Gallery Artists

Steel is commonly used by automotive, construction, canning/packaging and other markets for its strength, versatility and light weight. But it is the shape, pattern, texture and grain of the surface that Kate Silvio ('00) builds upon to transform this industrial metal and other materials into refined works of art.

"I create large-scale (human size) fabricated sheet steel sculpture," said Silvio. "Most of my work features minimal clean lines and references to anatomy, nature and natural processes. For example, the transformation of a bud to a plant to a flowering plant and then its decomposition."

To create the sculptures, Silvio spends countless hours in the College's metal shop welding and fabricating her work. The level of craftsmanship and mastery of technique is apparent in her art as well as her ability to explore interesting perspectives of subjects.

The artist statement from her graduate show reads, "Location is everything. Remove an object from its home-space and place it in a new environment - it is recontextualized. It bends, forms, adjusts and reacts to its new home. The objects are driven by similarity in form, material and process. Their intrinsic differences become very apparent through their juxtaposition within the group. The placement creates an entirely different dialogue with its neighbors and individually, an entirely new object."

Silvio also works as a metal shop technician and a foundations instructor at CCS. In the metal shop, she tends to maintenance and safety matters while helping students work through technical issues as they create their art. She has taught a three-dimensional design basic studio and courses in metal fabrication and welding.

"My favorite aspect of working at the College is the dialogue I develop with students," Silvio said. "In the classroom, I educate students about the materials and process. Then I help them bring their creative ideas to fruition inside the shop. It's an honor to have students seek me out for my knowledge, whether it's about a particular piece they're working on, how to get into graduate school or how to succeed in the challenging, competitive art world.

"I remember that feeling I got when I first started creating my art. The feeling of amazement that I could transform steel into anything I wanted. Seeing that same spark in my students is the greatest reward."