We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kala Rehberger. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kala below.

Kala, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Do you have any thoughts about how to create a more inclusive workplace?

I have lived in the city of Eau Claire in Wisconsin for all of my 24 years of life. I am in love with the growing arts and music culture, but it was once lacking voices from the younger crowd, BIPOC, as well as the LGBTQ+ community. In October of 2021, my friend, Lexi Kane and I, founded the Eau Claire Makers’ Market. We cater to beginner artists who may have never sold their work before. We also aim to provide a safe and welcome space for BIPOC artists, young artists, artists apart of the LGBTQ+ community, and any other folks who might not otherwise have a space to sell and show their artwork.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

My name is Kala Rehberger and I am a multimedia artist. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire in May of 2022 with a BFA in Ceramics and a BA in Psychology. My ceramic artwork is sculptural and often based in horror, the human condition, and psychological concepts. I blend other media into my ceramic work such as wire, fabric, bones, and resin.
On the other side of things, I make jewelry from organic material such as bone, teeth, and other ethically sourced animal parts. You can find me making muskrat jaw necklaces to raccoon penis bone necklaces. (Yes, they have penis bones. It’s called a baculum.) I even make oddity mystery boxes for those who may not wear jewelry. My other modes of art making include collage, lino-cut printing, and found object sculpture.

My business name is called “The Odd House” because I try to make artwork others have never seen before. I want people to walk past my work and think or even say, “that’s odd”, but are still unable to look away. My goal is to make people a bit uncomfortable. Some of my artistic inspirations include David Lynch, Salvador Dali, and Kiki Smith. I am fascinated by the way their use of imagery makes me feel.
Another inspiration for The Odd House, is my grandfather. I remember going over to his house and reading books like “Ripley’s Believe It Or Not” and reading stories and looking at pictures of shrunken heads or people with huge collections of oddities and curiosities. His bathroom includes Alfred Hitchcock posters, red walls, and a shower curtain with a bloody hands smear design. We talk about all of the recent horror movies and scary shows we have seen. He recently went through a pretty horrifying time going through harsh pancreatic cancer treatment. Amazingly, he was able to ring the bell at his local hospital, because he COMPLETED his radiation. He is one of the strongest people I know, and if it wasn’t for all those horror movies, I don’t know how we would have gotten through such a scary and uncomfortable time. He is seriously one of my biggest inspirations, and I wouldn’t be where I would be without all of his odd passions.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

About a month ago, I was fired from my job. I really loved working for them, but I wasn’t working up to their standards. I was absolutely devastated. I thought I had failed and I didn’t see a future for myself. About a week later, I found an opening for a new studio and permanent vendor space at a gallery in Eau Claire called Aritsan Forge. They have an incredible variety of sculpture work as well as a metalworking studio located inside the building. As perfect as the set-up sounded, I felt a bit guilty as it seemed like I didn’t work for it as much as other artists do. I had just graduated, just lost my job, and now I have my own studio. A lot of artists have to work for a while after college before they get to be a full-time artist. I feel incredibly humbled and lucky that I have my dream job nine months out of college and a week after getting fired.

Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.

Throughout high school and college, I was always creating. Whether that was in my art classes or outside of my studies. Unfortunately, making art in college did not pay the bills. I went into my art major knowing and expecting to have multiple jobs to supplement my art career. However, in the past month, I have been transitioning to a full time artist. I recently signed a lease for my own art studio, and I think that was when I realized that I can do this. If I work hard enough, I can do whatever I want to do, so I became a full time artist.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.theoddhouseec.com
• Instagram: @the_oddhouse

Image Credits
Kate Netwal