Artist of the Month is a new program at Brushwood Center featuring artists who align with Brushwood Center’s mission and explores themes of health, equity and justice, nature and the environment. Each month we feature an artist who will:
- Display their work at Brushwood Center at Ryerson Woods
- Teach a Create and Sip Workshop in their area of expertise
- Demonstrate their work at an Open Art Workshop
Meet Katelyn Patton
Katelyn Patton is a visual artist working in Chicago who was born and raised in the Midwest. Her practice focuses on the urban ecology and biodiversity of plants in the city and beyond, the ways that material and color can be naturally derived from them, and how this hyper-localized knowledge can be used as a vessel for connecting multiple overlapping histories, stories, and meanings.
Katelyn has been the Maker-In-Residence at the Harold Washington Library, received a DCASE award in 2020, and has had solo shows at Extra Projects, the Lillstreet Arts Center and the NEIU Fine Arts Center Gallery. In 2024 she received her MFA in studio art from UIC. She also received an award from the UIC Sustainability Fund to establish the Art Garden, a space for cross-disciplinary explorations with plants and alternative materials.
Katelyn’s Artist Statement
“My practice focuses on the urban ecology and biodiversity of plants in Chicago (my home), the ways that color can be naturally derived from them, and how this hyper-localized knowledge can be used as a vessel for connecting overlapping histories, stories, and meanings.
To do this, I research different types of plants that can be foraged or cultivated in the city and use these plants to create pigments, dyes and paints through traditional techniques. By grounding this research in my immediate habitat, I am able to confront the complexities and contradictions of the effects of climate change, colonization, and globalization on an accessible community-level scale. My work functions at the border of ecological science communication and fine art.
I believe that artistic interpretation creates an emotional connection beyond datasets and that art changes the emphasis of the questions asked during scientific research and recontextualizes observations. I established the Art Garden within the Plant Research Laboratory at UIC with the aim of generating awareness of the benefits and accessibility of natural fibers, fungi and pigments; fostering an understanding of sustainable materials; and cultivating cross-disciplinary connections. I also maintain a practice of foraging weeds within the city, as they play a fundamental role in urban biodiversity. My graduate thesis focused on common buckthorn, Rhamnus cathartica, an invasive plant that is dominating the forests of the Midwest. I facilitate community dye workshops with buckthorn in order to complicate the simplistic negative narratives surrounding invasive species and encourage people to engage with their environment.”
Image: Common Songs (August) by Katelyn Patton
Media: Hollyhock, Coreopsis, Scabiosa, Safflower, Bachelor’s Button and Hopi Black Dye Sunflowers imprinted on silk and linen. The flowers were steam or hammer printed in the shape of bird calls recorded at the site of their harvest.
Artist of the Month Events
March 29 | 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
Open Art Workshop with Katelyn Patton
Open Art Workshop is open to anyone who wants to make something in any area of visual arts and crafts, from the experienced artist looking for a community of others to work with, to the complete novice who just wants to try something out in a low pressure environment, or the family looking for a fun kids’ activity to fill their afternoon – this workshop is for you!
This month, our April Artist of the Month Katelyn Patton will be our guest artist. Katelyn is a visual artist working in Chicago who was born and raised in the Midwest. Her practice focuses on the urban ecology and biodiversity of plants in the city and beyond, the ways that material and color can be naturally derived from them, and how this hyper localized knowledge can be used as a vessel for connecting multiple overlapping histories, stories, and meanings. Stop by to learn from Katelyn!
Image: Tagma by Katelyn Patton.
Media: Coreopsis, Buckthorn and Scabiosa dyes on silk on panel
April 16 | 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm Create & Sip – Natural Dyes with Invasive Species
Create & Sip is a monthly workshop hosted at Brushwood Center where participants can explore fun projects using supplies and tools from the Brushwood Art Supply Exchange, BASE. It’s an opportunity to get creative, try something new, and enjoy the company of fellow art enthusiasts in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
Katelyn Patton, who will teach us to make Natural Dyes with Invasive Species. For a sneak peek of this project, visit Brushwood’s Open Art Workshop on Saturday, March 29 where Katelyn will be demonstrating from 10-4 pm. You can also see Katelyn’s work displayed in the Brushwood Center Gallery from March 29 – April 24.
Image: Orbweaver by Katelyn Patton. Media: Buckthorn bark dye on silk wheat pasted onto wood panel.
