Kami Watson is a second generation fiber and textile artist who specializes in wet felting, the ancient process of creating a textile by combining thin layers of wool fiber with soap, water, and agitation. She uses this labor intensive technique to create both sculptural and flat textile work, and combines process knowledge learned from her mother with her own creative exploration.
In her most recent exhibition work, she has been exploring the incorporation of hand stitching and mixed media with her felt. She draws inspiration from the people and places she's encountered, and experiences she's lived via her free-spirited and primarily nomadic life.
In 2018, Kami was awarded a Craft Fellowship from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. She used it as an opportunity to study with internationally renowned felt artists to continue to expand her knowledge of her craft.
In an effort to combine her passions of fiber art and community outreach, Kami applied for and was awarded a Verdant Fund grant, part of a Regional Re-granting Program by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This funding, with in-kind support from the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, is sponsoring a series of free and accessible felting workshops at the North Huntsville Public Library throughout 2024.
Kami is both a working and teaching artist currently residing in Huntsville, Alabama with a studio at Lowe Mill ARTS on the second floor.
In her most recent exhibition work, she has been exploring the incorporation of hand stitching and mixed media with her felt. She draws inspiration from the people and places she's encountered, and experiences she's lived via her free-spirited and primarily nomadic life.
In 2018, Kami was awarded a Craft Fellowship from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. She used it as an opportunity to study with internationally renowned felt artists to continue to expand her knowledge of her craft.
In an effort to combine her passions of fiber art and community outreach, Kami applied for and was awarded a Verdant Fund grant, part of a Regional Re-granting Program by The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. This funding, with in-kind support from the Huntsville-Madison County Public Library, is sponsoring a series of free and accessible felting workshops at the North Huntsville Public Library throughout 2024.
Kami is both a working and teaching artist currently residing in Huntsville, Alabama with a studio at Lowe Mill ARTS on the second floor.
Solo Exhibitions
2024 Women’s Work - Interrupted, Lowe Mill ARTS, Huntsville, AL Group Exhibitions 2024 The Feminine "I", Alabama Women's Caucus for Art, A&M University, Huntsville, AL Calm, Alabama Women's Caucus for Art, Huntsville Hospital, Huntsville, AL 2023 Myth in Form, Alabama Women's Causus for Art, Carnegie Visual Arts Center, Decatur, AL 2022 Labor of Love, Alabama Women's Caucus for Art, Wilson Hall, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL Labor of Love, Alabama Women's Caucus for Art, Huntsville Museum of Art, Huntsville, AL Are We There Yet?, Piedmont Craftsman Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC Guild Member Show, Piedmont Craftsman, Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, Huntsville, AL Shelter, Alabama Women's Caucus for Art, Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, Huntsville, AL Labor of Love, Alabama Women's Caucus for Art, Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, Huntsville, AL 2020 Alabama Sampler, Aaron Sanders Head, Greensboro, AL 80/20, Alabama Women's Caucus for Art, Lowe Mill ARTS & Entertainment, Huntsville, AL B20: Wiregrass Biennial, Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan, AL Embracing Art XVII, Carnegie Arts Center, Decatur, AL Member Showcase, Alabama Women's Caucus for Art, Union Grove Gallery, University of Alabama, Huntsville, AL 2019 The Art of Detailing, Southern Highland Craft Guild Focus Gallery, Asheville, NC Member Exhibition, Southern Highland Craft Guild Main Gallery, Asheville, NC Member Exhibition, Piedmont Craftsmen Gallery, Winston-Salem, NC Fiber Explorations: Regional Artists Exhibit, Yoknapatawpha Arts Council, Oxford, MS Perfect Imperfection: Embracing Wabi Sabi, Southern Highland Craft Guild Main Gallery, Asheville, NC 2018 Visual Arts Fellowship Exhibition, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Montgomery, AL SHCG Member Exhibition, Appalachian Regional Commission, Washington DC 2017 Fiber Art VIII International Biennial Fiber Arts Exhibition, Sebastopol Center for the Arts/Surface Design Association, Sebastopol, CA |
Honors and Awards
2019 Saunders Dawson Award of Excellence in Fibers, Piedmont Craftsmen, Winston-Salem, NC Honorable Mention, River Clay Fine Arts Festival, Decatur, AL Peak Award, Monte Sano Art Festival, Huntsville, AL 2018 Individual Artist (Craft) Fellowship, Alabama State Council on the Arts, Montgomery, AL Merit Award (Fiber), River Arts Fest, Memphis, TN 2017 Honorable Mention, River Clay Fine Arts Festival, Decatur, AL 2016 2nd Place, River Clay Fine Arts Festival, Decatur, AL 2014 1st Place Fiber, Art on the Lake, Guntersville, AL Publications
2022 Rapid River Magazine (December) 2016 Fiber Art Now (Emerging Artists Showcase, Digital) 2014 No'Ala (Nov-Dec) |
Memberships and Affiliations
Alabama's Women's Caucus for Art (2020- ) Huntsville Museum of Art-Teaching Artist (2018-2020, 2024- ) Southern Highland Craft Guild (2017- ) Alabama Craft Guild (2017- ) Fiber Art Now (2016-2020, 2023- ) Piedmont Craftsmen (2019-2023) Carolina Designer Craftsmen Guild (2020) Craftsmen Guild of Mississippi (2018-2020) American Craft Council (2016-2020) Surface Design Association (2016-2018) Flying Monkey Arts Collective @ Lowe Mill (2014-2018) |