Katie Stout

New York-based designer Katie Stout (b. 1989) creates work that is as an extraordinary  amalgam of traditional craft techniques, historical decorative arts and conceptual fine  art. With every piece, Stout arrives at something that is complex and unexpected: an  end-product that deconstructs traditional processes and transcends the object’s  function and form.  

Stout’s practice embraces the formal qualities of design, fine art, and fashion. She is  inspired by an eclectic spectrum of references, from decorative arts and the intricate  patterns of Victorian lace, to kitsch suburban interiors and female-dominated craft traditions, such as pottery and textile work. Stout interprets and combines these varied  aesthetic and conceptual threads through her own distinctive lens to produce unique  pieces that subvert and dismantle historical frameworks and understandings of functional  objects.  

In instances, Stouts forms are imbued with an effortless and carefree humor, while  others carry an incisive critique of outmoded gender roles. Her iconic ceramic Girl lamps  reflect this multidisciplinary approach as they challenge standards of beauty and  luxury, and reference themes rooted in the history of art and design, all while  exuding a comical charm. Stout’s furniture also expands beyond lighting to seating,  shelving, mirrors, carpets and curtains, incorporating materials such as bronze and  glass. Altogether, she pushes the boundaries of the expected and acceptable. 

Katie Stout’s work can be found in museums and private collections across the globe,  including the permanent collections of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco, CA; the Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, TX; and the Museum of Arts and  Design, New York, NY. Her most recent project includes Klown Town, a second solo  exhibition with R & Company that featured new monumental designs in bronze, glass,  and ceramic.  

Born in Portland, Maine, Katie Stout grew up in New Jersey and holds a BFA from the  Rhode Island School of Design. She now lives and works in Hudson, New York.