The mixed media piece under ohio stars collects stories, traits, and traditions passed down through generations into a tangible scene. In between shifts as the Administrative Assistant at Urban Arts Space, artist Kate Durham created her latest work using original images and photographs from her family’s archives. Organized into the form of an Ohio star quilt—a physical expression of intergenerational protection and care—the patchwork of scenes memorializes the passing seasons of life where, in each one, there existed an impulse to archive the moment. 

This piece, along with the work of over forty-five other artists, is on view in the lower gallery of Urban Arts Space as part of the Creative Lives: Staff Artists & Makers Exhibition in downtown Columbus from January 14–25.

What inspired your choice to use cyanotype for this project?

Kate: I love any kind of ritualistic or experimental pursuit, and I think the cyanotype process checks all of those boxes. When I worked with other mediums such as paint, I was definitely the type of person who could stay up all night to obsessively finish a painting. However, with cyanotype, the combination of printing and toning can take days, so I’m forced to slow down and let the process guide me. There’s room for error in each step, so I always enjoy experimenting with test strips or creating multiple prints at one time to see what methods work best. My main goal is to see how far I can stretch cyanotype as a medium and how I can incorporate it into many different projects.

How did you select which photos you wanted to include for each season? 

Kate: When I first started looking through the archives for photographs to use, I wasn’t searching for anything specific. When looking through family photos, you expect to see posed photos from gatherings and holidays. However, I unexpectedly found many photographs of landscapes or candids taken in nature, which inspired me to arrange them by season. I love seeing what the people chose to photograph and wondering what made them pause and capture that particular moment.

The same goes for the pictures hung on the clothesline adjacent to my quilt. I’m intrigued by what they reveal about the photographer’s artistic eye. The photos remind me that these family members lived full lives and, in some cases, see the world in the same way I do, decades onwards. 

What's the most memorable or unexpected story you came across while going through your family's archive?

Kate: Because my grandmother died when I was young, I’m missing her insight into the photos she saved. However, my mom was able to give me some anecdotes when we sorted through the photos together. There is, of course, a whole breakdown of the family dynamics that I wouldn't subject you to. However, I can share one interesting detail: I learned that the dog featured in a lot of the photos is actually not the same dog. My great-grandfather, Elrath, always owned collies. He named each collie he owned Buck, so each dog was Buck II, Buck III, and so on. I came across many photos of the various Bucks, so I can tell they were very loved. 

What traditions were passed down in your family? 

Kate: One of my favorite family traditions is one my mom inherited from her own childhood and shared with my sister and me. The night before our birthday, my mom would cut out paper numbers from the newspaper matching the age we were turning. (For example, for a ninth birthday, she would cut out nine paper "9"s.) She would then hang them up around the house, and we would have to find all of them before we could open presents. This tradition has followed us into adulthood, and now I cut out and hide numbers for my mom's birthday as well. As the numbers rose for each of us, there were some practical adjustments to the quantity of cut-outs and the accessibility of hiding places, but I always look forward to finding them each year. 

How has this piece inspired the next step in your art-making career?

Kate: My current work centers around place, belonging, and my relationship to my home in Ohio. I plan to continue these explorations in future pieces, looking deeper into shared experiences between generations, reflecting upon themes of rootedness and protection. My next step is venturing into making cyanotypes on fabric, and, eventually, I would love to make quilts with those prints. Overall, my goal is to create more large-scale installation pieces and immersive environments centered around the same themes. 

Urban Arts Space is open from Tuesday–Saturday from 11 AM–6 PM, with extended hours until 8 PM on Thursday. Stop in to be inspired by Kate’s multigenerational project, under ohio stars.