Katherine Amman Vellard is a native Louisiana artist and former professor of art at Louisiana Tech University. She has exhibited in 80 national and international exhibitions and has had 13 solo shows including an exhibition at Centre D’Arts Plastiques Albert Chanot in Clamart, France and “The Holy Mysteries” exhibition at St. John the Divine in New York City. In 2003 she was awarded the Artist Fellowship Award by the Louisiana Division of the Arts. 

STATEMENT:

"A Louisiana native, I grew up exploring bayous, cotton fields and Indian mounds. Searching for arrowheads, digging in turn rows, and examining the wildlife on the bayou was a part of my daily routine. Rather isolated, entertainment came from creative invention. My sister and I invented a game called cool spot. The turn row at the edge of a cotton field is dusty and extremely hot. We would drag a shovel to the turn row and dig deeply until we hit cool, damp earth. Facing each other we would stand in the hot dust until one of us would break down and jump into the hole (cool spot) to alleviate our burning feet ... thus losing the game.

In the process of digging we would find an assortment of treasures, broken bottles, old marbles, pottery shards and an occasional arrowhead. These bits and pieces, rough fragments of objects, hinted at the history of their former life and created a mysterious narrative. These experiences still hold a certain fascination for me and continue to surface in my work through elements, symbols, and storytelling."

—Katherine Amman Vellard