Unhomely + Loose Threads

This exhibition features two bodies of work exploring similar themes. Unhomely is a series of collage and mixed media exploring place and being out of place. Loose Threads is a series of fiber art exploring themes of the absurd and uncanny. Both have a sense of “making do” by using found materials and scraps and by embracing mistakes and the unknown as part of the process.

Katharine Joy Houpt is a Chicago mixed media artist working in fiber arts, collage, and drawing to create uncanny and absurd imagery. She engages in slow, process-oriented techniques that allow for improvisation and emergence of the unexpected, aiming for a balance between delight and darkness. She has a BA from the Evergreen State College and an MA in Art Therapy from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC). Katharine taught as part-time art therapy faculty at SAIC for ten years. Her work has been exhibited nationally, including a solo exhibition in 2026.

Artist Statement: I make absurdist, existential creatures, environments, and uncanny imagery using improvised and free-motion quilting, appliqué, embroidery, collage, and mixed media. I explore the embodiment of subjectivity and place-- an inner world within outer world constraints. My art is an exercise of being in the moment. I become aware of what I choose to see and what I have left out, either intentionally or unconsciously. My work walks the line between comfort and discomfort, play and control. I aim for truth inherent in the balance.

Artist Reception: November 7th, from 2-5 p.m.

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