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Kat

@material.drifter

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Based mostly in:
•fibers + prints + zines + film photos•
Lexington, KY 🪲

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First try at wood burning/belated bday gift for @material.drifter who nurtures so much growth & so many kinds of homes 🌻

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In the puppet factory

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Weekend Update

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A sample of the clarity and beauty created by this year’s visual strategy intensive cohort.

It takes a whole damn lot of us to help our movements look and feel as powerful as we are—
watch out for these signs and banners in the streets near you.

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this dump was sponsored by dawgz

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So happy to have a piece in this show (up at the Cressman Center until August 29) alongside so many artists I look up to, some of whom I am lucky enough to call dear friends. Huge congrats to Gray, who curated the show as part of their thesis! Thanks to all my buddies who showed out, not all pictured, and to those who sent me love from afar.
I’m really bad about taking process vids and pics so I’m trying to do better! Here are some super sped-up time lapses that I recorded each time I worked on this piece.
Shout out Kat for the portrait of me next to my piece and Madz for sneaking a sweetie photo of the pals.

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Thrilled to announce my curatorial thesis show Over Yonder: Queer Rural Utopias opens next Friday at the Cressman Center! This has been years in the making, and I’m so excited it’s finally here. Huge thanks to the wonderful folks at Hite and all the amazing artists, poets, and archivists who helped bring this show to life. I couldn’t be prouder or more grateful.

More info below. Hope to see you there! 🌈
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Placing Appalachia center stage, “Over Yonder: Queer Rural Utopias” brings together contemporary artists and poets, alongside archival ephemera from the Faulkner Morgan Archive, who lean into the inherent queerness of rural spaces. A multi-media show, this exhibition highlights moments of queer potentiality past and present, exploring the ways queer folks are finding joy in spaces commonly seen through a one-sided view of hostility. From handwritten poems and 1990’s archival photography, to abstract pastel drawings and quilted wall hangings, the work presented in Over Yonder gives viewers glimpses of personal utopias found in small towns and hollers, showing that the grass is not always greener on the other side, but instead can be found in one’s own backyard.

Opening: July 10th, 5-7 PM
Dates: July 10- August 29, 2026
Location: Cressman Center - 100 E Main Street
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Pictured: Tanner Hammock, “The Monkey King,” soft pastel on paper, 2024, 22”x29”
Kat Smith, “Sew Says the Lichen,” fabric & embroidery, 2021, 15”x12”

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with insects we share the same light
Curated by Clare Hirn
May 9th-Aug 8th, 2026

soundscape for exhibition by @bensollee

Maybeitsfate Gallery & Social Club
Louisville, Kentucky

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We had a great turnout for the opening! Our first associated programming ; Saturday, May 16th at 1:00pm will be a pollinator presentation about native bees (for all ages) by Leo Carpenter, Entomology Department, University of Kentucky @maybeitsfatesocial

Please help us celebrate Insects! I’ve put together a special show!

WITH INSECTS WE SHARE THE SAME LIGHT

Insects, the most diverse and numerous organisms on Earth, play critical roles in ecosystems nutrient recycling, pollination, seed dispersal, control of populations of other organisms and are a major food source for other taxa. Found for over 350 million years, they are some of the foundational organisms of Earth. With Insects We Share the Same Light aims to heighten our appreciation of the insect world, their habitat, and their plight in the Anthropocene era.

Artists:

Gwen Burke, Sandra Charles, Sabra Crockett, Elle Hendrickson, Clare Hirn, Catherine Irwin, Brenda Kiefer, Douglas Miller, JD Schall, Rachel Singel, Kat Smith, Ben Sollee

Thank you, Amy King, for your curatorial assistance!!

Check back for associated programming!

CLOSING DATE: AUG. 8 Photo by Clare Hirn in Maybeitsfate with @rachelsingel, @material.drifter, and @maybeitsfatesocial. May be an image of insect, poster and text that says 'これだにき WITH INSECTS WE SHARE THE SAME LIGHT Found for over 350 million years, Insects are the most diverse and numerous organisms Earth. Making up half all known living organisms, they play roles ecosystems, nutrient recycling, pollination, seed dispersal, control populations of other organisms and are major food source for other species. OPENING RECEPTION, MAY 9, 2026, CLOSING RECEPTION, AUGUST B MAYBE IT'S FATE 1425 STORY AVE, LOUISVILLE, KY 40206 Gwen Burke Sandra Charles Sabra Crockett Elle Hendrickson Clare Hirn Catherine Irwin Brenda Keifer Douglas Miller JD Schall Rachel Singel Kat Smith Ben Sollee 5-7PM'.

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Folks in DC! Join us for the opening event of art exhibition 500 Miles Out: Carceral Ties Between the District and Central Appalachia, which will highlight the relationship of these two regions via the prison-industrial-complex––including the proposed federal FCI Letcher prison––and feature artwork by BCNP friends and coalition members. Swing by on May 2nd between 4-6pm at Rhizome DC to see artwork by Jordan Martinez-Mazurek, Kat Smith, Comrade Pitt Panther, Tiffany Pyette, and more! Stay tuned for details on @rhizome_dc's website!

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DC! Come by Rhizome May 2nd between 4-6pm to see the opening of 500 Miles Out: Carceral Ties Between the District and Central Appalachia, an art exhibition that highlights connections between the DMV and Appalachian communities via the prison-industrial-complex. Showcased artists use coal dust photography, quilts, and foraged media works to communicate the histories of harm, organizing, and community building which have emerged through this transregional entanglement. Exhibiting artists and folks from the @nonewletcherprison coalition will be present to share more about their work. Visit @rhizome_dc’s website for additional information. See you on the 2nd!

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