Studio artist Katy Stone, an Iowa native and Iowa State University alumna now based in Seattle, will speak about the evolution of her work and creative inspiration in a public presentation this week at the ISU College of Design. Stone's lecture, "Influential Landscapes: An Artist's Evolution," will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in the college's Kocimski Auditorium, room 101 Design. It is free and open to the public.

04/09/12

AMES, Iowa —  Studio artist Katy Stone, an Iowa native and Iowa State University alumna now based in Seattle, will speak about the evolution of her work and creative inspiration in a public presentation this week at the ISU College of Design.

Stone's lecture, "Influential Landscapes: An Artist's Evolution," will be at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 12, in the college's Kocimski Auditorium, room 101 Design. It is free and open to the public.

Stone has a unique visual voice that is heavily influenced by the natural environment and a connection to landscape. Spreading across the wall, spilling onto the floor, or cascading from architectural supports, her artworks are both Rorschach tests of natural phenomena and rich harvests of line, shape and color.

She paints on a variety of materials—archival plastic film, metal and paper—and layers the elements into sculptural assemblages and installations that blur the boundaries between drawing, painting and sculpture, engaging viewers with their complex fluidity. From tiny, specimen-sized works to encompassing installations, her pieces capture a kind of monumentality while at the same time a feeling of delicacy.

Several of Stone's smaller assemblages are on display through May 2 in the College of Design Dean's Office, room 134 Design. Viewing hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

While at Iowa State, Stone will serve as the juror for "Primed," the 2012 BFA Juried Senior Student Exhibition, on display through April 19 in Gallery 181, first floor of the College of Design building. The show will open with a reception from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 11, in the gallery and the Lyle E. Lightfoot Forum (atrium). Stone will announce several awards and share remarks on the winning artworks in a brief program beginning at 5:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided. The exhibition and reception also are free and open to the public.

Stone grew up in Iowa. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drawing, painting and printmaking from Iowa State in 1992 and a Master of Fine Arts in painting from the University of Washington in 1994.

She has exhibited her artwork nationally and internationally in more than 40 solo and group shows at traditional galleries and museums and in alternative venues like Suyama Space in Seattle. Her commissioned public artworks include projects at Conoco Phillips in Houston, King County Correctional Facility in Seattle, Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the Ascent, a building designed by Daniel Libeskind in Cincinnati; the Federal Courthouse in Jackson, Miss., and Twin Parks in Tiachung, Taiwan. Her work is also featured in the U.S. Art in Embassies Collection in Mumbai, India, and Baghdad, Iraq.

Stone's visit is cosponsored by the ISU College of Design, integrated studio arts program and Committee on Lectures (which is funded by the Government of the Student Body). More information and images of her work are online athttp://katystone.net.

Contacts:
Cindy Gould, Integrated Studio Arts, (515) 294-6297, cgould@iastate.edu
Heather Sauer, College of Design communications, (515) 294-9289, hsauer@iastate.edu

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