Kait Rhoads (born 1968) is an American

glass artist Studio glass is the modern use of glass as an artistic medium to produce sculptures or three-dimensional work of art, artworks in the fine arts. The glass objects created are typically intended to make a sculptural or decorative statement, rathe ...

. She uses traditional Italian techniques as a base to create public art, sculpture, vessels and jewelry. The aquatic realm is the root of much of her work, the result of spending six years on a boat in the Caribbean in her youth. Since moving to the Northwest over two decades ago, her fascination extended from coral colonies to kelp forests. Aquatic life infuses her sculptures with animated forms, sparkling surfaces and faceted exoskeletons. Rhoads volunteers at the Seattle Aquarium, gaining inspiration and information on ocean ecology first hand on a weekly basis.

Education

Rhoads earned an Atrium Baccalalureate from Rollins College 1989, BFA in Glass from Rhode Island School of Design 1993 and a MFA in Sculpture from Alfred University 2001. She received a

Fulbright Scholarship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people ...

for study of sculpture in Venice, Italy in 2001–2002.

Career

In 2014, her work was featured in the Morean Arts Center Chihuly Collection, a permanent installation of artwork by

Dale Chihuly Dale Chihuly ( ; born September 20, 1941) is an American glass artist and entrepreneur. He is well known in the field of Glassblowing, blown glass, "moving it into the realm of large-scale sculpture". Early life Dale Patrick Chihuly was born on ...

and other notable artists. Rhoads' work was noted for displaying the "creative possibility" of studio glass. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the

Carnegie Museum of Art The Carnegie Museum of Art is an art museum in the Oakland (Pittsburgh), Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The museum was originally known as the Department of Fine Arts, Carnegie Institute and was formerly located ...

, the Museum of Glass, the

Palm Springs Art Museum The Palm Springs Art Museum (formerly the Palm Springs Desert Museum) is a visual and performing arts institution with several locations in the Coachella Valley, in Riverside County, California, United States, founded in 1938. PSAM has been focu ...

Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium (PDZA) is located in Tacoma, Washington, US and is the only combined zoo and aquarium in the Pacific Northwest, PDZA is owned by Metro Parks Tacoma. Situated on in Tacoma's Point Defiance Park, the zoo and aquariu ...

Seattle Art Museum The Seattle Art Museum (commonly known as SAM) is an art museum located in Seattle, Washington (state), Washington, United States. The museum operates three major facilities: its main museum in downtown Seattle; the Seattle Asian Art Museum in ...

, the Shanghai Museum of Glass and the

Tacoma Art Museum The Tacoma Art Museum (TAM) is an art museum in Tacoma, Washington, United States. It focuses primarily on the art and artists from the Pacific Northwest and broader western region of the U.S. Founded in 1935, the museum has strong roots in the ...

. She is the recipient of the Doug and Dale Anderson Scholarship and the Anne Gould Hauberg Award.

References

External links

Official web site

Kait Rhoads Design
American glass artists American women glass artists Living people 1968 births 21st-century American women artists Rollins College alumni Rhode Island School of Design alumni Alfred University alumni {{US-artist-stub