WE ARE HERE, in this place that is ever evolving, unique to each person, privilege, and challenge. This year's student creative showcase explores places and spaces both concrete and conceptual. Within their collection of works, the artists reflect on their creative processes, perspectives, and contributions to the communities they interact with, working to build connections rather than boundaries. In every brush stroke, behind every lens, and with every fingerprint left behind from the sculpting and handling of materials, life reminds us of Octavia Butler’s wisdom: "All that you touch, you change. All that you change, changes you.

Artist Talks: Thursday, May 8, noon-1:15pm. Free and open to the public.

For ASL interpretation and/or other accommodations, please contact nmwatson@stkate.edu.

ARTIST STATEMENT
Do you believe in magic?

I’ve always believed there was magic in the world and that humans just couldn’t tap into it. As a little girl, I constantly tried to jump-start my magic—I would try everything from sitting in stone circles to singing while running through the trees. I felt magic there while playing in nature. I began taking pieces of nature home: sticks, leaves, rocks, etc. All these little pieces of magic adorned every inch of my bedroom and filled my pockets. I believed everyone should have magic in their lives so I started making art out of my treasures and gifting them to those I cared for. For me, nature was (and is) magic, and the only way I could harness that magic in my art was if I used natural materials, making sure to always honor the earth and give back more than I was taking. 

I have never lost my desire for magic, and as I grew, my want for magic in every aspect of my life grew, thus leading me to making functional art. I began with wall hangings and jewelry, slowly adding clothing, then ceramics, and now furnishings to my art practice. I want to make all the mundane aspects of life twinkle with magic. I want to walk through my home seeing little pieces of magic collected from not only Mother Nature and myself but also everyone else turning natural treasures into art. Bringing as much magic as I can into every nook and cranny of my life has helped me through all the hardships I’ve faced and has given me the ability to believe in not only my own strength but also the knowledge that I am never alone in what I face. 

Through this exhibition, I hope I can share a glimpse into what my dream is for not only my home but yours as well. I know that there is power to be gained from replacing mass-produced objects with handmade art. Not only are we bringing beauty into our daily lives, but we are creating a connection with another human’s imagination and creativity. That connection, in turn, feeds our own imaginations and creativity, which we, too, can pay forward to someone else. In this way, art spreads magic, bringing joy and hope with it.

ARTIST BIO
Sofia Oslë is a multimedia artist with a passion for nature and self-sustainability. Her creative work explores the intersections between art and needs. She uses materials gifted by Mother Nature to create functional and not-so-functional art. 

Sofia is a senior at St. Catherine University, pursuing a BA in Studio Art with a concentration in ceramics. She is highly involved in the ceramic community on campus through her positions as Lead Ceramic Studio Assistant and president of Clay Club. She is also interning as Studio Assistant for ceramic artist and Associate Professor Monica Rudquist. Additionally, she is continuing her year-long independent study of glaze theory and kiln firings.

Sofia is passionate about making connections with others, which she does both through her art and in her on-campus work as an Event Coordinator for SEEK (Social Events & Experiences for Katies). In this role, she plans and implements student-centered campus events that foster community including weekly trivia nights, art making activities and self-care programming.

Sofia has lived throughout Minnesota and beyond, including across the border on her father’s farm in Mexico. Moving every couple of years made making connections with people a priority in her life. She found the easiest way to do so was to express herself through her art, sharing her philosophy, passions, and experiences to build relationships with others. 

ARTIST STATEMENT
Am I moving through the world correctly? What do we leave behind? 

No behavior is truly neutral. I believe that the act of observation is, in and of itself, an act of creation. It is human to feel that observation isn't enough.

As an artist, I work with multiple mediums in combination with print to explore cycles of inner conflict, the body as a filter, and the compulsion of legacy. We are people in motion—the plate and press offer control, variation, and repetition that are not otherwise extended to us. The detritus of excessive rumination trails the involuntary push forward in time.

My pieces and process make up an ongoing dialogue around the undercurrents of our human experience. From our perspective, inner tensions have a tendency to swallow up their surroundings. I see art as a tool for coming to terms with our impact—realization, discomfort, and how to behave towards a world that will inevitably take its space back.

ARTIST BIO
Quinn Ramsay is a Minneapolis native. After graduating from Perpich Center for Arts Education in 2018, she completed her freshman year at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design as an illustration major before returning to Minnesota to apprentice at Wuollet Bakery. During the following years, she had the privilege of working as a cake decorator and pastry chef for multiple bakeries in the Twin Cities, joining teams of creative and efficient people to fulfill requests from the traditional to the not-so-traditional.

As an artist, she mainly works with various printmaking techniques, ink, and fiber. Her work is informed by historical research and intrapersonal dialogue, with common themes of nature and conflict.

Quinn returned to undergraduate studies in 2023 and will graduate from St. Catherine University in 2026 with a BA in studio art and a minor in history. She is active on the staff of Ariston, St. Catherine University’s annual student art and literary publication, and as a volunteer for the Outdoor Sculpture Corps, where she received training from the Midwest Art Conservation Center (MACC) to perform maintenance and restoration of artworks installed on campus.

Quinn has collaborated with a variety of groups including multiple TTRPG publishers, local bands, a staging service, and tattoo artists. In addition to shows at St. Kate’s, her work has been exhibited in the Rudy Perpich and Tony Basta Galleries in Golden Valley, Minnesota, Frederick Layton Gallery in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and as a permanent installation for Victory Vintage, a boutique in Linden Hills, Minnesota. She plans to remain at St. Kate’s to pursue a master's degree in library and information science with a focus on archival work. 

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a creator, a perpetual learner, and a fervent admirer of the world that surrounds me. Through my work, I aim to express myself, my intersecting identities, and my inner emotions to make something I can cherish externally. Working with concepts of unfamiliarity, uncomfortability, curiosity, and compassion, I explore different mediums and subjects. Leaving room for adaptability and allowing my work to settle in what feels right as it takes shape; never forcing it to be something it will not. 

Taking inspiration from my imagination, my dreams, as well as the world around me, and not limiting myself to expectations about what my work should look like. I allow my imagination to run with the things I’ve held close to me and transform what I have encountered before into something that I haven’t. 

If there is one thing I have learned here, working with my art and research, it is that there is always more to know. Endless perspectives, stories to tell, and stories to dream into fruition. Within my art making and curatorial practice, I hope to share and illuminate the intimacy that comes with being alive and living amongst others. Creating is our most beautiful method of communication, and to tell the story of an emotion that has come and gone, or the life story of a loved one, is to let the world know what has been experienced through our own hands. 

My work will always pass through me, everything I have experienced before, and all I know. I hope to let myself be known through my creation and I hope to get to know you through yours. 

ARTIST BIO
Eva Ngono was born and raised in the Twin Cities by immigrant parents. Growing up, she always expressed a deep love for the arts, pouring her insides outside and onto a page. Today, she pursues her creative endeavours through artistic and art historical practice. Eva’s work is largely inspired by her growing life, intersectional self-discovery, and what might exist beyond reality, drawing upon her academic work and personal experiences to shape her practice. Creating work across a number of mediums, Eva appreciates each material and method for its unique capabilities and communication, including paints, digital platforms, clay, paper, scrap materials and more. Always aiming to capture a perspective not yet brought to the surface, Eva’s focus is storytelling. 

Eva will graduate from St. Catherine University in May 2025 with a BA in Art History and Critical Studies of Race and Ethnicity, a BS in Political Science, and a minor in Museum Studies. Passionate about her various disciplines and how they overlap, Eva has been active in both the art community as well as advocacy on campus. Some of her experiences include working as Lead Coordinator and Exhibition Coordinator for Ariston, St. Catherine University’s annual student art and literary publication; she has worked as a student leader for the BIPOC Art Acquisition Student Advisory Group, aiding in the selection and acquisition of artworks by BIPOC artists; she has also worked as a Mellon Grant Student Assistant exploring storytelling and Pre-Columbian object research. Eva’s work has been celebrated through awards such as the Abigail Quigley McCarthy Center for Women’s Research and Creative Work Award (2022), and the Amy Marie Sears Memorial Scholarship (2023, 2024). 

Eva’s advocacy work has existed in the form of club leadership, administrative development on campus, community organizing, and civic engagement. She was named St. Catherine’s 2023-2024 Civic Newman Fellow, and further awarded for her contributions, receiving St. Catherine University’s Thomas More award (2024), granted to students who have demonstrated outstanding loyalty and service to the University. Eva hopes to continue to interweave her passions in the future, further developing her creative practice and art historical scholarship through storytelling and relevant service work.

ARTIST STATEMENT
I am a master dabbler. Exploring a variety of materials and methods, I lean into photography as a means of grounding. With no shortage of subjects to photograph, I experiment with how I document my experiences and impressions of the natural world. From deep woods and mountain tops, to the tree-lined urban streets, I seek out flora, fauna, and other natural elements in the landscape whenever possible. I have found that observing the movements, sounds, colors, textures, and even scents in nature is both meditative and exhilarating.

Nature is full of beautiful imperfections. Growing up, I found myself tethered to perfectionism, which hinders the creative mind in many ways. I would find myself dwelling on finer details for too long, stuck in a loop with very little progressive movement. I have been practicing letting go of perfection when creating, instead focusing on what feels good and right in the moment. I have learned to trust my process, even when the process is messy and unfamiliar. Rather than getting hung up on using “proper technique,” or being disappointed when things do not turn out the way I envisioned, I seek to create what fosters and reflects my free-flowing creative energy. I hope that my creative work embodies some of nature's perfect imperfections and inspires others to look closer, to move with intention and care, to feel what the natural world has to share, and to let go of any preconceived notions of how beauty is supposed to look.

ARTIST BIO
Allison Boettcher is a second degree student, adding a BA in art from St. Catherine University alongside their biology degree from Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. At a young age, Allison developed a passion for art and nature, spending much of their time exploring, observing, creating, and imagining. From the first time they were handed a disposable film camera, Allison gravitated towards photography, and still today finds much joy and fulfillment in observing and capturing the curiosities of the natural world. Allison’s background in biology and conservation influences their creative practice in more ways than just materials and subject matter. One of Allison’s goals is to use their creative practice to provide new and unique perspectives, to encourage audiences to observe what many tend to overlook, and to inspire more intentional care in the world.

ARTIST STATEMENT
As an artist, the mindset I carry is being open-minded and meticulous. For me and my art practice, this means being willing to step out of my comfort zone, pushing myself and staying thoughtful to create work I’m proud of. Creating art is a way for me to express who I am, to reflect on my life and experiences, and to document the things in my life that matter to me.

Currently, my work is predominantly one of two mediums: graphite and ink pens on mixed-media paper and digital artwork. I enjoy drawing many different subjects, but the ones I find myself drawing the most are people, flowers, and nature. I often draw these subjects because I appreciate their formal qualities—they have flowy, gestural and fluid lines, which feel freeing to illustrate. For me, this subject matter holds symbolism, too. I see symbolism in the way seasons change, how flowers grow and bloom, which makes me think of how we change and grow as people. Themes, such as change and identity, are often at the heart of my illustrations. 

ARTIST BIO
Jermya Sims is a fourth year student at St. Catherine University in St. Paul, Minnesota, who will be graduating in May 2025 with a B.A. in studio art with a concentration in graphic design. She was born and raised in the Twin Cities and is a first-generation college student. During her undergraduate college career, she has been on the Dean’s List from Fall 2021 to Spring 2024; she has participated as a Design Team member for Ariston, St. Catherine University’s annual student art and literary publication, from 2023-2025; and she has exhibited her work in the Building a Creative Life Student Exhibition in 2022 and 2023. In her artwork, she works mainly with two-dimensional mediums to explore multiple themes including identity and change. She takes pleasure in drawing portraits, flowers, animals and working with bright colors. In her free time, she enjoys reading, drawing, and listening to music. 

ARTIST STATEMENT
How often have we heard "everything happens for a reason"?

I believe that my life is made up of moments determined by fate and that the impact of my experiences led me to create the art I make. With my work, I intend to invoke a sense of belonging inspired by what I’ve been through in my life. That is why, to me, art can be mundane yet emotional; unfinished and free, yet polished. It can reflect what is resolved and unresolved as I move through my life and evolve as a person. And as I grow as an artist, I apply many principles and methods I’ve learned through mediums like drawing, digital art, watercolors, and photographs and thus my artwork becomes a reminder of my journey so far.

As you look at my art here today, I welcome you to reflect on where you are now in your own life.

ARTIST BIO
Emily is a Senior Antonian Honors student at St. Catherine University majoring in Studio Art with a concentration in Graphic Design, a minor in Integrated Marketing Communications and Design, and a background in photography.

Emily has consistently brought a sense of mentorship, belonging, leadership, and community to her creative scholarship and extracurricular activities.

Being a TRIO mentee has eased her journey as a latinx first-generation college student, which better equipped her to be a mentor for others. She has worked with the Money Management Program since her first year in college and has shared financial literacy skills and education with her peers. Furthermore, her leadership skills and work in the Career Development Department have helped establish the office’s new social media team to reach and offer services to new students. Emily values nurturing a sense of belonging within her community and seeks to make it as inclusive as possible through her role as a Resident Advisor. In this position, she hosts bi-weekly events, holds informational meetings, and meets or chats with her residents weekly.