Kathy Gore-Fuss
Kathy Gore Fuss was born in Seattle (1955) but spent most of her childhood in the Mid-West (Kansas and Indiana). Her family returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1966 where she went on to complete high school, attend the University of Washington and graduate with a BFA in Drawing and Painting from the University of Washington. She has made Olympia, Washington her home since 1980. In 2004, her husband of 23 years died suddenly of a heart attack. The ten years following his death involved an arduous process of rebuilding which included, designing, and building a new studio (2010), shifting her practice to plein aire painting (2011) and organizing, fund raising and introducing her painting workshops and classes (2012). She was selected for the Jentel Artist-in-Residence program (2018) which gave her a much-needed break to explore, experiment and reflect. The 2020 pandemic brought more challenges for creating and exhibiting; this prompted her to shift once again with materials and content. She created an all-volunteer team with community members to help produce floral memorials to honor our community's need to pause, reflect and grieve our collective losses associated with COVID-19. The first of three installations were A Place to Mourn (May 2021) followed by a second piece A Place to Reflect (September 2021). Her third and largest piece, A Place to Pause is part of a group show Bloom at Childhood's End Gallery (June 2022).
"My art allows me to explore a variety of ideas that engage a process that doesn't dictate outcomes. Nature offers the ultimate freedom of expression for me. The tree does not judge, the wind does not evaluate, and the butterfly does not compete. We can form a complex integrated organism, and, through the act of making art, I try to capture some of that feeling, beauty and energy." – Kathy Gore Fuss
My name is Kathy Gore Fuss, and I am a visual artist living in Olympia, Washington. As the death toll from the pandemic increased to unimaginable numbers, I found myself unable to work as a studio artist; I was emotionally overwhelmed. One evening while watching a special report on the PBS Newshour, one of the doctors interviewed explained the massive losses the world was dealing with; the enormity of the grief that humanity was trying to cope with. I remember writing down these words that he said – "we will need places to mourn."
I decided I would create floral memorials in my hometown to honor our community's need to pause, reflect and grieve our collective losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. My first installation ("A Place to Mourn") was self-funded and completed in May 2021 in my own NE Olympia neighborhood. The site location was outdoors, on a friend's property and near a street with high foot traffic. Fresh flowers were attached and wrapped around a stone sculpture. Garlands were hung in a circle from a huge walnut tree encircling a bench for visitors to sit, write in a journal, read a poem, and light a candle. The fresh flowers lasted 26 days, and the community members were overwhelmingly moved by the gift, gesture, and installation. I created a second memorial, "A Place to Reflect," in September 2021 in a neglected pocket park in Olympia's Northwest neighborhood. The installation created an opportunity for the Neighborhood Association, neighbors, and families to revitalize a valuable gathering space returning it to its original stature. I contacted twelve of my friends and art collectors to help fund this installation, and they generously responded with the $1,200 that was necessary.
"My art allows me to explore a variety of ideas that engage a process that doesn't dictate outcomes. Nature offers the ultimate freedom of expression for me. The tree does not judge, the wind does not evaluate, and the butterfly does not compete. We can form a complex integrated organism, and, through the act of making art, I try to capture some of that feeling, beauty and energy." – Kathy Gore Fuss
My name is Kathy Gore Fuss, and I am a visual artist living in Olympia, Washington. As the death toll from the pandemic increased to unimaginable numbers, I found myself unable to work as a studio artist; I was emotionally overwhelmed. One evening while watching a special report on the PBS Newshour, one of the doctors interviewed explained the massive losses the world was dealing with; the enormity of the grief that humanity was trying to cope with. I remember writing down these words that he said – "we will need places to mourn."
I decided I would create floral memorials in my hometown to honor our community's need to pause, reflect and grieve our collective losses associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. My first installation ("A Place to Mourn") was self-funded and completed in May 2021 in my own NE Olympia neighborhood. The site location was outdoors, on a friend's property and near a street with high foot traffic. Fresh flowers were attached and wrapped around a stone sculpture. Garlands were hung in a circle from a huge walnut tree encircling a bench for visitors to sit, write in a journal, read a poem, and light a candle. The fresh flowers lasted 26 days, and the community members were overwhelmingly moved by the gift, gesture, and installation. I created a second memorial, "A Place to Reflect," in September 2021 in a neglected pocket park in Olympia's Northwest neighborhood. The installation created an opportunity for the Neighborhood Association, neighbors, and families to revitalize a valuable gathering space returning it to its original stature. I contacted twelve of my friends and art collectors to help fund this installation, and they generously responded with the $1,200 that was necessary.
Sculptural Installation
