Kristyn Rohrer

BIOGRAPHY

Kristyn Rohrer (they/she) is a ceramic sculptor and sociological researcher born in Lancaster, PA. Kristyn's current body of work explores their Pennsylvania Dutch heritage and reimagines their identity within Mennonite culture. During the making process, Kristyn draws inspiration from the folk art traditions of their mother and grandmothers to inform their ceramic sculptures. Kristyn received a B.A. in Sociology with minors in Ceramics and German from Kutztown University in 2018 and completed a Ceramic Arts post baccalaureate program at West Virginia University in 2022. As an interdisciplinary learner as well as maker, Kristyn works in the international development sector designing projects and writing proposals for global USAID programs in local governance and civil society strengthening. Kristyn is a current studio member of the Nampara Arts Cooperative in Morgantown, West Virginia.

ARTIST STATEMENT

Through ceramic process, design and storytelling I explore my Mennonite Pennsylvania Dutch culture and identity. Where PA Dutch folk art reinforces puritanical cultural norms, I seek to question them. Similar to the Anabaptist folk art tradition, my work centers on themes of family and home. I take reverence in the craft practices of my grandmothers, drawing inspiration from their quilting and Fraktur calligraphy. During the making process, I incorporate cake decorating techniques which I learned working at my mom’s bakery on our family homestead in Lancaster County. Not only do I feel compelled to make this art as a reinvention of my relationship to Mennonite culture, but also in homage to my family and in preservation of a dying culture. I take ownership of my Mennonite identity in creating this body of work, bringing a contemporary twist to the nostalgia of PA Dutch culture.

www.karamics.com/
Instagram: @karamics_