Artist Bio
Kathleen Sweeney is an interdisciplinary artist, storyteller, environmental steward and community weaver.
The Book of Awe: Wandering and Rewilding, a publication of original photography and poetic wonder lore, was released with an exhibition of multimedia artworks and photography and a public reading at Diamond Hollow Books and Gallery Exhibition on view August 3-September 8, 2024.
Symbiocene Era: Artists Envision Environmental Symbiosis, a curatorial debut, features the work of eleven women artists exploring diverse ways of creative integration with nature in their artistic output. The show opened at Bushel Collective on Saturday October 5, 2024 with an artist talk. During the four week run of the show (through November 3, 2024), a Mineral Pigment workshop was offered, along with a screening of “How to Power a City,” a PBS documentary about renewable energy success stories.
A series of public workshops were held at her woodland studio in August and September 2024 as part of The Book of Awe Project in partnership with AMR Artists Inc, with funding from the O’Connor Foundation.
Screenings and exhibitions of her video art and photography include South by Southwest, Zentrum fur Kunst und Medientechnologie, LA Center for Digital Art, Atlanta Film Festival, with panels, residencies and presentations at Tulane University, UC Santa Barbara, Colgate University, Ithaca College, and many other venues.
The author of Maiden USA: Girl Icons Come of Age, she has published articles on film, tech innovation, pop culture, and social change at Afterimage and IndieWire. An Assistant Professor of Media Studies at The New School for Public Engagement, she has developed original courses exploring creativity and multimedia storytelling, social change innovation, girl leadership and cultural innovation, mindfulness and digital detox literacy.
The founding artist in residence at Reel Grrls and DIA:Beacon, she has produced innovative youth media arts curricula funded by the NEA, New York State Council for the Arts, Putnam Arts Council and Media Alliance.
As a communications consultant, strategist, multimedia producer and videographer, her client work includes PBS documentaries, book launches for renowned authors, social media and crowdfunding campaigns, book trailers and mini-docs for authors published by Little/Brown, Shambhala Books and Random House/Delacorte. Client projects have screened at The New Museum, MoMA, and international venues.
Residencies and fellowships include the Sugar Maples Art Center; Cill Rialaig Art Center, Ballingskelligs, Ireland; The Mind and Life Institute Europe, Cheimsee, Germany; Virginia Center for the Creative Arts (funded by the National Endowment for the Arts) and a Ford Foundation/Civic Engagement Grant for “Postcards, Post-Sandy,” a storytelling portal developed in collaboration with The New School/Parsons.
A native New Yorker and lifelong environmentalist, she recently relocated to the woods of Roxbury, NY where she co-founded Don't Trash the Catskills.
Current artwork weaves foraged forest materials, local plant and mineral pigment watercolors, collage book arts, photography and video pieces inspired by the Catskills ecosystem. Recent exhibitions include Bushel Collective, 1053 Gallery, Roxbury Arts Group, UPArt!, Longyear Gallery and the AMR Studio Tour.