Artist Statement
My art practice is an ongoing search for a system of logic behind my everyday experiences. As a parent, often that logic is lost, and my job is to try to find it preferably with humor. The current national health crisis has amplified the focus of my work and relevance to families forced into a more domestic environment.
Up a Creek Without a Paddle represents the household we keep afloat without control or certainty as to where we are headed. We all feel trapped in the safety of our own homes.
Parenting without a village is exhausting. The current situation is redefining how we view our homes and what we value as a society.
About the Artist
Christine A. Holtz received her M.F.A. in fiber arts from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and her B.F.A. from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a concentration in painting and fiber arts. She has shown her artwork at many art institutions across the country including but not limited to the Schweinfurth Art Center in Auburn, New York; Sheldon Art Galleries in St. Louis, Missouri; Woman Made Gallery in Chicago, Illinois; Palos Verdes Art Center in Rancho Palos Verdes, California; Urban Institute for Contemporary Arts in Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Rockford Art Museum in Rockford, Illinois; and the George Caleb Bingham Gallery at the University of Missouri. Most recently her work was chosen for the Fiberart International 2019 exhibition in Pittsburgh, PA and her work was featured in the summer of 2020 alongside Jessica Witte in “It Hits Home” at The Gallery at the Kranzberg, St. Louis, MO.
Ms. Holtz’s career as an educator started in 2008 when she became an Adjunct Instructor at Jefferson College teaching various art studio courses along with art history. From 2008 and continuing today, she serves as an Adjunct Instructor at St. Charles Community College. From 2010 to 2017 she also took on the role of Art Gallery Coordinator for the Fine Arts Gallery on the St. Charles Community College campus. In the fall of 2015, she was hired as an Associate Instructor to teach Fibers and Drawing at Maryville University where she continues to teach today. In her not-so-spare time, she is a part-time stay at home mom to her two small children, works at the YMCA part-time, and tests her sanity through her tedious art practice.
© Christine A. Holtz