Molly Burke and Nathan Gorgen (Cincinnati, OH)
Glass, non-traditional material, and recycled material
Molly Jo Burke, b. 1984, is a Cincinnati, Ohio based artist and educator. She creates artwork examining details of our environment and repetition of forms throughout various ecosystems using traditional and non-traditional materials. Her use of materials reflects on humanity's interactions with nature - sometimes beautiful but often destructive. Forms are inspired by cells, plants, coral, and the architecture created by living organisms. Burke received a BFA (2006) from Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD), and MFA (2009), The Ohio State University (OSU), in 2019 she accepted the Barnett Fellowship from OSU’s Arts Administration Education and Policy Program to pursue her PhD. She has taught at OSU, CCAD, and Corning Museum of Glass. Her work has been featured most recently at Toledo Museum of Art, Columbus Museum of Art, and the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France.
Nathan Gorgen, b. 1986, is a Cincinnati, Ohio based artist and educator. His artwork explores the space between art and design, as well as digital and traditional fabrication and recycled materials. This manifests as objects on a continuum between furniture and sculpture with varying levels of functionality. Gorgen received his BFA(2008) in Painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and his MFA(2012) from the Columbus College of Art and Design (CCAD). After graduation he worked in exhibition design and manufacturing before becoming the Lab Supervisor at the Studios for Art and Design Research at The Ohio State University (OSU) and then a Groundfloor Makerspace Technician at the University of Cincinnati. Gorgen has also taught at CCAD and OSU, and exhibited his work around the country, including at the Toledo Museum of Art, Inlight Richmond, and the Delaware Center for Contemporary Art.