Portrait of Alzheimer's

Stabile. Hand spun, hand knit silk and wool. 69" x 77" x 28"

Pretenses

Four headdresses. Hand cut, hand knit clear plastic. 31" x 51" x 15"

Worried

Handspun, handknit wool, felted. 17" x 17" x 3"

I spin wool, cut plastic or find the right wire. Then I invent plans and knit my material into shape. When I want the knitting to stand up, or if I need to support it, I carve or construct armatures. I assemble and position materials and armatures, hoping to communicate by shape and stature and stance, by texture and colour, by gesture, shadow, and implication. I use knitting as a construction technique, attempting to fuse its traditions, its skills and history into new forms. I use both old and less traditional materials to build pieces about being human. I conceive and intend my work symbolically.

CURRENT & UPCOMING

Fiberarts Design Book 7. Boat with Four Figures, Throw Caution to the Winds.

Farnsworth Museum. Rockland, ME. ‘Uncoverings’, invitational show. Boat with Four Figures, Making Room, Empty Headed. September 19 - February 20, 2005.

Peabody Essex Museum, Textile Arts Symposium. Lecture, October 1; Demonstration, October 3, 2004.

Kohler Arts Center. ‘Ready to Wear’, invitational show. Mirage, Makeshift, Slick. October 3 - January 30, 2005.

Surface Design International Conference, Kansas City. Diagonal Knitting workshop. May 29 - June 1, 2005

Fuller Craft Museum. Trashformations. Invitational show. Danger dress. Jan. 8 - April 30, 2005. Travels to other museums until 2008.

SOLO SHOWS & AWARDS

Maine Fiberarts, clothing as sculpture show.Jan- Feb 2 2005

Colby College Museum of Art. Invitational Show. ‘Envision’. December 7, 2003 - January 25, 2004.

Center for Maine Contemporary Art. 50th Anniversary Exhibition of Distinguished Artists. Slick, installation. August 10 - October 5, 2002.

Houston Center for Contemporary Crafts. Solo Show: ‘Katharine Cobey - Fiber Sculpture’. Boat with Four figures and other pieces. Houston, TX. January 18 - April 7, 2002.

City Hall Rotunda, Portland, Maine. Ritual Against Homelessness. May, 1999.

The Textile Museum. Washington, DC. Solo show at ‘Celebration’. 1992.

The Textile Museum. Washington, DC. Dream Shelters, installation. 1990.

Torpedo Factory Art Center. ‘Art in Public Spaces’. Dream Shelters, installation. 1989.

Capital Children’s Museum. Washington, DC. Artist in Residence and Exhibition. 1989.

Contemporary Works of Faith. Columbus, OH. Best of Show. Ritual Against Homelessness. 1995.

Artist of the Year. Friends of the Torpedo Factory. Juror, Jeremy Adamson, Curator, The Renwick Gallery, Smithsonian Museum. Alexandria, VA. 1992.

PERSONAL Education. B.A. in Language and Literature. Bennington College. 1959.

Volunteer. Director, craft program. House of Ruth Homeless Shelter. Washington, DC. 1978-79.

Cushing Elementary School, 1999-present.

Verse: Thrift. Washington Writers Publishing House. Washington, DC. 1978. The Alice Poems. Contac Publications. London, England. 1975. Numerous pieces in anthologies and little magazines in England and the US. Poetry Readings. London Poetry Society; Folger Library, Washington, DC; Philadelphia Young Men’s Jewish Association; Skidmore College; etc.