Statement/CV
Artist Statement
I create experimental prints, and drawings on paper. Much of my current work is created using a language of shapes that mimic the threadlike hyphae of mycelium (the root-like structure of fungi that connects all plant life). These same formations are ubiquitous, representing everything from the macro of galactic space to the micro of quantum physics. Driven by these symmetries, my recent work is meant to be a symbol of the structures that support human connection.
I often use science (oxidation, symmetry, tech), to look for connection and transcendence in the mystical corners of our universe. Despite our current raging, changing, frightful existence, I close my eyes and conjure up the feeling of becoming the dust of the universe- the star particles that are part of us. ALL of us. The “all” that has no taxonomy. These particles have been here for millennia and will be here long after we’re gone. I imagine (and then create) deep spaces where mycorrhizae mesh with all living things. In this I find soothing hope, and a catalyst for creating.
“To understand this [fungi] kingdom, is to see the natural world differently – less as a collection of individual species, with humans dominating them all, and more as a web of organisms dealing with crisis together.”
– from Unearthing the Secret Superpowers of Fungus by Somini Sengupta, NY Times, July 27, 2022.
Bio
Karen Hunter McLaughlin is a lifelong Philadelphia artist who has worked in traditional 2-D mediums as well as steel wire sculpture, and digital new media. She is currently exploring the fine art of monotype and the spontaneous, corrosive properties of oxidized metal. Her work is often developed across a surface in cascading or ascending layers that represent movement, bespeaking the passage of time. Karen introduced new media work in augmented reality during a six month artist residency at Cheltenham Center for the Arts in 2021. This new media work allows her to add an another dimension off the page, while finally integrating her longtime digital and analog mediums.
Karen has been a member of Artessa Alliance, a women’s artist cooperative since 2007. She has been a leading member of the group since 2016 and has curated several of the group’s exhibitions. In 2012-14 Karen worked on the large multi-venue installation “One Year” in collaboration with artists, Brenda Howell, Janice Hayes-Cha, Julie Mann and Kimberly Mehler. Working under two Leeway Foundation Art and Change Grants (’11, ’13) the artists spent two years mounting several large-scale installations using hundreds of handmade wire vessels. Both a mentoring project and art collaboration, One Year was mounted with assistance from Philadelphia anti-violence group- Mothers in Charge.
She has exhibited extensively in the Philadelphia tri-state area, and throughout the United States, including several recent solo exhibits. Her work is held in many private collections as well as in permanent collections at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, East Norriton, PA, and Mission First Projects at Union Eagle Apartments in Bordentown New Jersey, and MBP Apartments in Philadelphia, PA. Karen’s art has also been included in several publications including Philadelphia Stories and Extraordinary Gifts, Remarkable Women of the Delaware Valley.
Karen was founder and director of KM Digital Design, a graphic and website design and development company from 2010 to 2024.
Selected Exhibitions
Solo Exhibits
2025Solo Exhibit, Foulkeways at Gwynedd July-August
2025Eternity in an Hour, Solo Exhibit Pennswood Gallery, Newtown Pa.
2024Golden Thread, Winter Solo Series at Abington Art Center, January, Abington, PA
2021Over-Understory, in support of a Cheltenham Center for the Arts Print Residency, Cheltenham PA
Group Exhibits
2025The Peace of Wild Things, 3rd Biennial, Artessa Alliance, September- October, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA,
2024Converge: 9th Benefit Exhibition, Bridgette Mayer Gallery, June-August, Philadelphia PA
2023Matter and Energy, Biennial exhibition with artist collaborative Artessa Alliance, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
2023Crafting Nature, depicting the various ways humans interact with the natural world, April 2-June 3, Inliquid Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2023Interconnection, a reflection on artistic relationships with the more-than-human world, Jan-Feb, Awbury Arboretum, Philadelphia, PA
2022Group Exhibition, an exploration of destruction and rebirth, Juror Leah Appleton, OCJAC Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2022Annual Juried Exhibition – Split, Juror Riley Strong, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
2021Kinship, Augmented Reality installation, High School Park, Elkins Park, PA
2021Monitor & Adjust, Clay on Main, 313 Main St. Oley PA
2021Ebb & Flow, PII Gallery, 242 Race Street Philadelphia, PA 19106
2021Apart:Together, Artessa Alliance Group Show at Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Deeper Look
2020Artists in the Time of Corona, An Ongoing Virtual Exhibition, Part 24, The Art Blog
2020American Color Print Society, On the Wall. Virtual Exhibit, Philadelphia Plastic Club
2020Women’s Caucus for Art Philadelphia, Virtual First Friday Exhibition
2020Small Favors XV, The Clay Studio, Juror Leila Cartier 139 N 2nd St, Philadelphia, PA 19106
2020New Now III, Inliquid Gallery, 1400 N. American St., Philadelphia, PA 19122
2020Weathered, Five Themes Project Exhibit, Manifest Gallery, 2727 Woodburn Avenue, Cincinnati, OH
2020Printmaking, Thinking in Reverse- Chester County Art Association invitational, West Chester Galleries of the Chester County Art Association.
2019Print Explosion– American Color Print Society, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
2019Marginalized– MCCC Fine Art Center, 340 Dekalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA, AND the Drexel Pearlman Building, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA
2019Art Et Al– DaVinci Art Alliance, 704 Catharine St, Philadelphia, PA 19147
2019Visual Democracy– Art In City Hall Gallery, 116 City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
2019Process Biennial Exhibit– Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
2018Art on Paper– Site:Brooklyn Gallery, 165 7th Street, Brooklyn, New York
2018Summer MamaCITA Exhibit- D’Arrigo Family Gallery, Hafter Student Community Center, Salus University, Elkins Park, PA
2018Annual Juried Show, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Katherine Stanek juror, Cheltenham, PA
2017Flat Rate Box, Precious/Unprecious. Modified Arts Gallery, Phoeniz, AZ.
2017Intimate Landscapes, two person show with Julia Rix. St. John’s Creative Arts Series 2017-2018, Melrose Park, PA
2016Annual Juried Exhibition, Manayunk Roxborough Art Center, Philadelphia, PA, Honorable Mention Award
2016Simplicity, Triennial Juried Art Show, William Penn Charter School, Philadelphia, PA
2016Mission First Housing- Union Eagle Apartments – Permanent Installation, 1 Spring Street, Bordentown, NJ
2015 Re.Collection, Group Solo Show and Installation (curator), Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
2014 Annual Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
2014 The Road to Here, B-Square Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
2014 Looking Up at the Cosmos, Commissioned Collaborative Mural, Mission First Housing
2014 Annual Juried Show, Richard Rosenfeld juror, Cheltenham Center for the Arts, Cheltenham, PA
2014 Mission First Housing Commission– Permanent Installations, 2811 West Sedgley Avenue, Philadelphia, PA
2013 Beginnings–Permanent Commissioned Installation at Einstein Medical Center Montgomery, East Norriton, PA
2013 MamaCITA at the Capitol Building East Wing, State House Harrisburg, PA
2013 One Year, Collaborative Art Installation at The Rotunda (Philadelphia FringeArts), Philadelphia, PA Funded by Leeway Foundation
2013 One Year, Collaborative Art Installation at the Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA Funded by Leeway Foundation
2013 Represent, Langman Gallery Building, 218 Old York Rd, Jenkintown, PA
2012 Meta-Fiber, Fiber Philadelphia, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
2012 Annual Juried Show, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
2011 Following the Line, Art in City Hall, Philadelphia, PA
2011 The Varied and the Overlapped, Joseph R. and Paul W. Gates Gallery, Colora, Maryland
2011 Rooted, Paintings and Drawings Inspired by Nature, two person show, Kol Ami, Elkins Park, PA
2011 Landscape LOVE, Love Park Welcome Center, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA
2010 (W)holon, Abington Art Center, Abington, PA
2010 Women in the Arts, Abington Friends School , Abington PA
2010 Organics, Art Informed and Inspired by Nature, Les Idees Gallery, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA
2009 Green Lane Commons, Green Lane and Silverwood St., Philadelphia, PA
2008 Wilmington Arts Commission, The Louis L. Redding Building, 800 N. French St, Wilmington, DE,
2008 Montgomery County Guild of Professional Artists, The Inquirer Building, Conshohocken, PA
2008 Diversity in Community, Juried Exhibition, St. John’s Creative Arts Series 2008, Melrose Park, PA
Education
1977-1981- Tyler School of Art, Temple University
2002, 2005- Wire Tinkering at Wolf Workshops, Portand, ME with Ellen Wieske, Asst. Director, Haystack Mountain School of Craft
2007- Book/Printmaking- Erin Tohill Robin- Cheltenham Arts Center
2017-Ongoing – Various Printmaking classes with Nicole Dul, Cheltenham Center for the Arts
Professional Associations
Inliquid
Cheltenham Center for the Arts
Artessa Alliance, Cooperative in the Arts
Awards and Grants
Cheltenham Center for the Arts Print Residency, January-September, 2021
CCA 80th Annual Member Show, Print Guild Award for Bloodline, January 2021
CCA Print Guild Award in honor of Esther Rose Fisher for Dogwood Fall, January 2017
Honorable Mention– Manyunk Roxborough Art Center, annual juried show. July 2016
Leeway Foundation, Art and Change. Two grants: Jan, 2012-December 2013, March 2013-December 2013
HatchFund (Formerly USAProjects), artist advocacy grant, 2012
Philadelphia’s Mothers in Charge Peacemaker Award (with MamaCITA), 2012
Press/Bibliograpy/Video
Voyage Pennsylvania Interview, July 16, 2026
Eternity in an Hour – Artist Talk at Pennswood Gallery (VIDEO), January 2025
Eternity in an Hour, Buck County Herald, January 2025
Canvas Rebel Interview, May 2024
Brandywine Art Guide: Solo Series at Abington Art Center, Article by Victoria Rose in Chadds Ford Live, January 13, 2024
Art Watch Radio Podcast Interview with Rebecca Shultz & Guest Host Constance McBride- Artessa Alliance Reinvention, May 27, 2020
Artists in the time of Coronavirus, an ongoing virtual exhibition, Part 24, Artblog, April 28, 2020
The Whitman Effect– Hunter Ghosts: Feminine Tree 1865 image included as part of Whitman at 200, Art and Democracy celebration, 2019.
Portrait of the Artist as an Entrepreneur- Ladies Who Launch, Interview with Melissa Tevere for Drexel University’s Close School of Entrepreneurship, April 18, 2019
Precious/Unprecious- Here’s the Best Art We Saw in Metro Phoenix in December 2017, Phoenix News Times by December 29, 2017
One Year – Review – theartblog.com
One Year – “In art, mothers find way to deal with losing a child“, article by Melissa Dribben, Inquirer Staff Writer
One Year – Radio Interview – WHYY Newsworks interview by Yowei Shaw
Beginnings – “Images to Soothe“, article by Amy S. Rosenberg, Inquirer Staff Writer
Extraordinary Gifts, Remarkable Women of the Delaware Valley . Edited by Melissa Tevere, Carla Spataro, Tara S. Smith and Courtney Bambrick. 2014.
Antithetical Mutation – Drawing featured in Philadelphia Stories Magazine, Summer 2012