Murray State University to host “Daylighting,” a two-person exhibition by artists Caroline Hatfield and Kat Spears

 

MURRAY, Ky. — The Murray State University Galleries and the Department of Art & Design are pleased to present “Daylighting,” a two-person exhibition of recent artwork created by artists Caroline Hatfield and Kat Spears. The exhibition is on view in the Clara M. Eagle Gallery Jan. 15 through Feb. 19. 

“Daylighting” is an exploration of the hidden ecological and emotional undercurrents beneath individuals’ paved-over lives, drawing inspiration from the process of uncovering buried waterways. The sculptural work of Hatfield and the paintings of Spears explore these concepts via an interrogation of dualities such as figure and ground, the figure and the landscape, presence and absence, psychological and physical space. Within this exhibition are thoughtfully curated pairs of works originating from dialogue with a particular landscape, and in their juxtaposition spark new conversations with one another both visually and conceptually from their engagement with the aforementioned themes. Several of the exhibited works were created in direct response to a piece of existing work by the other artist. Through Hatfield’s sculptural forms and Spears’ paintings, the exhibition reveals tensions between presence and absence, self and environment and the visible and unseen.

Hatfield is a visual artist whose practice utilizes sculpture, installation and mixed media to engage with materiality and environment. After completing a Bachelor of Fine Arts in sculpture at the University of Tennessee, she earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) in interdisciplinary studio art from Towson University. Hatfield’s work has been reviewed or included in numerous publications, such as The Washington Post and Alluvian Environmental Journal. She has exhibited artwork nationally and internationally at venues such as The Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina, The Delaware Contemporary in Wilmington, Delaware, and the CICA Museum in Gimpo, South Korea. Recent solo exhibitions include "Foresights and Futures" at VisArts in Rockville, Maryland, and “Celestial/Terrestrial” at Columbia College in South Carolina. Among her awards and honors, she is a recipient of the Trawick Contemporary Art Prize (2018), a South Arts Cross-Sector Impact Grant (2020), and a Mississippi Arts Commission Visual Artist Fellowship Grant (2023). As Assistant Professor and Area Coordinator of Sculpture at Mississippi State University, she lives and works in Starkville, Mississippi.

Spears draws on images and memories of everyday experience to explore mysteries of empathy, perception and unselfing. They hold an MFA in painting from Indiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in studio art and art history from Berea College. They have completed residencies in Indiana and Washington, and are an Elizabeth Greenshields Foundation Grant recipient. Their publications include the 2023 Northeast issue of New American Paintings. Spears is currently based in the southeastern United States, where they are a visiting assistant professor of art at Mississippi State University.

The University Galleries visitor hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission to the galleries is free and open to the public. For more information about the Department of Art & Design, visit murraystate.edu/art or follow them on Instagram @murraystateart.