ABOUT
Katie Kurkjy, born Katherine Anne Kurkjy, is a Turkish American female artist living and working in Seattle, WA. Focusing on keeping broken and discarded objects out of the landfill, Katie creates captivating sculptures out of items she finds and is donated.
Being raised 20 minutes outside of Seattle, WA, Katie grew up immersed in the rich art and music scenes of the city. Katie was one of four students from the region accepted to the fine art program at Cornish College of the Arts in 2007. There she studied painting and sculpture and created the first piece in what would become her signature style, an acoustic guitar which she cut up, rearranged, and fixed the pieces. At the same time in 2008 she left her position at a local glassblowing studio upon learning about the environmental impact of the art form. After seeing a $4,200 bill for one months’ energy on her boss’s desk, she decided to pursue a more sustainable path. She also spent time working on an organic farm and taking action to battle climate change. Since then, she has dedicated herself to being a full time artist and built her studio in the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Seattle.
Katie creates her unique sculptures to both challenge the mind's concept of something familiar and breathes new life into broken and discarded objects. Her work intends to spark conversations around recycling, inviting viewers to take a second look at what they consider discarding. Recognizing that serious actions need to be taken, and quickly, to maintain the livability of the one planet we have, she hopes her work will inspire conservation and environmental awareness. Professionally, Katie takes on public and private commissions, creates large scale installations, works live at music festivals, shows her work in galleries and more. Her work has been featured in many local news outlets online, in print, and on TV.