Karen Saunders

Biography

Karen Saunders is an interdisciplinary artist who hopscotched across the Midwest before landing in Cincinnati, where she’s been practicing as an artist and arts educator.

For the better part of 30 years she has worked with diverse audiences at local institutions such as the Cincinnati Art Museum and the Kennedy Heights Arts Center, and exhibited her art at such venues as the Contemporary Arts Center, Canton Art Museum, Richmond Art Museum, and 21c Museum/Hotel.

Most recently, Saunders had a solo ceramic show titled “Second Is The First To Lose” at Second Place Sports Bar, an NCECA Exhibition in Cincinnati (2023). Currently on display at the Contemporary Art Center's UnMuseum, Buoyant is an interactive installation of animated inflatable sculptures and video. Previous work at the Contemporary Arts Center in Cincinnati, include Privilege Corrupts (2023), Make Waves (2019), and Collective Breath (2018), also for the UnMuseum.

She routinely works collaboratively with community and artist groups, with one notable example being the Bombshells of Cincinnati, a largely anonymous group of local crafters who juxtapose vandalism with the non-threatening nature of fiber art.

Educational Credentials

M.A., Art Education, Miami University
B.F.A., Studio Arts, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Teaching Areas

Ceramics