God. Guns. And country. Hinterland is crunchy American South. Genderqueer Mohawk replaces pageant crown (I second generation performance artist wrestled mine from my father). Guns, daggers and Molotov Cocktails stitched in shattered fabric. The God I worship is the Goddess of labias, lips and nipples of selfie drawings and filtered iPhotographs. Y'all get baptized in Sunday waters of the Red. Drip wet on the front pew with me. Fixin' ta Kegel it up and cogitate on frozen drive through Daiquiris, chocolate gravy and Kool-aid pickles.

BIO


In 2014 Kathryn Usher was awarded an Art Ambassador grant by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council. That unique grant paved the way for her participation in an exhibit at Oxford Museum in Oxford, UK. In 2012 she was awarded the top poetry prize by Louisiana Poet Laureate Julie Kane in conjunction with Meadows Museum.

In 2010, Usher was recognized by UK art scholar Dr. Melissa Westbrook as one of the artists in the Neo-Outsider art movement. Westbrook wrote, "Actively seeking interaction through social media Kathryn Usher…creates pieces from traditional materials such as acrylics, objects …and less tactile mediums such as digital art. The purpose of her art is to question not why, but rather why not."



RESUME


Select Solo Exhibitions
2013

Red Juicy Vibrations, Meadows Museum, Shreveport, October – December
Juror Connie Bostic

Select Group Exhibitions
2015

Critical Mass III Artspace, Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director William Joyce
Critics Curator Robert Pincus


2014

Alice 3.0, Museum of Oxford, Oxford, UK July – September
Artistic Director Dr. Melissa Westbrook

Critical Mass II Artspace, Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director William Joyce
Critics Curator Robert Pincus


2013

Critical Mass, Artspace, Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director William Joyce
Critics Curator Robert Pincus


2012

Xmas Under da Ground, Minicine? Swampland, Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director David Nelson

Bonafide! 2, Artspace, Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director William Joyce

Common Seen, Artspace, Shreveport, LA
Curator Neil Johnson
on permanent exhibit at Central Artstation

Artists-at-Work, Meadows Museum, Shreveport, LA
Juror Connie Bostic

Street Art, En Plein Air Gallery (Beauty Supply Gallery) Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director and curator Nadine Charity


2011

Presents, Artspace, Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director William Joyce

Dia de Los Muertos, Minicine? Swampland, Shreveport, LA

Texas Avenue Midnight Special, Minicine? Swampland, Shreveport, LA

Impromptu, Artspace, Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director William Joyce
Critic Robert Pincus


Projects
2015

Highland Open Studio Tour Sundays (HOSTS)
Featured artist and artist studio


2014

Highland Open Studio Tour Sundays (HOSTS),
Featured artist and artist studio

Red River Revel Festival, October
Featured Artist of the Day

UNSCENE! Wayne White, July
On site mask collaboration with Wayne White
leading hundreds of volunteers through process

UNSCENE! Rich Table, June
Commissioned letter sculptures
Shreveport Municipal Memorial Auditorium
four day artist residency

UNSCENE! Airlift Music Houses, May
studio assistant

UNSCENE! Airlift Music Houses, May
Wind Balls kinetic sculptures

UNSCENE! Stan Lewis, March
10 foot tall Three Breasted Guitar Woman with Blue Suede Shoes puppet sculpture


2013

UNSCENE! Let's Maker a Parade, November
Artistic Director Brandon Oldenburg,

UNSCENE! We Are the Residents Virtual parade, October,
Artistic Director Brandon Oldenburg
Curators Rob Peterson and Robert Greenwood

Kallenberg Tower Gallery, SRAC, Shreveport, LA
Artistic Director and curator Kathryn Usher

LAS Labor Art Sweat Guerrilla Drop-In Artist Residency, SRAC, Shreveport, LA
Co Artistic Directors Nadine Charity and Kathryn Usher

Texas Avenue Midnight Special, One of three artists who documented the new
downtown home of the Shreveport Regional Arts Council – Central Artstation
Co-Artistic Directors Nadine Charity and Kathryn Usher


Awards and Honors
2014

Art Ambassador grant by the Shreveport Regional Arts Council


2013

Artist as Entrepreneur, The Arts Council of New Orleans, SRAC, Shreveport, LA


2012

First Prize, The Friends of the Algur Meadows Museum Poetry Contest in
conjunction with the artwork “Matador” by Monica Zeringue, Meadows Museum, Shreveport, LA ,
Juror Louisiana Poet Laureate Julie Kane

Northwest Louisiana Artists Roster, SRAC
Juror Brett Campbell


Select Collections and Commissions
Wayne White and Mimi Pond, CA
Evan and Sarah Rich, CA
Brandon Oldenburg, LA
Fitch Brothers, PA
Sue Kreitzman, London, UK
Shreveport Regional Arts Council, LA
Sandi Kallenberg, LA
Melissa Albritton, LA
Judy Williams, LA
Pam and Bob Atchison, LA
The Honorable Cedric Glover, Mayor of the City of Shreveport, LA
Penne Mobley, LA
Jodie Glorioso, LA

Bibliography

Jada Durden, “Five Things to do in Shreveport this Weekend,” Shreveport Times, April 2, 2015
Courtney Spradlin, “Some SBC Artists Struggle for Return on Investment,” Shreveport Times, August 18, 2014
Miles Oliver, “Local Artist Profile: Kathryn Usher,” Heliopolis, October 3, 2013
Su Stella, “Krusher,” Louisiana Road Trips, July/August, 2013
Lauren Buscemi, “Art Critique 'Critical Mass',”The Forum, March 20, 2013
Robert Trudeau, “Louisiana's Poet Julie Kane…,” Shreveport Blog, November 2, 2012
Kelly Phelan Powell, “Artist Profile Kathryn Usher,” The Forum, September 5, 2012

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