What a conversation! It was my biggest joy to connect with Katie Shulman an artist, organizer, arts administrator in Detroit, MI. Katie and I jump right in swapping birth stories, the banal and bizarre experience of bringing life into the world, and connecting over parenting styles and hopes for our kids.
We got to lots of art stuff too! Katie shares the story of how she got lost in the garment district in Los Angeles and came across the textile that changed her practice forever (tune in to find out what it was). Drawing from her high school rowing practice, Katie leans into studio habits and processes that are ritualistic, repetitive, monotonous and repeat patterns. Knitting, sewing, sculpting and weaving, her work can be stretched, stuffed, and manipulated in many ways. Her work toes the line between sculpture and textile, combining wire, found objects, and fabric to create her thoughtful pieces that reflect on pregnancy, miscarriage, identity, and bodily autonomy.
In 2022 Katie founded Fiber Club*, a network of artists and creative practitioners working in Southeast Michigan. Katie tells me the origin story of how Fiber Club* came to be when she sent a simple but earnest email to the few contacts she had in Detroit, post-grad school. Katie’s heart lies in her ability to be a conduit for connection within her community and we bond over our shared journey of continually committing to a mindset of abundance over scarcity. Katie and I bonder our shared believe that women artists truly know how to champion each other in a resource starved art world.
Final Five:
Artist Crush – Trulle Hall and Janine Antoni “Loving Care” piece
Travel – going back to Los Angeles and nurturing her relationship with that city and community
Film or Book – Hold Still by Sally Mann
Meal – sauce, anything she can cover in sauce, all the sauces
Shoutout – her partner Drew
Connect with Katie via her instagram and view more of her work on her website! Connect with Fiber Club* Detroit HERE.
The Artist/Mother podcast is created and hosted by Kaylan Buteyn.
Connect with Kaylan via her website or instagram or follow her substack here!
Apply to FIBER OPEN CALL (deadline 5/4/25) juried by Cassie Arnold
https://www.kinhouseart.com/fiber
Apply to SOLO + GROUP SHOW OPPORTUNITIES (deadline 6/1/25)
https://www.kinhouseart.com/2026-proposals
