My work investigates how material culture might provide a lens into the U.S. politics and environmental movements, both past and present.  I make projects using a variety of forms — installations, publications, videos, fiber works, and interactive experiences.

Our world is full of objects that carry meaning through their design and their use. A flag communicates the flyer’s values; a tent communicates the user’s love of the outdoors; and a patch shows what organizations the wearer is a part of. A story of history woven into the threads of these objects, one often overlooked.

My work often uses found objects and references existing forms, and through this, I am able to situate my objects into the world they would normally reside in. By doing so, the audiences are not only art audiences, but they can be passersby seeing a flag on the front of a building, seeing a sign on the street, or seeing a tent within a national park. It is my hope, that by situating my work both within and outside of the gallery that the intention of the “real” reference can begin to be unravelled.

Katie Hargrave (b. 1985 Chicago, resides Chattanooga, TN) is an artist and educator based in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Hargrave holds an MFA from the University of Iowa, MA from Brandeis University, and a BFA from the University of Illinois. Recent exhibitions include a solo exhibition at the Gadsden Museum of Art (2022, Gadsden, AL) and Granary Arts (2021, Ephraim, UT) as well as selected group exhibitions at The Knoxville Museum of Art (2023, Knoxville, TN), Utah Museum of Contemporary Art (2023, Salt Lake City, UT), Alabama Contemporary (2021, Mobile, AL), and Atlanta Contemporary Art Center (2021, Atlanta, GA). Recent residencies include the Utah State University Outdoor Recreation Archive (2023), Illinois State University (2023), and Crisp-Ellert Art Museum (2022). She has received numerous grants, including the Puffin Foundation, Tennessee Arts Commission, CERF+, amongst others. She collaborates frequently with Meredith Laura Lynn, and she was a member of the collaborative groups “The Think Tank that has yet to be named” and " Like Riding a Bicycle.”