Kathy Bussert-Webb 3DbyKathy.com

My interdisciplinary practice explores ecology, gender, and consumption, particularly animals, females, and meat. My refugee mother experienced food insecurity, which she projected by having us eat (especially meat) until we were stuffed. Growing up with a polyglot Hungarian mother and teaching literacy methods in the Rio Grande Valley, TX, inform my hybrid practices, such as creating assemblage, including poetry and dialogue, and translanguaging (combining languages, such as Hungarian and English). I invite participants to use their senses when interacting with my work, like smelling bacon, opening doors, rattling soft sculptures, and turning pages of a children's book the size of a twin mattress. I incorporate a range of materials for installations, performances, and socially engaged art. I also upcycle materials from urban and rural areas because I hoard and improvise, like my late mother. For instance, in the tapestry/banner Us, I incorporate leather from a ripped couch, which I had saved after we replaced the cushion 10 years ago. Like a magpie, I incorporate discarded objects to turn junk into art, a metaphor for childhood trauma.

​

As I've healed from these traumas through creating, I focus on being in harmony with nature. For example, I make natural dyes and pigments, hand-embroider, and create sculptures, assemblages, and tapestries from fabric, found objects, wood, handmade paper, & non-toxic glue. I harvest algae and other plants for papermaking. I also create nature scenes with native seed bombs for climate-resilient species. My interest in sustainability emanates from positive childhood experiences in nature. I felt peace by exploring woods with my older sister, caring for our poultry, and helping with our family gardens. As my practice has evolved, it has become more abstract.