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

Kate, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?

Towards the end of my first year of graduate school (at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago), I was searching to find a project that could serve as my thesis. I felt I didn’t have a focus in my work and was searching desperately to make connections. I kept returning home and photographing a community of senior citizens who collaborated with me in acting out a series of fictitious rituals with vegetables; in which they would telepathically communicate with the veggie. They were serious and had quite dramatic lighting. I had grown up with many of the subjects; the community aspect and collaboration really intrigued me. I loved the texture of their skin and the visual association of the texture of the veggies they held. I also loved the idea that we were serious, yet it also seemed to have a layer of humor as well. After a few months of photographing the subjects I showed it to a professor I had been working with and he quickly said “you know, they look like they are a family…”

It was in that instance that inspiration hit and I knew they were connected, and I knew I had a story to tell. I quickly said “yes, I think they are a family, and they have a belief system. specific vocabulary, and practices that have been passed down from generation to generation.” I was also discovering the power of storytelling and how we as humans love a good story, regardless of it being true or not. The plausibility of a story being true is strong enough for many of us. Over the next few semesters I would experiment with the visual presentation and oral telling of this family’s story. It taught me the power of the story teller and how critical it is for me to correctly position my role in the process. That project ultimately became my thesis project, which was full of artifacts, videos, genealogy, edited historical images and so much more.

Fourteen years later I still think narrative plays a huge role in my work, whether it be a singular image or a cohesive body of work. Threads of narrative, family, community and collaboration are always present in what I produce. I think those early conversations were so pivotal in me realizing what I truly wanted to create.

Kate, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

My love of photography began in high school. I stumbled upon it when I was put in the course by accident. I immediately knew this was something magical, and I realized that this tool was a way to see the world differently, and share that vision with others. Throughout college I found myself in the role of the teacher (not so much in school, but through community roles), it was around this time that I did a lot of self reflection and knew that I really wanted to help others on their creative journey. I continued to graduate school to pursue my Masters of Fine Arts in Photography and hopefully one day be a teacher that could inspire others.

Something unique that I try to instill in my students is a broad sense of the art world. Many of my students (at a local community college), haven’t previously experienced how the camera can be a tool of the artist and can ask questions about our world, challenge ideas, and document our stories. I try to get them to think about why they produced the image just as much as the how it was created.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative?

There are misconceptions in our society relating to the value of the arts. As an educator in the college environment I am often faced with the stereotype that my degree wasn’t as difficult as others, and all we had to do was make art…or in my case “take pictures.” Some professors don’t realize that a Masters of Fine Art is a terminal degree….meaning this is the highest degree one can receive in a studio art emphasis. It is literally our version of a doctorate. Many of us have lectured, written about our work at length and exhibited our work professionally to meet our degree requirements.

I see other challenges relating to “value” in how my students are only allowed a limited choosing of arts classes and some fulfill their requirements from non- studio related classes. I hear them comment that they would love to have time or money to explore the arts, but due to financial aid or the structure of their degree, they are limited.

I would like our society to see that the problem solving, organizations, and communication are all themes present in the arts and valuable in any field. The act of creating builds balanced humans and contributes to our world.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

When I got out of graduate school I was still in the mindset that to have true value in my work I had to have a conceptual depth. It was really hard to start projects because I felt like I needed to know all the answers before I began. I work most successfully by creating, then looking at what I create and making adjustments and then moving forward. I wish I could have told myself back then “remember what you like to create, just make it, and it will come together.”

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kate-jenkins.com/home.html

Image Credits
all photographs by Kate Jenkins

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