ARTIST BIO

Katie Kiesewetter (“key-sweater”) | she/her

Katie is a Chicago-based artist, designer, writer, zinester, teacher, and hospitality professional. Her studio practice explores myriad topics from care work and emotional labor in the service and hospitality industry to intersectional feminism, labor justice, and the radical power of DIY. Commercially, she specializes in branding, print, and package design.

Katie received her MFA from the University of Iowa School of Art & Art History (2023) with a primary emphasis in Graphic Design and a secondary focus in Photography. She also holds graduate certificates from the University of Iowa Center for the Book and Department of Gender, Women’s, & Sexuality Studies. You can find her master’s thesis, Gratuitous Hospitality, on ProQuest.

A lifelong student and enthusiastic instructor, Katie works as a teaching artist at Lillstreet Art Center where she was the Artist in Residence for Printmaking & Book Arts (2023-24). She continues to take classes within and outside of her department — resulting in her becoming a good printmaker and an *okay* ceramicist. ☺

You can find much of Katie’s work circulating in alternative bookshops and zine libraries across Chicago and nationally, but she’s particularly proud to be held in the following permanent collections:

Bainbridge Island Museum of Art | Bainbridge Island, WA
Butler University Special Collections | Indianapolis, IN
Ohio State University Robert E. and Jean R. Mahn Center for Archives and Special Collections | Athens, OH
University of North Texas Collections Department | Denton, TX

CONTACT: kjkiesewetter@gmail.com | Instagram (@radkatdesign).