Kate Schroeder is a ceramicist and full time professional artist residing in Kansas City, Missouri. She earned a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Sculpture and Ceramics from the University of Central Missouri and a Masters of Fine Arts also emphasizing Sculpture and Ceramics from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Kate has work in collections around the globe. In fact, it can be found on all 7 continents!

Before transitioning to a full time artist, Kate also spent nearly a decade as an educator. She has worked for universities, art institutes, and community colleges. She also spent several years dedicated to the non-profit sector. During this time she managed EPIC Clay Studio a 501-C3 ceramics studio and Accessible Arts, a Not-For-Profit arts organization, which specialized in teaching art to people with disabilities. She also lived in Tanzania for a summer, where she started a small ceramics program for Walk In Love International.

Current Statement (Objects)

My work is inspired by the emotional impact of collecting objects; why we collect them, and the significance of the ones we choose. The work celebrates the balance of a domestic home and the integral use of nature within these spaces. 

Throughout my art career I have added light media into my work. I have always been impacted by light and how it affects the world around us. More recently I have rediscovered how important it is to my creativity and mental health. My lamp series illustrates my aforementioned concepts while concurrently showcasing the importance of sunlight within our spaces and our lives. 

Additionally, the work honors functional objects while pushing the boundaries of their functionality. This blurs the line between fine art and craft and thereby lets the object live between the ideological constructs.

Past Statement (Lineage)

In the wake of many major life changes and serious health scares with my mother, I find myself compelled to pay homage to my lineage with imagery and symbolism from my formative years. This body of work is comprised of botanical sculptures emanating from semi-functional porcelain vessels.

My love of plants and art comes from my maternal lineage, which began with my great grandmother, who earned a PhD in Botany in the 1930’s. This love of plants and botany was instilled in my grandmother and mother, who co-owned a flower shop throughout my childhood. It was in this flower shop that I developed a love of flora, their symbolism, and design. It was at the hands of my great grandmother, in this very flower shop, that my love of art was encouraged; she herself was an artist, and fully developed her artistic career upon retiring from Botany.

Symbolic details are represented in many aspects of my work. Succulents and cacti are excellent at adapting and surviving in harsh environments, but also have the ability to easily and quickly succumb to death when given over-abundant care. Traditionally aloe and succulents symbolize healing and luck. Cacti symbolize protection and endurance and propagating succulents symbolize new life and reproduction. This symbolism is significant because each of the women in my direct genetic line has endured great challenges in life, and have adapted to the situation with grace and perseverance.

The vessel, upon which, many of my sculptures sit, is an important feature for two reasons. First, is correlated to historic symbolism of the vessel: though out cultures, vessels are intrinsically portrayed as female.  Second, is due to my love and dedication to the functional art object. Beyond the ancient symbolism of a vessel, my forms are constructed to portray more distinctive symbolic meaning: they are commonly formed with rounded bottoms or without a bottom at all. The rounded bottoms, which sometimes allow the vessels to rock at a touch, alludes to balance in an unstable environment, whether external or internal. The forms created without a bottom, and the ability to flip to form a new object illustrates how quickly our perceptions and realities can be turned upside down. In some instances when our realities are shifted, something new and beautiful can come of it, but in others, a much darker reality can be observed. This fragile balance is further explored by the fragile nature of the plants on which the vessels can sit upon.

Repetition of form is also used in my work for both symbolic and functional reasons. The repetition of succulent forms represents new life and continued family line. This is especially prevalent in my propagation series, “Putting Down Roots”. In addition to using repetition symbolically, it is also a significant part of my process. I find repetitive undertakings cultivate a meditative approach to my work and in my life. It is for these reasons that I create each piece petal-by-petal and plant-by-plant. This meditative process allows me to focus on my studio practice by enhancing the delicacy of my forms, while simultaneously helping me to understand the world around me, especially when following great change and the realization that loss is inevitable, even if not immediate.

CV