“Up and Down”: A local artist shares her work with the NIC community

The NIC Corner Gallery has opened it’s spring semester exhibition featuring the work of local artist and teacher Kate Lund.

In honor of the exhibition’s opening on February 11, NIC community members, students, and visiting high school students gathered in Driftwood Bay in the SUB to learn about Lund’s art and the exhibition.

Lund, a lifelong Idaho resident, spent nine summers as a wild land firefighter where she found inspiration for her work through the landscapes and objects she saw.

“I started collecting objects from the various places I’d been. Additionally, firefighting is a very sensory experience and that made its way into my art,” Lund said during her presentation.

Growing up in rural Idaho meant spending hours outside exploring terrain and learning about nature, Lund said, providing a foundation for her curiosity and interest in nature.

Drawing inspiration from her wilderness experience, Lund has experimented with different materials like cloth from tents, firefighting uniforms, and cattle markers to create drawings and sculptures.

Landscapes and clouds also provide different shapes and lines for Lund to work with.

“I’m always thinking about lines and how I can generate lines into my projects, horizon lines are a common element in my work.”

She also enjoys taking the experiences around her and turning them into art. “My artwork deals a lot with situations that are out and away from you, but also down and in front of you.”

Lund currently works as an art teacher in Wallace, Idaho, where her students keep her “fresh and on her toes.” When she has a spare moment, she spends it in her studio working or with her husband.

Stop by the Corner Gallery in Boswell Hall to view Lund’s exhibition and enjoy her work, the exhibition is open Monday to Thursday 10-4, and Friday 10-2:30.

Lund summed up the title of her exhibition in a few words, giving a glimpse into the meaning of her art and what she hopes others can draw from it.

“Up and down is the high and the low, the good and the bad.”