Artist Kathy Butterly to speak at Jan Fisher Memorial Lecture Series

Kathy Butterly's quirky, small sized sculptures and exquisitely colored glazes speak to the influence of legendary Funk artists Robert Arneson, whom she studied with, and Ron Nagle. Her work merges human and vegetal forms into organic ceramic shapes. The artist creates in response to her surroundings and topical issues. She describes her newer work as starting to feel like figure/landscapes involving outside elements. "Maybe I would call these ‘harmonious-parasitic-invaders,'" Butterly says. Labor intensive, Butterly often fires her work up to 20-30 times to achieve the jewel-like effects she seeks.

Butterly grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey and attended Moore College of Art and Design in Philadelphia where she studied painting and sculpture. She planned on a painting career until she encountered the work of sculptor Viola Frey (1933-2004), who was a guest artist at the school. Butterly earned a BFA from Moore College of Art & Design in 1986 and an MFA from University of California, Davis in 1990. Her work is represented in numerous national and international collections and her work is sought after by collectors worldwide.

The series is named in honor of Jan Fisher, an art history graduate student and member of Ceramics Leaders of ASU who passed away in 2006. This series brings established and emerging women ceramists to the Phoenix community.