Katherine Wilkins Gomez
(she/her), or “KaTɐꓘ”
is a Chicago based
first generation
Mexican American
interdisciplinary artist
with a focus on print media.
Embracing unconventional techniques and found materials, my artistic approach is deeply influenced by old toons, religious imagery, and punk/DIY (do-it-yourself) culture.
I hold a particular fascination for the ugly, confusing, strange, and mystifying aspects of existence and its uncertainty.
Through exploration of these unconventional subjects, I enjoy creating artwork that is humorous and oftentimes interactive, while referencing the absurdity of choice and decision making that escorts the human experience.
I like to use found objects, and regularly re-purpose materials, as accessibility is at the heart of my practice.
I believe that art should be inclusive and sustainable.
As a current teaching artist, I am committed to making creative practice as accessible as possible.
I spent the majority of my childhood moving from place to place, stretching from rural Nebraska to the diverse neighborhoods in the Southwest side of Chicago. I remember watching cartoons on PBS Kids; sometimes Boomerang if I was lucky, and being scorned by my grandpa for not memorizing multiplication tables.
Art was not something that was heavily encouraged in my world then; being a child of a first generation immigrant, there was great focus on working and helping around the house.
But I always made the time to nurture the creator in me!
I became the first in my family to attend university, earning a merit scholarship for The School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
(joke was on you grandpa)
I received my Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in May of 2023.
My work has been exhibited in local galleries in the vibrant Chicago art scene, and has become a part of the permanent artist book collection that resides at the Pratt Institute in NYC. (🍎)
I continue to explore new avenues within my interdisciplinary practice, and currently serve as an elementary art teacher, hoping to inspire my community to create.
- KaTɐꓘ
Katherine Wilkins Gomez
(ella), o “KaTɐꓘ”
es una artista interdisciplinaria
Mexicana-Americana
de primera generación
basada en Chicago
con especial atención a los
medios impresos.
“Mi enfoque artístico, que abarca técnicas no convencionales y materiales encontrados, está profundamente influenciado por caricaturas antiguas, la imaginería religiosa, y el espíritu del “punk” y la cultura del bricolaje.
Siento una fascinación particular por los aspectos extraños, feos, confusos y desconcertantes sobre la existencia y su incertidumbre.
Es a través de la exploración de estos temas poco convencionales que disfruto la creacion de arte que es divertido e interactivo.
Aprecio el uso de objetos encontrados en mi trabajo, y reutilizo materiales con regularidad. La accesibilidad está en el centro de mi práctica, ya que creo que el arte debe ser inclusivo y sostenible. Siendo artista e maestra, estoy comprometida a hacer que la práctica creativa sea accesible para todos.”
- KaTɐꓘ
Katherine pasó la mayor parte de su infancia moviéndose de un lugar a otro, desde la zona rural de Nebraska hasta los diversos vecindarios del lado suroeste de Chicago.
Fue la primera de su familia en asistir a la universidad y obtuvo una beca por mérito para la Escuela del Instituto de Arte de Chicago.
Recibió su Licenciatura en Bellas Artes en Mayo de 2023 y su trabajo se ha exhibido en galerías locales en la vibrante escena artística de Chicago, mientras continúa explorando nuevas vías dentro de su práctica interdisciplinaria.
Actualmente, Katherine se desempeña como instructora de arte y maestra invitada en Chicago, con la esperanza de inspirar a su comunidad a crear.
Katherine Wilkins Gomez
☉:♌︎ ☽:♍︎ ⇧: ♎︎
Chicago, Illinois
Group Exhibitions☟
2024 - “Mixtape,” Shockboxx Gallery, Hermosa Beach, Ca.
2023 - “Ghosts, Fantasy & Intimacy,” Color Club Arts, Chicago, IL.
2023 - “P.U.N.K” Placed Under Nobody’s Knife,” Cafe Mustache, Chicago, IL.
2023 - “Shared Storytelling: New Acquisitions from Franklin Furnace Archive, 2018-2022,” Pratt Institute, New York, NY.
2022 - “Undergraduate Exhibition,” SAIC Galleries, Chicago, IL
2020 - “Artbash.party,” Virtual Gallery, https://www.saic.edu/events/artbash-
Collections ☟
Franklin Furnace Artist Book Collection, Pratt Institute, New York, NY.
Education☟
BFA - 2023, Print Media, FVNMA (film, video, new media, animation),
School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
Harper College, Palatine, IL., 2018 - 2019
Awards ☟
2019 - Merit Scholarship, The School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2018 - Class of 2018 Valedictory Speaker, Elk Grove High School, Elk Grove Village, IL.
Teaching Experience ☟
2023 (Current) - Art Instructor, Rockford, IL.
2023 - Long Term Guest Teacher, Diverse Learners, Brighton Park Elementary, Chicago, IL.
2023 - Guest Teacher, Kokua Education, Chicago, IL.
2021 - 2023. Lead Art Instructor & Site Director, Noyes Cultural Arts Center, Evanston, IL.
2022 - Teachers Assistant, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, IL.
2019 - Tutor, Kumon Math & Reading, Arlington Heights, IL.
