B
eth Katleman casts porcelain
forms, joined with dolls and found
objects, to sculpt story-suggestive
pieces and is showcasing her work through
May 14 at Wasserman Projects in Detroit.
As part of a group showing titled “Cast
Illusions,” her work will appear with pieces
by three other artists,
each represented by
different approaches
to materials. While
Jessica Dolence prefers
digital decoration and
ornamentation, Sarah
Meyohas leans toward
film, photography and
sculpture, and Victoria
Shaheen advances clay,
neon and found objects.
“I haven’t been as
familiar with the oth-
ers’ work, so I’ve been
excited to see it,” said
Katleman, 62, based in Brooklyn with
a background that includes earning her
master’s degree at Cranbrook Academy of
Art in Bloomfield Hills and later featuring
her decorative projects at the discontinued
Sybaris Gallery in Royal Oak.
“I think this exhibit is an interesting
juxtaposition of different materials and
different thought. I guess the unifying fac-
tor is some relation to casting or industrial
processes in our work.”
What distinguishes Katleman is her use
of ornamental 18th-century rococo-seem-
ing designs, coming to her attention
during study in Italy, and then often using
them to present pop culture figures in dif-
ferent ways. At times communicating the
artist’s stark impressions, the sculptures
also are intended to evoke private narra-
tives from viewers.
The piece Colonel Sanders,
for instance, uses tradition-
al porcelain to depict the
pop culture iconic figure
otherwise associated with
selling carryout chicken. For
a Jewish-themed exhibit,
Katleman altered what he
was wearing to place him in
a Passover piece commis-
sioned by the Contemporary
Jewish Museum in San
Francisco.
“Colonel Sanders has
played different roles in
my life over the years,” said the three-di-
mensional artist, who visited Michigan for
the exhibit’s opening and to spend time at
Cranbrook.
“When the San Francisco museum
asked me to do a seder plate, I was look-
ing around my studio and thinking about
who was going to play Moses. Then I saw
Colonel Sanders. He already had a staff
[for walking], and I put a little head scarf
on him [and a flowing robe] so it worked
out.”
48 | MARCH 10 • 2022
ARTS&LIFE
ART
Jewish artist sculpts story-suggestive
pieces, now on display in Detroit.
‘Cast
Illusions’
SUZANNE CHESSLER CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Colonel Sanders, 2021
Porcelain
Elephant, 2021 Porcelain