate New York), and Griffin Gallery in Madison, New Jersey.
My work can be seen online at www.artistsspace.org and www.re-title.com.
Recognition through The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards
- Portfolio Award, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 1990
- 4 Hallmark Awards, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 1990
- 3 Blue Ribbons, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 1990
- 5 Gold Keys, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 1990
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