Traditional heritage informs Karen Goulet’s contemporary expression
For more than ten years, Karen Goulet has worked in creative media specifically needle arts, quilt making, surface design, weaving, mixed media and knitting. She identifies as a traditional and contemporary skilled seamstress whose focus is on meaningful incorporation of traditional motif and stories into contemporary works of art. In her quilts, Goulet gravitates to the star quilt because of the inherent richness of design and the important spiritual and cultural relevance this pattern has for native people. She has created many of these quilts, each with a distinct color scheme and much innovation in the thread work and design elements. She incorporates personal story, cultural history and references environmental memories into her work. Working in a variety of medias and moving between projects, Karen incorporates traditional hand and machine sewing with an ongoing exploration of new materials and techniques.
Visually articulates a sense of spirit in her art
Karen has worked for many years to visually articulate a sense of spirit in her art. She strives to find balance in her work between literal and intuitive concepts. People, places, and moments strongly influence Karen’s art. Her artistic process involves gathering found materials for use in her art. She has had the pleasure of working in many diverse communities, where she uses creativity and education as a way of making positive change in the world. As an artist and a teacher, Karen shares her enthusiasm for the arts and helps others develop a unique artistic voice to express ideas about culture, love, and history. As an individual, she diligently works to cultivate her constantly emerging and evolving artistic ideas.
Karen Goulet is an enrolled member of the White Earth Ojibwe Nation. Karen received her BA from The Evergreen State College in Fine Arts and Cultural Education, her MFA in Sculpture from The University of Wisconsin – Madison, and her M Ed from University of Minnesota Duluth. She has worked primarily in Education and most often with Indigenous institutions and programs. Experiences have included instruction, program initiation and curriculum development. She has recently returned home to White Earth where she is currently working as Director of Gizhiigin Art Space, a tribal entity serving artists on the reservation. She is also art instructor at White Earth Tribal and Community College. Prior to this she was the Art Director for the Division of Arts at the Salish Kootenai Tribal College.
Recent Major Exhibitions 2016- Emerging Vision Juried group Exhibition -Plains Art Museum Fargo, ND; 2015 Not Vanishing Contemporary Expressions In Indigenous Art– Group Exhibition Museum of Northwest Art, La Conner WA; 2014 Debwe – Solo Exhibition -Missoula Art Museum, Missoula MT; 2013-2015 Changing Hands Art Without Reservation 3– Juried International Group Exhibition
We are especially thankful some of Karen’s work will be a part of the Pine to Prairie Fiber Arts Trail weekend. Watermark Art Center is hosting an exhibit of Native American textiles that includes Karen, Ron Turney, who makes tradtional quillwork baskets and jewelry and Dennis Williams and Dana Goodwin whose Native American Powwow regalia will be on exhibit. Their work will be on exhibit April 8 – 10, 2016 at Watermark in downtown Bemidji at 505 Bemidji, Ave, Bemidji, MN.