Kate Wurtzel

Kate Wurtzel, Ph.D., identifies as a disabled (or all-abled) artist who has been challenged by life-long diagnoses of both cerebral palsy and autism. She views these diagnoses as gifts in her life that allow her to better connect with the land and have compassion for multiple eco-systems, from the vascular system of plants and trees to the importance of spider webs as sensory input. Through her work, she is constantly considering our intra-connected existence with all environmental materials, both the human and more-than-human. Holding a Ph.D in art education, and an in-progress, MFA, Kate is a practicing artist who teaches university-level studio and art education courses from the beautiful mountains of Boone, North Carolina. As a former public school art teacher, museum educator, and full time professor, she continues to advocate for the importance of the arts everyday and the value in connecting to surrounding environments.