EVENT LINK: https://www.therourke.org/kathy-freese-take-and-leave.html

FEE: Free

Kathy Freese: Take and Leave

On view on the second level / November 7, 2025 - January 4, 2026
Member Preview: 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, November 7, 2025
Public Opening: 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, November 9, 2025 / Artist talk at 2 p.m.

Kathy Freese is a mixed media artist who lives and works in Fargo, North Dakota. She spends time working with clay, and on a variety of two-dimensional media projects, but is especially interested in working with textiles. You can find her teaching art techniques to children and adults in her community.

Members, please join us for the exclusive preview from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on Friday 7 November. Refreshments will be served. Everyone is welcome for the opening reception with complimentary coffee and cookies from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. on Sunday 9 November. Freese will give a gallery talk at 2 p.m.

Exhibition Statement for Take and Leave

I make art that addresses expectations around gender and labor. I reckon with my history and unpack traditions around womanhood, making lived experiences and familiar items a central influence in my artwork. Traditionally feminine shapes and colors appear in my sculpture to question assumptions about gendered experiences. I utilize clay, found objects, and sewing in my practice, favoring a mixed media approach.

Cleaning inequality and reproductive rights, subjects that can lead to tense arguments, are central topics I explore. I see how time is valued differently according to who it belongs to, and I observe how bodies are granted different levels of autonomy according to their appearance and circumstances. I use clean plush shapes and oversaturated colors to create touchable and friendly surfaces. The bright and shiny materials have an intrinsic draw that disarms the viewer, acting as an invitation to come closer, instead of shying away.