Katie Taft | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1972 Boulder, Colorado |
| Education | Marylhurst University |
| Known for | Photography |
| Notable work | Imaginary Friends |
| Awards | Westword MasterMind |
| Website | https://katietaft.wordpress.com/ |
Katie Taft is a Denver based artist, photographer, and teacher. Raised in Boulder, Colorado, she left the state for college, eventually earning her BFA at Marylhurst University in Oregon where she studied photography.[1][2] She returned to Colorado in 2004.[2] Taft is best known for her Imaginary Friends series of artworks featuring hybrid creature creations photographed in various locations.
Taft's work gained notice for her quirky images exhibited in the Repeat Offenders show at Singer Gallery in 2004.[1] She began her Imaginary Friends series around the same time. In 2006, Taft was selected as a Westword MasterMind, an annual award that comes with a cash award, based on the strength of her Imaginary Friends series.[2] In 2008, Taft was one of ten artists to create commemorative buttons for the 2008 Democratic National Convention. Her button depicted a donkey in a suit standing in front of the sculpture Articulated Wall by Herbert Bayer, along the lines of her imaginary friends images.[3] In 2011 she was invited to curate Flash Gallery's Feminine Influence show, which included 28 mostly Colorado based artists, each of which named women artists who influenced them.[4] In 2012 Taft began curating the Action Figures artist discussion series.[5]
In the Imaginary Friends series, Taft sculpts hybrid creatures and gives them personality traits such as favorite colors, thoughts, or word associations. The resulting sculpture often merge animals and people. She then photographs her creations in the world.[2] The figures display a range of strong emotions such as anguish, grief, and foreboding.[1]