Beth Cavener Stichter

Beth Cavener Stichter received her MFA from Ohio State University in 2002. She has shown in numerous galleries and museums nationally, and is represented by the Claire Oliver Gallery in New York. The sculptures she creates focus on human psychology, stripped of context and rationalization, and articulated through animal forms. On the surface, these figures are simply feral and domestic individuals suspended in a moment of tension. Beneath the surface they embody the impacts of aggression, territorial desires, isolation, and pack mentality. Her work focuses on human psychology, stripped of context and rationalization, and articulated through animal forms.

Beth received 2012 GAP Award funding to defray the significant costs incurred by transporting a group of small-scale figures to Japan. The works will be designed around a central theme that will incorporate the experience of living and working at the Shigaraki Ceramic Cultural Park in Japan. Her work as an artist has always been heavily influenced by the places in which she has worked, and she often strives to capture a sense of the history and cultural personality of the people who live around her.

As part of her Fellowship’s Meet the Artist requirements, Beth’s event took place at Pottery Northwest in Seattle. The event began with a slideshow covering her development as a full-time studio artist over the past 15 years. Afterwards there was a Q&A about the particulars of making work. The event was attended by approximately 50 people. Over the next two days, she gave a demonstration of creating a more-than-life-sized figure which the public was free to come and watch. A workshop was also held (for a fee), with 15 workshop attendees, where they delved intensely into the process of making these large-scale figures. Each day, an additional presentation was given, showing the studio process step by step and covering the process of building one of the pieces from beginning to end, spanning a nine-month period of time. On the second evening, she met with eight young artists for a discussion about making a living through art and writing grants—particularly mentioning Artist Trust.