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Katie Hovencamp received her BFA from Arizona State University in 2009 and her MFA from the Pennsylvania State University in 2014. Hovencamp has exhibited her work in numerous exhibitions within the United States, Europe, and Asia. Her work has been reviewed in Sculpture Magazine, Chicago Reader, and several online and print publications. She was the recipient of the Outstanding Student Achievement Award for Contemporary Sculpture in 2014 and the University Graduate Fellowship at the Pennsylvania State University in 2012. Hovencamp has participated in residency programs at Vermont Studio Center, Serde Interdisciplinary artist group in Latvia, and the Tyrone Guthrie Centre in Ireland. IIn 2016, she was awarded an artist residency with International Sculpture Center at Mana Contemporary in Jersey City, NJ. She has taught at various institutions such as the Edna Vihel Center for the Arts, Totts Gap Art Institute, Pennsylvania State University, Harrisburg Area Community College, Northampton Community College, and Keystone College.
Published on May 6th, 2021. Artist responses collected in months previous.
What hurdles have you overcome this year and how have they affected your art practice?
This year I had a lot of medical issues that impacted my studio practice. My stamina and ability to work on projects that were more physically involved significantly decreased. I made more two dimensional and drawing based work because of this. Normally I jump between making sculpture, mixed media, drawing and printmaking. I have been planning out sculptures that are more physically involved for future dates. I also have access to new studio equipment for this coming fall which is exciting. I am planning on expanding my practice to use more digital technology. I'm working on learning how to use various programs for 3D printing, laser cutting, and cnc plasma cutting. I am hoping my aesthetic can translate with the new technology I want to integrate into my work. I am looking forward to learning these new processes and to see what happens with the new projects I am planning.
How has your art practice been affected by the pandemic?
Studio access has been a bit of an issue. Normally I can use the studios at my college to make work, but unfortunately we did not get access until the end of July 2020. This made me mostly work from home. I did have access to my studio in Bethlehem and I would use it from time to time, but because of how severe things became with the virus, I made sure I limited my travel. Issues related to the virus definitely found its way into my art work. A lot of what I have been doing was influenced by women and domestic roles so naturally being stuck at home has made me reflect on this even more. I made several drawings reflecting on women and psychosis in the home. One drawing I made was a woman vacuuming and using her body as the filter which was a humorous and dark take on being stuck at home.
What support systems have you put in place to help keep your practice thriving amidst these unforeseeable circumstances?
I've been trying to connect with good friends more. Normally during the school year I have a hard time balancing staying in touch with people because I get so busy with school. I tend to throw myself into that and making art and my social life tends to take a back seat. So the pandemic has been good for staying in touch with close friends. It is nice just to talk about what is going on in life and coping through these strange times. It has definitely helped talking about current issues and having empathetic conversations about how to live life with the virus. There has been a lot of fear and uncertainty. Unfortunately, I have had several friends and family who had the virus and my great uncle passed away from it. It has been really scary. Luckily having good friends to talk to has been really helpful and comforting.
What methods do you employ to stay resilient in your art practice? What tips would you recommend to other artists who find staying resilient difficult?
I set deadlines for myself or tasks to complete to stay on track. I also try not to beat myself up if I don't necessarily get to everything I planned to complete. I keep telling myself I am only human. I also keep applying to shows to make sure I am still regularly exhibiting. I set a number of shows to be in every year and I work hard to make that target. Also having a community of artists to help keep you motivated and give you honest feedback on your work is also really important. I would say to artists who are struggling to stay resilient I would say keep your hands busy. This really helps and the ideas and motivation come with it. Even if you are doing something on the mundane side, it helps stimulate the desire to make. The ideas will come. Process and ideas constantly inform each other.
What have you learned about yourself as an artist this year?
I have learned to take it easy on myself more. Since I had some health issues come up this year I learned that if I don't take it easy it can set me back longer term when it comes to making art. So pacing myself and listening to my body to take it easy is a big thing I learned. I also learned that like I tell my students, I need to push myself to keep taking risks in my own studio practice. So I am pushing myself to learn new things this year. I'm excited to see how I can get digital technology to work for me as I learn how to use it. I also need to be sure I am having fun while making the work. In general I am continuing to work to practice what I preach to my students. I want to be sure I can do my best to understand where they are coming from as developing artists so I can do my best to help them.
What hurdles have you overcome this year and how have they affected your art practice?
This year I had a lot of medical issues that impacted my studio practice. My stamina and ability to work on projects that were more physically involved significantly decreased. I made more two dimensional and drawing based work because of this. Normally I jump between making sculpture, mixed media, drawing and printmaking. I have been planning out sculptures that are more physically involved for future dates. I also have access to new studio equipment for this coming fall which is exciting. I am planning on expanding my practice to use more digital technology. I'm working on learning how to use various programs for 3D printing, laser cutting, and cnc plasma cutting. I am hoping my aesthetic can translate with the new technology I want to integrate into my work. I am looking forward to learning these new processes and to see what happens with the new projects I am planning.
How has your art practice been affected by the pandemic?
Studio access has been a bit of an issue. Normally I can use the studios at my college to make work, but unfortunately we did not get access until the end of July 2020. This made me mostly work from home. I did have access to my studio in Bethlehem and I would use it from time to time, but because of how severe things became with the virus, I made sure I limited my travel. Issues related to the virus definitely found its way into my art work. A lot of what I have been doing was influenced by women and domestic roles so naturally being stuck at home has made me reflect on this even more. I made several drawings reflecting on women and psychosis in the home. One drawing I made was a woman vacuuming and using her body as the filter which was a humorous and dark take on being stuck at home.
What support systems have you put in place to help keep your practice thriving amidst these unforeseeable circumstances?
I've been trying to connect with good friends more. Normally during the school year I have a hard time balancing staying in touch with people because I get so busy with school. I tend to throw myself into that and making art and my social life tends to take a back seat. So the pandemic has been good for staying in touch with close friends. It is nice just to talk about what is going on in life and coping through these strange times. It has definitely helped talking about current issues and having empathetic conversations about how to live life with the virus. There has been a lot of fear and uncertainty. Unfortunately, I have had several friends and family who had the virus and my great uncle passed away from it. It has been really scary. Luckily having good friends to talk to has been really helpful and comforting.
What methods do you employ to stay resilient in your art practice? What tips would you recommend to other artists who find staying resilient difficult?
I set deadlines for myself or tasks to complete to stay on track. I also try not to beat myself up if I don't necessarily get to everything I planned to complete. I keep telling myself I am only human. I also keep applying to shows to make sure I am still regularly exhibiting. I set a number of shows to be in every year and I work hard to make that target. Also having a community of artists to help keep you motivated and give you honest feedback on your work is also really important. I would say to artists who are struggling to stay resilient I would say keep your hands busy. This really helps and the ideas and motivation come with it. Even if you are doing something on the mundane side, it helps stimulate the desire to make. The ideas will come. Process and ideas constantly inform each other.
What have you learned about yourself as an artist this year?
I have learned to take it easy on myself more. Since I had some health issues come up this year I learned that if I don't take it easy it can set me back longer term when it comes to making art. So pacing myself and listening to my body to take it easy is a big thing I learned. I also learned that like I tell my students, I need to push myself to keep taking risks in my own studio practice. So I am pushing myself to learn new things this year. I'm excited to see how I can get digital technology to work for me as I learn how to use it. I also need to be sure I am having fun while making the work. In general I am continuing to work to practice what I preach to my students. I want to be sure I can do my best to understand where they are coming from as developing artists so I can do my best to help them.
Find Katie Hovencamp on Instagram
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