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

