Caitlin T. McCormack

Contact Information

chicken.mccaitlin@gmail.com

http://www.caitlintmccormack.com/

1901 S. 9th St 504-G Philadelphia, PA 19148

Please contact artist for purchases, commissions, etc.

Fiber Art/Sculpture & 3D

Artist's Biography

Caitlin McCormackis a Philadelphia-based fiber artist who works primarily with crocheted cotton thread that is dredged in a mixture of glues, stiffened, and positioned in the form of animal and humanoid skeletons, which are showcased in velvet-lined shadow boxes and under glass display domes. She earned a BFA in Illustration from The University of the Arts in 2010, and originally pursued illustration as a career, but has found her footing, and a sense of fulfillment, in the creation of these sculptures, which convey her thoughts regarding memory, and how the authenticity of a recollection becomes distorted over time.

Caitlin's body of work, which originates as sketches drawn from memory after observing osteological specimens, transforms throughout theprocess of its construction, and becomes a hybrid of recognizable, skeletal forms, and the artist's own visual biases. She has taken part in gallery and museum exhibitions across the US, as well as in Japan, the UK, Germany, Australia, and The Netherlands, and receives representation from Paradigm Gallery + Studio in Philadelphia.

Artist's Statement

The act of stiffening intricately crocheted cotton string with glue produces material that is structurally similar to delicate bone tissue. The string utilized in this process can be viewed as the basic cellular unit of fabrication, and by utilizing media and practices inherited from my deceased relatives, I aim to generate emblems of my diminishing bloodline, embodied by each organism's skeletal remains.

With a majority of my work, I employ pseudoscientific principles and antiquated methods to generate material, in an attempt to impart a visual indication that something has transpired in a fabricated reality. I aim to construct the likenesses of creatures suspended in a state of perpetual dormancy, by way of crocheting - a practice that is based upon active proliferation. Little by little, this process permits me to construct a very personal taxonomy of creatures symbolizing my memories and experiences.

The material out of which my work is composed acts as an alchemical conduit between the garment and the clothesline; it acknowledges the latter as a symbol of the ancestry and familial bonds which have greatly informed my work. I wish to give the impression that a garment has disintegrated and reformed itself, warped by the passing of time, in the image of a tenacious animal's remains, a reflection on both the persistence of memory and the significance of cloth and thread in the realm of human experience.

Selected Exhibitions

Solo and Two-Person
2019
See You All in There, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2018
Changing Death (Lazarus Taxa), Laurel Hill Cemetary, Philadelphia, PA

Antibeast, Last Rites Gallery, New York, NY

Lusus Naturae, The Banana Factory, Bethlehem, PA
With Alex Eckman-Lawn

2017
Tracing the Remains, The Thomson Hall Gallery at the Mütter Museum, Philadelphia, PA
With Sabrina Small

Lazarus Taxa, Paradigm Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Home, Again, Antler Gallery, Portland, OR

2016
Immemorial, Antler Gallery, Portland, OR
With Jason Borders

Lostwithall, Lu Luz de Jesus, Los Angeles, CA

New Works by Hannah Carter and Caitlin McCormack, The Convent, Philadelphia, PA

Infinite://\\:Intimate, Red Truck Gallery, New Orleans, P
LA

2015
Exquisite Echoes, Gray Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Ex Silentio, The Art Dept., Philadelphia, PA
With Casey Murphy

Mnemosyne, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2014
Darktide, Antler Gallery, Portland, OR

Interhaven, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA

2013
Works by Marah Carpenter and Caitlin McCormack, Gleaner's, Philadelphia PA

Ascent of the Carnivorous Milky Bar, Installation at Old City Publishing, Philadelphia, PA

Tiny Town, Red Hook, Philadelphia, PA

2012
Three-Dimensional Works, South Philly Comics, Philadelphia PA

As We Vanish, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA
With Jason Chen

Just a Couple of Guys, Benna's, Philadelphia, PA

Group
2018
Littletopia, Los Angeles Convention Center, Los Angeles, CA

Meet Me At Delancy/Essex, Spoke Art Gallery, New York, NY

Le Bord, Red Truck Gallery, New Orleans, LA

Here/Now, Lawrence Art Gallery, London, UK

Psycho Salon, Superchief Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Fantasia, Spoke Art Gallery, San Francisco, CA

2017
Flesh and Bone, BeinArt Gallery, Victoria, AUS

Familiar, Talon Gallery, Portland, OR

The Happening VI, Local Project Art Space, Long Island City, NY

Tondo, Spoke Art, San Francisco, CA

Delusional, Jonathan LeVine Projects, Jersey City, NJ

2016
Brooklyn Biennial, Cotton Candy Machine, Brooklyn, NY

Latent Form, Marcas Gallery, Santa Ana, CA

Permanence, Haven Gallery, Northport, NY

Methods of Collection, Esther Klein Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Mother Nature, 212 Arts, New York, NY

More Beyond, Brick and Mortar Gallery, Easton, PA

Aestheticism, Vanilla Gallery, Tokyo, Japan

The Thread of Art, Stanek Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Werifesteria, My Plastic Heart, New York, NY

Don't Wake Daddy XI, Feinkunst Krüger, Hamburg, Germany

2015
Brink, Antler Gallery, Portland, OR

Into the Wild, ArtNowNY, New York, NY

Guts, Light Grey Art Lab, Minneapolis, MN

Exquisite Form, Allen's Lane Art Center, Philadelphia, PA

Haven, Haven Gallery, Northport, NY

Lexicon Internali, Stephen Romano Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

The Happening, Cloud City, Brooklyn, NY

Magica Sexualis, Stephen Romano Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

2014
Impossible Books, Philadelphia Sculpture Gym, Philadelphia, PA

The Grotesque, Modern Eden, San Francisco, CA

The Clothesline Muse, Painted Bride Art Center, Philadelphia, PA

Art Inspiring Art, Sundance Channel Headquarters, New York, NY

In Missa Interfectionis, Stephen Romano Gallery, Brooklyn, NY

Common Threads, FOE Gallery, Northampton, MA

The Fourth World, Arch Enemy Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Scope, with Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Miami Beach, FL

Space 1026 Art Auction, Space 1026, Philadelphia, PA

2013
Art in the Now, Memphis Street Academy, Philadelphia, PA

{No} Hope, Salon 1522, Philadelphia, PA

Industrialism, The Art Factory, Paterson, NJ

The Sublime Revisited, Ann Street Gallery, Newburgh, NY

Select Fair, the Catalina Hotel with Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Miami, FL

2012
Confidence is Not a Four-Letter Word, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA

Forgotten Gods, Phantom Hand, Philadelphia, PA

Animal Show, Pterodactyl, Philadelphia, PA

Laughing in the Face Of, PhilaMOCA, Philadelphia, PA

Hung, Little Berlin, Philadelphia, PA

2011
Lightness and Weight, Clip Art Gallery, Philadelphia, PA

Making It: Alumni Works '05 -'10, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA

H x W x D, Paradigm Gallery + Studio, Philadelphia, PA

Illustrious, Guerilla Galleries, Newark, NJ

Museum and Institutional Exhibitions
2017
AltRealities, Mesa Contemporary Arts Museum, Mesa, AZ

Tangled - Fiber Art Now, Taubman Museum of Art, Roanoke, VA

2016
Wolves, Magic Mirrors, and Spinning Wheels - The Anatomy of Fairy Tales, Everhart Museum, Scranton, PA

A Curious Nature, The Philadelphia Art Alliance, Philadelphia, PA

2015
Opus Hypnagogia, The Morbid Anatomy Museum, Brooklyn, NY

Rijswijk Textile Biennial, Museum Rijswijk, Rijswijk, NL

The Skull and Skeleton in Art, Lakeland Community College, Kirtland, OH

Wild, Cornell Art Museum, Delray Beach, FL

2013
Cell Mates, Walsh Gallery at Seton Hall University, South Orange, NJ

2012
Art from Found Objects, The Monmouth Museum, Lincroft, NJ

Artist's Bibliography

Smith, Beth, “On the Dark Side.” Fiber Art Now Vol.8, pg. 29-30.

Morrow, Justine, "Ossified Forms, Forest Whispers." Beautiful Bizarre Magazine Issue 022, pg. 68-71.

Staugaitis, Laura, “Brittle Skeletons Crocheted From Discarded Textiles by Caitlin McCormack.” Thisiscolossal.com, October 31, 2017.

Larkin, Marie, “Caitlin McCormack: Lazarus Taxa at Paradigm Gallery." BeautifulBizarre.net, October 25, 2017.

Meier, Allison, "Responding to Human Remains with Crocheted Skeletons and Beaded Organs." Hyperallergic.com, February 15, 2017.

Billock, Jennifer, "Don't Miss These 11 New Museum Exhibitions This Winter." Smithsonianmag.com, December 2, 2016.

“Infinite://\\:Intimate at Red Truck Gallery.” Juxtapoz.com, November 13, 2016.

“Caitlin T. McCormack." Hey! Magazine, Issue No. 25, 2016, pg. 36 – 39.

Caro, “Caitlin McCormack Revisits Memories with New Crochet Skeletons.” Hifructose.com, April 19, 2016.

Martin, Lisa, “An Interview with Macabre Crocheter Caitlin McCormack.” Makezine.com, April 15, 2016.

Nagle, Aubrey, “Caitlin McCormack's Creepy Crochet Creatures Weave a Touching Tale.” PhillyVoice.com, October 26, 2015.

“Mnemosyne: Works by Caitlin McCormack,” Juxtapoz.com, October 21, 2015.

Caro, “Caitlin McCormack's Delicate Crocheted Animal Skeletons.” Hi-Fructose.com, October 21, 2015.

“Parting Glance, “ image credited to artist, Bust Magazine, October/November 2015, pg. 96.

Erickson, Christine, “Artist's Creepy Crochet Is Actually Sweet Tribute To Grandparents.” Yahoo.com, August 4, 2015.

Yeung, Peter, “Creepy Crochets – In Pictures,” TheGuardian.com, August 1, 2015.

Mier, Victoria, “Philadelphia Artist Experiments With the Threads of Memory." The Philadelphia Inquirer, Philadelphia PA, May 22, 2015. pg 1: Home and Design.

Voynovskaya, Nastia, “Preview: 'Imaginary Menagerie: The Arch Enemy Arts Guide to Cryptozoology Vol. 1.'” Hi-Fructose.com, March 31, 2015.

“Gigantic Sequins Issue 6.1” ed. Kimberly Ann Southwick. Artist feature. January 2015.

Starreveld, Marjolein, “Gehaakte Leegte.” Textiel Plus Magazine Issue 230, Alkmaar, Netherlands, pg. 26 – 28.

Schnabel, JL, “A Studio Visit With Caitlin T. McCormack." Bloodmilk.com, August 19, 2014.

“Eerie Crochet Animal Skeletons by Caitlin T. McCormack." Bleaq.com, August 5, 2014.

Nentwig, Lee, “Our Humble Place in Eternity.” ParadigmMagazine.com, July 11, 2014.

Voynovskaya, Nastia, “On View: 'The Fourth World' at Arch Enemy Arts.” Hi-Fructose.com, June 24, 2014.

Harris, Bella, "“The Castles of My Mine & The Fourth World @ Arch Enemy Arts." BeautifulBizarre.net, June 4, 2014.

Rossignol, Allie, “Ethereal Crocheted Animal Skeletons.” Philadelphia Citypaper.com, March 7, 2014.

Corbett, Sean. “Crochety Creativity.” Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia PA, January 22-29, 2014. pg. 15.

“Portrait of a Seamstress: Caitlin." Madalynne.com, October 29th 2013.

“Tiny Town." Lunch Ticket Literary Journal of Antioch University, Los Angeles CA, Summer/Fall 2013.

“Vol.I, Issue II." Diologist Quarterly Poetry and Art, May 2013.

O'Neill, Josh, “The Locust Moon Top 40." Locust Moon Comics, April 5, 2013.

Finkbiner, Nicole, “Sisterly Affection on Display in Ladylike.” Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia PA, September 12-18, 2012 . pg. 30.

CRED Magazine Issue Two, featured artist, Philadelphia PA, May 2012, pg. 26, 64, 65, and 67

Publications

McCormack, Caitlin, “Untitled Lou Bloom Comic.” Philadelphia City Paper, Philadelphia PA, June 18th, 2015. pg. 11.

McCormack, Caitlin, "Escort Ads." Quarter Moon: The End of the Night, Locust Moon Comics, Philadelphia PA, 2014. 58-59.

Awards and Honors

2010
Thornton Oakley Medal

Ted Carey Award Nominee

2006
Presidential Scholarship, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA

Teaching Experience

2017 - 2018
University of the Arts
Philadelphia, PA
Department of Illustration Guest Lecturer

2018
Hussian College
Philadelphia, PA
Undergraduate Illustration Professor

Commissions

2011
Album cover and disc tray illustration, The Minor Arcana, Emotional Alchemy

Publications

2012
"Featured Artist," CRED Magazine Issue Two, May 2012, pgs. 26, 64, 65 and 67

2011
322 Review: Issue No. 9 Rowan University, Summer 2011

Edge Magazine, alumni spotlight with photograph, Philadelphia PA, Winter 2011, pg. 34

Education

2010
University of the Arts, Philadelphia PA
BFA, Illustration

Recipient of the Thornton Oakley Medal for Achievement in Creative Arts

Recent Artist Member Mentions on InLiquid