About Katherine
Katherine Gemperline holds an MFA in Curatorial Studies from the University of Kentucky and dual BAs in Studio Art with a concentration in Painting and Drawing and Computer Science from Xavier University. She has been at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts as the Kenneth R. Trapp Craft Assistant / Curatorial Fellow since July 2025.
Her curatorial practice invites audiences to question aesthetic norms and their deeper cultural implications. Her current professional work focuses on the aesthetics of craft and art in the Appalachian regions, as the market shifted from functional craft to market-driven design and contemporary practices, where traditional techniques support artistic expression.
Her past work has focused on how different cultures express beauty standards, especially through the grotesque and its ties to moral “rightness.” She curated Beyond Grotesque and Disordered Creatures, exhibitions that explore the grotesque body, abjection, mental and physical health, and the destabilization of gender norms. Katherine’s approach bridges critical theory, visual culture, and artistic practice to interrogate the intersection of beauty and ethics.
katherinegemperline@gmail.com
(502) 594-8607