Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Egnaczak

Hi Kate, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?

I spent my childhood on our 68-acre family farm in the Berkshires. My parents wanted my sister and me to have the experience of learning through play and nature. Growing up in that environment, I learned about life cycles, ecosystems, sustainable reuse, and responsible resource management. Living in “America’s Premiere Cultural Resort” exposed me to incredible arts, culture, and history, which I took full advantage of.

My future career as an artist was significantly influenced during high school when my art teacher introduced me to the Director of Fabrication and Art Installation at MASS MoCA. The encounter led to two transformative summers as an intern at the prominent contemporary visual and performing arts center. The following summer, I further honed my skills as an intern for Contemporary Sculpture at Chesterwood, where I coordinated with the curator and artists for an outdoor sculpture exhibition. These experiences ignited my passion for museums and cultural institutions and taught me invaluable skills.

I entered undergrad in a state of inquiry that defined my drive to find my place in the arts. I pursued a dual major in graphic design and sculpture, seeking to combine 2D and 3D design with hands-on work. My inquiry drove me to investigate alternative options that produced less paper waste and didn’t use volatile printing inks. My exploration culminated in discovering the field of environmental graphics, which involves design for physical spaces like signs and wayfinding. At 25, I achieved my goal of working as an environmental graphic designer for an architecture firm in Boston. While I landed my dream job early on, I continued questioning the environmental impact of my work.

I am the artist I am today because of these formative experiences, which began as a straightforward path to success but became more convoluted. As questions arose, they caused me to meander and investigate deeper. That process has continued to guide and situate my work around environmental sustainability and in public spaces. I am an eco-artist who responds to my questions through social intervention, visible public acts, and material transformation.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?

It hasn’t been a smooth road, but I’ve always been passionate about finding a career that allows me to address my concerns in my work. I transitioned to a role as a graphic designer at the Worcester Art Museum, and my concerns grew. As I managed design interns, my thinking shifted to teaching design. Teaching reignited my passion for design in a way that I thought would impact the lives of the next generation of designers. I knew that, ultimately, I would need a Master’s Degree. I struggled to define a discipline because I didn’t want to isolate my experience in graphic design since my interests were so broad.

I remembered my early love for museums and cultural institutions and chose Pratt Institute’s Master’s in Arts and Cultural Management. The program allowed me to explore my broad range of interests within the cultural landscape of New York City as my playground. While at Pratt, I was introduced to Mierle Laderman Ukeles’ work as an artist in residence at the New York Sanitation Department, which influenced how I considered the working artist in the world. After earning my first master’s, I left my job at the museum for the opportunity to teach graphic design at the college level.

The transition was not without its challenges. I had to balance my teaching responsibilities with my freelance design business, which often meant long hours and little rest. If you know academia and teaching as an adjunct, you know that the salary alone doesn’t pay the bills. So, I capitalized on a skill I had developed over my years as a competitive athlete. I started coaching a triathlon team to fill in the financial gaps. But, I knew teaching was worth the hustle for me. When I learned that pursuing college-level teaching as a full-time professor meant returning to school to earn an MFA I knew what my next move was.

While at Pratt, someone suggested that I consider Goddard College, which stuck with me. I enrolled at Goddard for an MFA in Interdisciplinary Arts. I discovered Mierle Laderman Ukeles again; her iconic Maintenance Art Manifesto heavily influences my performative maintenance acts in public spaces. Goddard became the place where my life experiences, concerns for the environmental impact of my work, and desire to develop a socially engaged way of working all came together. It was then that I claimed my identity as an artist.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?

I am an eco-artist who works at a unique intersection of art, environmental impact, and education. This interdisciplinary approach defines my unique perspective. I am proud of my ability to integrate these diverse elements into a cohesive practice, and this unique perspective makes my work stand out, sparking curiosity and interest in those who encounter it.

My practice as an eco-artist is deeply rooted in my commitment to environmental sustainability. It involves developing zero-waste methods that limit and, in some cases, reverse the environmental impacts of my materials. I develop media explorations by making paint from food scraps and alcohol inks by diluting dried markers, papermaking, weaving natural materials, collaging, building small sculptures from found trash, and drawing as visual research. My practice includes performative acts that draw attention and represent an opportunity to engage with the public as an audience.

I am best known for my multi-year exploration of one of the oldest public parks, Elm Park, in Worcester, Massachusetts. I navigate the park ponds on my paddleboard, collecting trash and debris that I turn into art. I reinstall the completed work and perform during the biannual juried outdoor sculpture show, “Art in the Park.” Since 2019, I have made mud pies in the pond, collected sticks as sculpture fodder, constructed a floating sculpture from trash, and fused over 100 single-use plastic bags to create banners that catalog the trash inventory from the park. These projects transform the park into a living art installation and instigate conversations about environmental conservation and the role of art in addressing these issues.

Based on this work, I received a grant to purchase a metal-melting furnace and glass-working tools in 2021. I use the furnace as a mobile foundry to melt and cast aluminum cans from the park in the park. I used the glass tools and a microwave kiln to transform the glass bottles from the park into beads for sculptural jewelry. I am most excited by the complete transformation of waste into something new and thought-provoking. I continually challenge myself to find new ways to use the discarded and to search for answers to my questions.

My practice is not standardized. It is informed by the places I work and inspired by the artifacts I find. It all comes back to my unique experiences growing up in a place that values the environment, ecosystems, sustainable reuse, and responsible resource management. We are all a result of our story. Each facet of my story has created a context that sets me and my work apart.

What matters most to you? Why?

What matters most to me is making an impact. I decided a long time ago that my work would serve a purpose. I am excited by the work that I do now because I am in dialogue with a place but also the public. I see the impact of my work when kids ask their parents why I am collecting trash or when someone tells me that what I do makes them think twice about what they throw away or, even better, what they buy.

I didn’t expect to have my work with muddy trash capture so much attention or be featured; this is how I chose to make art, and it is certainly not for everyone. I didn’t set out to create work for gallery walls or to be on the newspaper’s front page, but it is there because others find it relevant to their experience. So many artists make beautiful things, and I am proud to call myself an artist, but for me, beauty is changing how people see their impact on the world.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://kegnaczak.com
• Instagram: train_by_living