Kate James: Celebration, Florida
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Artisan Park, Celebration Florida 34747 (2024), acrylic, 24" x 36". image / provided
Abstract
Celebration, Florida is a research-based project that draws inspiration from the Southern Gothic subgenre to shed light on the complex issue of natural displacement and the shifting landscape of Orlando, Florida by documenting particular locations that embody the tension buried in the Theme Park Capital of the World at night: lime green golf courses tumbling into black swampland, glowing white picket fences restraining dark foliage, alligators dragged from the illuminated swimming pools of second homes, and the ever-present fireworks coloring the skies at night. The project looks at newly constructed developments breaching Florida's subtropical swamplands — such as Celebration's addition Island Village and Disney World's resort-style residential community Golden Oaks — to bring attention to the tension between spectacle and the destruction of nature, the rising demand for real estate, and the relentless reshaping of this wounded landscape.
Biography
Kate James (B.F.A. '25) is a painter and scenic designer currently based in Kissimmee, Florida.
With a dual background in painting and scenic design, James' work is deeply rooted in constructing narrative through location. She approaches her art with an Observational Documentary style, researching and designing immersive environments that function as heterotopias. James' design process begins with extensive textual research, pulling from a range of influences, including Magical Realism, Southern Gothic literature, and environmental non-fiction. Her latest body of work explores the eerie, disturbed landscape of Florida's subtropical swamps, capturing the artifice of the Theme Park Capitol of the World.
James' professional experience includes serving as Assistant Production Designer to Jason Simms on the PMA production The Family Copoli, a musical written by Andy Colpitts, as well as working as a Production Assistant on The Walking Dead: Dead City Season 2 in Boston, Massachusetts.
James' work has been recognized with several honors, including the John and Melissa Ceriale Travel Award, the David R. Bean Prize, the B.F.A. Creative Funding Award in Spring 2024 and Fall 2024, and the Gibian-Rosewater Traveling Research Award.
