b o r n

1954

Toronto, Canada, the eldest of Veronica and Andrew Zsolt's 5 children. Veronica an R.N. and Andrew  a Hungarain P.Eng./developer shared their passion for literature, classical art, architecture and travel with the family.

i n f l u e n c e

1956-62

News of the Hungarian Revolution. Parents sponsored three Hungarian refuge families in their tiny home. Here were the roots of the idea of sanctuary that later surface in Katherine's installations.  In 1962 Richard, one of Katherine's two year old twin brothers dies tragically.

1970-75

Traveled to Italy, Greece, Spain and Germany, living in Hungary and Switzerland. Captivated by Old World figurative sculpture, baroque churches, grottos, art nouveau architecture and citadels. In 1975, mother Veronica died tragically at the age of 42.

e d u c a t i o n

1973-77

YORK UNIVERSITY . Toronto . Canada
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS . Visual Arts Major . Focus Studio Arts

1977-79

Koffler Center for the Arts . Toronto . Canada
 Jane Mahut stated a series of Architectural Ceramic Workshops 

•Kimpei Nakamura• a significant influence. In Nakamura's workshop
Katherine created the first model for her healing grottos
Other influences:  Raku with • Christopher Thompson

Organic 2D Design with Renata Realini

Architectural Porcelain with Lidia Zavadsky

w o r k  

e x p e r i e n c e

1978-82

Started Clay Conceptions with Nina Czegledy . Toronto . Canada
A fruitful four year partnership where nine permanent ceramic architectural/art Installations were jointly designed and executed. 

e x h i b i t i o n

1982

“4 Sculptors in Raku” . Koffler Gallery . Toronto . Canada
Exhibited the first in a series  of fairytale influenced bas-relief and ‘Alice in Wonderland’ related figurative work.

i n f l u e n c e

1982

Discovered :  Louise Bourgeois retrospective at the MoMA, was drawn to her use of use of the figurative  - works in marble and bronze.

w o r k  

e x p e r i e n c e

1982-91

Katherine Zsolt & Associates . Toronto . Canada
Created 22 corporate installations  where corporate identities and art were married with the architecture. Katherine saw these  as opportunies to  designed  'sanctuary space' for the users of the buildings - spaces that attempted to transcended the mundane by implying a threshold or window to other dimensions.  Associates- Artists : Mario Noviello, Judy Lowry, Elaine Johnston, Bruce Eakin, Jim Hong Louie, MacWood

e x h i b i t i o n s

1983

“Erotica and Valentines” . Yorkville Gallery . Toronto . Canada
Juried Show . Exhibited first series of ceramic press-molded body-casts. 

1985

Two Woman Show with Susan Edgerly . Koffler Center for the Arts Toronto . Canada  .  Exhibited 8 foot X 8 foot Alice in Wonderland Chess Board . 

i n f l u e n c e

1985-95

FRASER AVENUE STUDIOS Incorporated . Toronto . Canada
Started with partner Mario Noviello in order to provide affordable studio space.
They created a viable art community out of a 17,000 square foot, 16 live-in artist studios, in a 100 year old warehouse in the Dufferin/ King district in Toronto. 

e x h i b i t i o n s

1986

"Furniture - Six Perspectives " . Leo Kamen Gallery . Toronto . Canada
 Invitational show . Installed “Waterfall Shower stall" - born of a need for a place of calm and privacy.

h o n o r

1986

"Soup, Soup Beautiful Soup" . Campbell’s Museum Invitational Show
Toronto . Canada . “Mock Turtle Soup Tureen”received purchase award for the Koffler Center . Selected by Carl C. Dauterman . Curator Emeritus . Metropolitan Museum of Art . New York

1986

Recipient of an Ontario Arts Council Equipment Grant

i n f l u e n c e

1987

Briefly studied glass casting at OCA Toronto under Alfred Engerer and collaborated with Sheila Mahut on a number of glass pieces, she later would come back to working with the medium because of the way it held light.

h o n o r

1988

MUSEUM OF MAN . Ottawa . Canada . One of 3 sculptors short-listed by a national selection committee for a major mural competition for the new national museum, submitted large figurative work which was turned down.

i n f l u e n c e

1988

Took a 3 week solo camping trip to the Four Corners area in the southwest. Visited the Anasazi, Hopi and Navajo sacred sites and the canyons. Rented in a small car took only a tent, sleeping bag, camera and 35 rolls of film. The influence of the desert landscape was immediately seen in the new body cast works.

1988

Katherine reconnected with Tim Whiten while she was starting the new body casting. He introduced her to the writings of Joseph Campbell, Robert Bly and Coleman Barks  translations of Rumi  - works which would stay by her side for 30 years and influence both the direction of her work and her life.

e x h i b i t i o n s

1990

One Woman Exhibition . Franklin Silverstone Gallery at Olga Korper's
Toronto . Canada . the first public viewing of “Daughters and Sisters” , the memorial for the 1989 Montreal Massacre at the Polytechnique , "Rolling Nevada landscape" plus 8 other new body-cast works.

1990

Canadian Contemporary Ceramics . Kunst Klubben Gallery . Oslo . Norway
Juried exhibition . Child Abandon ceramic press-molded work of a cast of a 4 year old child selected to show.

1990

“Daughters and Sisters”
"Don’t remain silent" . Juried Show . 'A' Space . Toronto . Canada

1990

“Daughters and Sisters”
Memorial Show . Woman’s Common Show . Toronto . Canada

1990

“Cake Plate" invitational show at the Koffler gallery . Toronto . Canada
"Rumi Cake Plate" using the cast hands and arms of the artist for
press-molds

e d u c a t i o n

1990-92

ARCOSANTI & COSANTI . Cordes Junction . Arizona . United States
             Construction Workshop with Paolo Soleri
             Ceramic Architecture Workshop with Nadar Khalili 

h o n o r

1992

Ontario Arts Council funded the Phoenix Icehouse exhibition of "Daughters and Sisters"

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e x p e r i e n c e

1991-93

Invited to Arcosanti to  teach, research silt-cast concrete systems and live sustainably. Also studied Reiki & Homiopathy. Over the following 15 years  trained over 800 students of all ages in Soleri's earth-cast tile, construction & model building systems.Workshops were given as far afield as the School of Architecture in Chandigarh, India and as close to home as a primary school in Corte Madera, California.

i n f l u e n c e

1992

Once in Arizona met Helen Hestenes and David Therrien the founders of Crash Arts who at that time had just purchased a  historic icehouse. This started a 19 year connection with The Icehouse and the alternative arts scene in Phoenix . She lived alone in the building  for a number of months while she was establishing herself in the city.

1992

Formed lasting bonds / influential relationships with a number of the Phoenix art community : Icehouse owners and artists Janet de BergeLange, Sean O'Donnel and Rose Johnson.

1992

Volunteered for CESO in KENYA (CANADIAN EXECUTIVE SERVICES
ORGANIZATION) A four month private sector project in Nairobi slums with the Muugano women's group. A this time  connected with Gillies Turle, The Ol Onana Project Maasai cultural preservation/museum Project.

e x h i b i t i o n

1993

13 Woman at the IceHouse . Phoenix . United States
Opening of the IceChambers, "Daughters and Sisters" had a chamber of its own - This was the first time that the boardwalk and black water was used with the intension of creating a deep-water  grotto. 

e d u c a t i o n

1993

ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY . Graduate College (INCOMPLETE)
Architecture & Environmental Design

i n f l u e n c e

1993

The 4 most significant introductions while at ASU -  the architecture of Louis Khan and the installations of James Turrell - whose work with light she  saw  as transcendent, and music /films of Philip Glass and the films of Serge Parajanov whose works to her were almost primal.  They inspired a desire in her to create installations that could access viewers at those 'soul' levels.

1993

Discovered the co-authored work of  Marion Woodman  "Leaving My Father's House" which  began a yearly visit to the work and a personal exploration process that spanned almost sixteen years.

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e x p e r i e n c e

1993-99

Researched low-tech concrete construction systems . Provided cultural preservation support for Maasai in Kenya :

Initially worked on the periphery of the project as the primary researcher developing an new earth-cast concrete construction system, and Kenyan liaison, for a proposed Maasai Museum in the Ngong Hills. At the Maasai community’s request, coordinated the start up of a series of cultural preservation aspects of the project (herbal remedy documentation, videoed language lessons) and and designed the project’s web site.

Development was done with the support and under the supervision of ASU's – Herbarium, Language Labs, Architecture, Engineering, IT Lab, Educational Media and Anthropology. Building design was to have been under the supervision of Paolo Soleri. Supported by Maasai Museums, the Kenyan Catholic Maasai schools and local NGO’s.

The project was halted, with great reluctance, due to a difficult Kenyan political climate and unrest within the Maasai community

h o n o r

1993-97

ASU Grants for the Ol Onana Project from:
Office of the PROVOST of RESEARCH . HERBERGER CENTER . Office of the DEAN of ARCHITECTURE . GAMMAGE AUDITORIUM  .  CONTINENTAL HOMES Travel Award . JANE TANFIELD Scholarshi  .  AIA Student Award/RIO SALADO CHAPTER

i n f l u e n c e

1995

Deeply moved by the Maasai rites of passage, specifically the one that signified the passage of the individual into the community as an elder, Katherine created and videoed an elaborate over-night ceremony in the Icehouse chambers where a few members of her community were invited  to partake, symbolically divesting her of her past and supporting her to move forward. 

e x h i b i t i o n s

1995

"South Mountain Respite" . South Phoenix . Arizona . United States
One woman Invitational . 4 wrapped casts installed in South Mountain area.
Funded by graduating class School of Architecture, Arizona State University

1996

 "Gold Cocoon Room" . The IceHouse . Phoenix . Arizona . United States

"Daughters and Sisters" and the "Blind Muse" were last seen that night used
by Survival Research Laboratories in the event "A Million Inconsiderate
Experiments", in Phoenix, Arizona, United States . Large steel arrows were
imbedded into the cast creating warheads -- that were catapulted into the
desert night.

w o r k  

e x p e r i e n c e

1997-99

Worked a year and a half in construction and in the Architectural office of Steven Helffrich . Phoenix . Arizona . designing alternative way-finding solutions and fabricating a copper/neon installation for a Scottsdale-Indian School Mall.

i n f l u e n c e

1995

Ran out of personal funding for graduate school. Was unable to accept the assistance-ship that was offered by the school - - feeling overwhelmed by the culture shock of re-entry after living with the Maasai in Kenya for 5 months.

1999 -01

Regrouping Time . Back injury required  permanent withdrawal from the masters program at ASU and work in Arizona . Moved to Twinbridges Montana . Once healed worked full time gentling horses for Patrick Severance, and worked weekends in Alzheimer’s Units.

w o r k  

e x p e r i e n c e

2001-04

Teaching Paolo Soleri’s earth-cast concrete casting systems, aiding in the creation of children’s sculpture gardens and refining the Soleri’s processes for better detail in thin-cast concrete art panels, also spending 3 years in the Feldenkrais neuromuscular training.

i n f l u e n c e

2004-10

Katherine Zsolt Studios . Sonoma . California
Body-casts, deep-water grotto installations and the 'veils' are the present focus. Design work, commissions and photography provide the income that for the research and the development of personal work.

2009

Sudden death of brother John in March and Father Andrew in April.

h o n o r

2009

"Lunar Pool" Rose Johnson Memorial . A deep-water reflective pool .  Invitational that was funded by The IceHouse . Phoenix . United States

e x h i b i t i o n s

2009

"Sleep Walking into Cocoon" . One woman exhibition  .  Untitled Gallery . Sausalito . California . United States . Kristina Delle Valle curator . Preview of sculptural work for the 2010 Icehouse installation

2010

"Leaving My Father's House" . One Woman Show
The IceHouse Contemporary Art Compound . Phoenix . United States
Multimedia installation inspired by the book 'Leaving My Father's House' by Jungian analyst Marion Woodman.  Visitors followed a path through three rooms in the 12,000 sq. ft. venue, a combination of relief wall panels, body cast installations and video and “the waiting” the 3rd major Deep-water installation.

The project started as the journey of a individual and grew  to involve almost 300 people who voluteered to work fabricating or installing the project  or donated money to ensure its completion. The goal of the collaborative effort was to have the work travel to small communities all over America.

h o n o r

2010

Project Grant . Arts Council of Sonoma . California
To install 'Leaving My Father's House' at the Arts Festival Sonoma September  2010