Celeste Cooning

Celeste Cooning is an Indiana girl at heart. Graduate studies at University of Washington brought her to Seattle, where she continues to live and work. A pervading interest in pattern and ornament led her to explore cut paper. This process continues to inform her development of site-specific installations for city parks, storefronts, celebrations, and more recently the stage. With the support from 1% for Public Art, 2013 marked the transformation of Cooning’s signature cut paper aesthetic into a permanent outdoor sculpture. Bounty functions as a threshold for Jackson Park Trail and harkens to the lush, abundant beauty of the Pacific Northwest.

Celeste received a 2012 GAP to facilitate the development of the Balcony Project, which utilizes the balcony of the artist’s studio as the forum for hanging a cut paper installation down the building facade. The stylized motifs used in the work allow for varied interpretations, provoking imagination and conjuring sensations of wonder and awe. It is her mission to cultivate this wonder, spark imagination, and nurture joy.