I envision sculpture as a catalyst for things not easy to come by: shifts in perspective, empathy, vulnerability and connection. With that in mind, I invite engagement with my work in unexpected ways. Via pulleys and levers participants may communicate through my furrow-browed puppets or traverse an assemblage of inner tubes and gelatin molds as they collectively create a game with no fixed rules or predetermined end.

In my newest project, By Word of Nose, I bring our most prominent feature front and center as a symbol of belonging, connection, well-being and self-acceptance. I administer Nose Jobs, one-on-one hour long explorations that lead to a hand-stitched nose sculpture created as an ode to the collector’s nose. These playful exchanges – rooted in the question, What story does your nose tell? – inform each bespoke mini-heirloom piece, from the fabric selection to the form.

My own nose did not escape unwelcome attention in my youth and it left an impression on me. Years later, as I began sewing figures in the same tradition of my family’s fabric puppets, this sensitive feature posed a new challenge. It was not easy to make. In fact, of all the parts of the face, the nose demanded the most attention and dexterity to create. Shaping a slow and steady stream of bulbous forms, I wondered, Would I represent the bump that caused me grief? As I scoured through photos of my beloved noses – the ones who shared the bump and those who shared in the smells of home – a feeling emerged; belonging.

Each soft cotton form in shades of brown and olive, each interrupted slope and embroidered nostril offered me a tenderness I had not offered my own nose before. Soon all I saw were links: to my ancestors, my Colombian heritage, my intuition, my memories and the emotions they awoke. It was a magical portal to my life and all the experiences and people that formed me.

When I sit with a collector, and ultimately their nose, I do so with great care and humility. My Nose Jobs serve as reminders. To breathe deeper, slower, to savor the smell of the ocean breeze, to honor the many ways it connects us to ourselves and others.

With tenderness,

Kat