Kathy Stecko 

Brooklyn, NY
Residency: March-April 2008

Project Description
My time at Sculpture Space was divided between several different projects. One of my goals was to cast some of my work in metal and to experiment with new materials. I discovered a tin-alloy that I used to cast several relief-like figures from my series the “Continuum”. The discovery of this alloy, generously donated by the Indium Corporation, was a great help to realizing these works in metal.

I also explored the theme of mind over matter through a series of seated figures, collectively titled “The Piers”. In this work, several thin bodies sit cross-legged and pensive- in a gesture that is similar to mediating. From this work, I chose one figure to render at life-size.

“Fortress” symbolizes the mind’s ability to create barriers and how these barriers can protect a fragile body. A more whimsical sculpture,

“Dreamscape” presents 30 figures individually standing on small steel platforms. “Dreamscape’s” central figure, a crouched sleeping figure, is the only figure mounted to the wall vertically and rendered at a larger scale. Surrounding the sleeping figure is the “Dreamscape”- figures that are both familiar yet incongruent, hazy like a dream.

Overall, my time at Sculpture Space was a great success. I was able to explore new materials and processes, as well as create a new body of work.

About the Artist
Kathy Stecko lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Her work largely consists of figurative constructions that use the body as metaphor. Awarded the Avery Hopwood Award for poetry, she often draws inspiration from writing.

Stecko's current body of work is a series of wall-mounted sculptures that explore the idea of cause and effect relationships. Prior to moving to New York, Stecko received the Traub Grant and spent three months studying in London. She has worked on various projects ranging from "The Empty Bowl Project", where she contributed hand-made vessels to promote awareness of hunger-related issues, to collaborating with architects and fellow artists to design a memorial proposal for The World Trade Center.

Stecko sees the opportunity to contribute to the community as an integral part of being an artist. Stecko has volunteered as a guest instructor at New York’s Jacqueline Onassis High School and recently completed two sculptures for use in an AIDS awareness commercial. Stecko earned her MFA from The New York Academy of Art and graduated Magna Cum Laude from The University of Michigan. Stecko teaches part-time at Pratt and maintains a studio near the Brooklyn Navy Yard.