- kjkainz@uwm.edu
- She / Her
Directory Categories
Karly Jean Kainz
- Lecturer, Ceramics
- Lab Technician, Ceramics
Education
- Master of Fine Art, Studio Art, New Mexico State University, 2024
- Bachelor of Fine Art, Studio Art - Print & Narrative Forms, UW-Milwaukee, 2019
Biography
Karly Jean Kainz is a Milwaukee-based interdisciplinary artist originally from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. She received her BFA in Studio Art with an emphasis in Print & Narrative Forms from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and her MFA in Studio Art from New Mexico State University, where her practice evolved to focus on ceramics and sculpture.
Rooted in the everyday, Kainz's work investigates the meaning of personal collection, as a representation of self, place, and the passing of time. Stemming from her research on Midwestern grottos, she draws inspiration from their chaotic, encrusted surfaces and use of gathered materials to create sacred spaces for contemplation. Drawing from both domestic and natural environments, Kainz transforms common, household objects of ritual into sculptural and functional forms with new meaning.
Although she now works primarily in clay, Kainz's background in printmaking continues to shape her process. Her approach to making three-dimensional forms is informed by printmaking's emphasis of repetition, pattern, and layering, resulting in surfaces built through accumulation.
Kainz has exhibited nationally and internationally and has curated various public exhibitions. Passionate about collaboration and accessible education, she has taught workshops across a range of disciplines and developed community-based programming that connects people through creativity and curiosity.