Katherine Zsolt . Resume . 2010
Education
BACHELOR OF FINE ARTS . Visual Arts Major
YORK UNIVERSITY . Toronto . Canada 1977
Focus: Contemporary Sculpture with Tim Whiten . Ceramics with David Gilhooly
Color and 2D design . Asian Art History . Film History & Photography
Continuing Education
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY . Graduate College (incomplete)
Architecture & Environmental Design
1994-96 Studies in Master of Architecture 3 Plus Program
1993-94 Studies in Master of Science Program
ARCOSANTI . CORDES JUNCTION . Arizona 1991-92
Construction Workshop with Paolo Soleri
Ceramic Architecture Workshop with Nadar Khalili
KOFFLER CENTER FOR THE ARTS . Toronto . Canada . Directed by Jane Mahut
Architectural Ceramic Workshops * Significant influence - Kimpei Nakamura. In Nakamura's
workshop Katherine created the first model for her healing grottos. Initially the sense of a
grotto was subtle or even veiled in the corporate work , but she 'cut to the chase' in the
personal deep-water work at the IceHouse in Phoenix.
Selected Exhibitions
2010 "Leaving My Father's House" . One Woman Show
At The IceHouse Contemporary Art Compound . Phoenix . United States
Multimedia installation inspired by a favorite book 'Leaving My Father's
House' by Jungian analyst Marion Woodman. The book parallels a Grimm's
Brother's Fairy Tale with explorations of
personal development.
Visitors followed a path through three rooms in the 12,000 sq. ft. venue, each
depicting
a stage in that development and growing personal awareness - a combination of relief wall panels,
body cast
installations and video offerings. The final work, "The Waiting", challenging the viewer to
reflect upon their role
in the world community and accept responsibility for the fate of our children.
2009 "Sleep Walking into Cocoon" . One woman exhibition
Untitled Gallery . Sausalito . California . United States
Preview of sculptural work for the 2010 Icehouse installation
2009 "Lunar Pool" Rose Johnson Memorial . A deep-water reflective pool
Invitational/funded by The IceHouse, Phoenix, United States
1996 "Gold Cocoon Room" . The IceHouse . Phoenix . Arizona . United States
Cocooned body-cast of the artist installed in a gold-leafed room.
1996 "Daughters and Sisters" and the "Blind Muse" were last
seen in 1996, 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.
1995 "South Mountain Respite" . South Phoenix . Arizona . United States
One woman Invitational . 4 wrapped casts installed into South Mountain Orchard
Funded by graduating class School of Architecture, Arizona State University
1993 16 Woman at the IceHouse . Phoenix . United States
Opening of the IceChambers, "Daughters and Sisters" memorial installation was
supported by the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto, Canada
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 "Don’t remain silent" . Juried Show . 'A' Space . Toronto . Canada
“Daughters and Sisters”
1990 Woman’s Common Show . "Daughters and Sisters" . 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
1889 One Woman Exhibition . Franklin Silverstone Gallery at Olga Korper's . Toronto, Canada
“Daughters and Sisters” first public viewing . plus 8 other body-cast works.
1986 "Furniture - Six Perspectives " . Invitational show
Leo Kamen Gallery . Toronto . Canada
"Interior Waterfall " - born of a need for a place of calm and privacy.
1986 "Soup, Soup Beautiful Soup" . Campbell’s Museum Invitational Show
Mock Turtle Soup Tureen received purchase award for the Koffler Center . Toronto
Selected by Carl C. Dauterman . Curator Emeritus . Metropolitan Museum of Art . New York
1885 Two Woman Show with Susan Edgerly . Koffler Center for the Arts . Toronto . Canada
8 foot by 8 foot Alice in Wonderland Chess Board . Purchased by Gloria Steel . donated to
Mount Sinai Hospital . Toronto . It resided on the 2nd floor admitting for 20 years
1985 “Furniture Show” . Invitational Show . Tate Gallery . Toronto Canada
1983 “Erotica and Valentines” . Juried Show . Yorkville Gallery . Toronto . Canada
Exhibited series of press-molded Body-Cast ceramic work and Erotic "Alice"
1983 “Miniatures at Large” . Invitational Show . Tate Gallery . Toronto Canada
1982 “4 Sculptors in Raku” . Koffler Gallery . Toronto
Exhibited the first in a series of Alice in Wonderland related works
Work History
2004-10 Sonoma . California . Katherine Zsolt Studios . Exhibition and installations are the focus of the work.
Design work, commissions and photography provide the income that allows for the research and
the
development of personal work.
2001-04 San Rafael . California . Three years spent training to be a Feldenkrais practitioner, teaching children
earth-cast concrete casting systems and developing Paolo Soleri's process for better cast detail and
for thin
-cast concrete art panels.
2001-99 Twinbridges . Montana . Regrouping Time
1996-99 Phoenix . Arizona . Worked a year and a half in construction plus a year in the Architectural office of
Steven Helffrich designing alternative way-finding solutions and fabricating a copper/neon installation for a
Scottsdale-Indian School Mall. Two injuries required Katherine's withdrawal from
the masters program.
1993 -97 Tempe . Arizona . ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY . Graduate College . Architecture & Environmental
Design Researched low-tech concrete construction systems . Provided cultural preservation support for the
Maasai in Kenya :
OL ONANA PROJECT
Initially worked on the periphery of the project as the primary researcher
developing an earth-cast concrete
construction system, and as Kenyan liaison, for a proposed Maasai Museum in the Ngong Hills. At the Maasai
community’s request coordinated the cultural preservation aspects of the project and designed the
project’s web
site. (Development was done with the support and under the supervision of Arizona State University’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.
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
Connected with The Ol Onana Project . a Maasai cultural preservation/museum Project
1991-93 Cordes Junction . Arizona . ARCOSANTI & COSANTI . United States
At a 1990 Construction Workshop with Architect Paolo Soleri, Katherine was
invited to return to research, teach
silt-cast concrete workshops, and live sustainably. Over the following 15 years she
trained over 800 students of
all ages in Soleri's earth-cast tile, construction and model building systems. Workshops
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.
1985 -95 Toronto . Canada . Started FRASER AVENUE STUDIOS Incorporated with partner Mario Noviello so that they
could do their art. They created a viable art community out of a 17,000
square foot - 100 year old warehouse in
the Dufferin/ King district in Toronto. Sixteen live-in artist studios. Project is ongoing and continues to be run
by Noviello.
1982-91 Toronto . Canada . Katherine Zsolt & Associates . With each move to larger working space Katherine’s projects
jumped up in scale. The Corporate installations, 22 in total, were designed specifically as 'sanctuary space' for the
users of the buildings. Though there was an effort to marry corporate identities, art and architecture -- ultimately the
focus was to create spaces that transcended the mundane.
Associates- Artists : Mario Noviello, Judy Lowry, Elaine Johnston, Bruce Eakin,
Jim Hong Louie, Sheila Mahut.
1978-82 Toronto . Canada . Started Clay Conceptions with Nina Czegledy . Four year partnership where nine permanent
ceramic architectural/art installations were jointly designed and executed.
Awards & Special Honors
2010 Project Grant . Arts Council of Sonoma . California
For the 'American Venus Project' at the
Arts Festival Sonoma . August 2010
1994-97 ASU Grants for the Ol Onana Project from:
Office of the PROVOST of RESEARCH Office of the DEAN of ARCHITECTURE
GAMMAGE AUDITORIUM HERBERGER CENTER
CONTINENTAL HOMES Travel Award JANE TANFIELD Scholarship
AIA Student Award/RIO SALADO CHAPTER
1990-91 ARTS COUNCIL GRANT . Ontario . Canada 1988 MUSEUM OF MAN . Ottawa . Canada
Project funding for “Daughters and Sisters” in Phoenix One of three sculptors short listed by a
plus an Equipment Grant national selection committee for a major
mural competition for the new museum
1986 CAMPBELL MUSEUM INVITATIONAL SHOW
Purchase award for the Koffler Center,Toronto
Selected by Carl C. Dauterman
(Curator Emeritus Metropolitan Museum of Art New York)
Selected Media Coverage
Phoenix New Times, (print and internet) Phoenix New Times
"Leaving My Father's House" not to be missed' Online slide show by Kathleen Vanesian
Article by Kathleen Vanesian 2010: March 11
2010: March 11
“Reclamation of the Territory” The Ryerson Review of Journalism: Canada
Essay by Tim Whiten, Canadian Scholar Back of the Rack, L. Felesky
Practicing Artist/Educator Emeritus York University http://www.rrj.ca/issue/1997/summer/245
MATRIART: A Canadian Feminist Art Journal BORDER/ LINES: Cultures Contexts Canadas
article by M.J. Barkhouse 1992: Issue Number 24125
1992: Volume 31 Number 2
PARALLELOGRAMME Canada ONTARIO CRAFT Canada
1991: Volume 1/Number 4 Furniture: Six Perspectives by Gloria Hickey
1986: Summer . New Essay 2009
IT IS ASU: USA, The Ol Onana Project, Full site on line
from 1996 until 2002. Brief of project @
http://is.asu.edu/projects/information/olonana.html
Selected Clients & Institutional Collections
The Royal Ontario Museum, Toronto Mitsubishi Electric, Toronto
CCL Industries, Toronto Matsushita Electric of Canada
Mount Sinai Hospital Private Collection, Toronto The Prudential Assurance Company
Confederation Life, Toronto St. Joseph's Health Center, Toronto
North York General Hospital, Toronto United Way of Greater, Toronto
The Koffler Gallery Permanent Collection, Toronto York Regional Hospital, Newmarket