Kate Muehlemann Cataldo: The Constellations Project
Artist Kate Muehlemann Cataldo takes on a second-year residency with their project, The Constellations Project. This project fosters connections between queer elders and youth, nurturing intergenerational bonds and community care. Join Kate in her second-year exhibition of the project on Saturday, June 28th, from 2 pm - 5 pm at Ren Hen Press Pasadena, with an artist talk starting at 3 pm. This exhibition showcases audio-recorded oral histories and painted portraits of eight LGBTQ+ elders alongside 40+ artworks created by LGBTQ+ teenagers and young adults in response to the elders' stories.
Kate’s first year of their project culminated in an exhibition at the Altadena Pride Festival, featuring painted portraits, queer elder reflections via audio recordings, and youth artwork inspired by the elders. Her practice consisted of a six-week legacy interview session with three queer elders, capturing hours of their life experiences, reflections, and advice for queer youth embarking on their own journeys. She then presented the audio recordings to local queer youth. The teens gathered inspiration from the elders' wisdom and produced artwork reflective of the impact of the elders' stories and their legacies in the greater community.
During The Constellations Project exhibition opening, visitors experienced an evening of celebration by listening to the impactful stories of the elders, viewing the artwork produced by the artist and youth, and folks got to speak one-on-one with the artist and the elders themselves.
Kate is now in the process of launching her second year exhibition that highlights new queer elder stories, and artworks.
The Constellations Project acknowledges how many queer people have not had role models nor a blueprint of what life might look like as an aging adult. The Constellations Project is rooted in honoring non-biologic family stories as our own queer ancestry and its legacy while promoting connection with the community.
Constellations of the night sky have shared stories and guidance throughout time, and The Constellations Project takes its name from this sentiment. Constellation is not only an inclusive word for those who surround, care for, and support us but also a reminder of the presence of these guiding lights, inspiring curiosity and wonder if we take the time to look.
Stay tuned for more!
This project is funded by the Pasadena Community Foundation and SAGE Equity Innovation Lab.
Bio
Kate Muehlemann Cataldo is a visual artist, death doula, and founder of Constellations of Care. Their organization provides end-of-life support and advocacy for the LGBTQIA2S+ community and creates space and tools for intentional dialogue about death and dying. Her artistic practice is influenced by the vulnerability and empathy cultivated in caregiving and themes of queer identity.
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In 2023, Kate Muehlemann Cataldo was invited to “develop a project that creates peaceful spaces for intergenerational connection and the conditions for collective healing, with a trauma-informed-care approach,” based on SSP’s Artist Residency theme “UNTWISTED: Inside Out In”.