Kathleen Studebaker: Gizmos & Gadgets, at Patricia M. Nugent Gallery at Rosemont College, @rosemontcollege is on view through: Mar 30, 2025
Gazing upon Kathleen Studebaker’s solo show at Rosemont College, one is immediately reminded of an inventor’s workshop. Puzzle-like constructions of gleaming rods, intricate gears, and nested circles radiate from central points in the sculptures, reminiscent of gyroscopes and astrolabes from a bygone era. Each sculpture is situated on a regal walnut base and many are suspended in the air by elegant arching armatures. They possess an old-world charm, but the pristine copper, bronze, brass, steel, and aluminum components suggest the vibrancy of active use.
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Studebaker’s objects exude possibilities, suggesting mysterious and profound purposes. Are these cosmological maps? Diagrams of atomic substances or stellar radiation? The longer I compared the different sculptures, the more certain I became that each object’s unique purpose would be revealed if I spent enough time trying to decode its secret. I found myself mentally building a map, noting the direction of the color gradient, the length of each rod, the orientation of each disk, and the number of teeth in a floating gear. Do they represent distance, elemental composition, the velocity of an exploding star, or some other measurable but enigmatic purpose? Collecting the clues, I subconsciously scanned the gallery for a chart or book that might reveal the answers.
My eye was drawn to several framed images diagraming the structure and construction of each object. These were printouts of Studebaker’s workbooks, showing how she mapped each sculpture so they could be disassembled for further refinement, and reassembled during the process of creation. These fascinating schematics highlighted the artist’s exceptional attention to detail and craftsmanship, but they offered no lore to unpack or instructions for me to follow. I pictured this information preserved in a leather-bound tome, stored in a vast library—perhaps on a distant world.
This otherworldly, enchanting aura is deliberate. Studebaker describes her sculptures as “fantastical objects aimed at sparking the viewer’s imagination”. The entire show and each piece within it inspire multiple potential storylines, where magic and science intertwine and alchemy is possible. I was entranced by the possibilities of AstroObject [2f.ii1], a mesmerizing sphere containing smaller gyroscopic orbs. Is it an object describing the movement of atoms or a daring tool for magical experiments in quantum entanglement? I felt as if the gears contained the paramount mystery. The grooves and holes in AstroObject [2e.o2] resemble ancient or alien writing, suggesting they might provide information and calibration parameters for adjustable dials. In other pieces, floating gears seemed like they would click into another larger unseen mechanism.
I noticed that each title in Gizmos and Gadgets begins with the qualifier AstroObject, followed by a bracketed numerical code. Adding to the scientific allure, this system of categorization was invented by the artist to correspond to the details of each piece: size, form, arrangement of elements, and order of metals used. Such meticulous attention to detail is a cornerstone of Studebaker’s work. She describes herself as a “fabricator and all-around tinkerer, [with] a (potentially unhealthy) interest in order and organization.”
Studebaker’s components are all handcrafted, without the use of computer-aided tools (laser cutter, or CNC) or ready-made objects. Every circle and intricate gear is carefully cut with a bandsaw or jeweler’s saw, hand-filed, and then sanded smooth, ensuring they shimmer as they catch the light. Each groove and joint is meticulously finished. The larger assemblies employ some soldering but are primarily held together with painstaking mechanical precision, using long threaded rods and nuts machined into polished circles. The base of each piece incorporates inlaid squares of metal, serving as a key to the elements employed in its construction, laid out in a satisfying color gradient from the red of copper, through soft oranges and golds, to the bright silver of aluminum and the dark gray of steel. In these pieces, the orientation of the gradient might vary but the progression always remains the same.
This interest in creating objects that exist as part of a fantastical world can be seen in other bodies of Studebaker’s work. One previous series, The WasteLand, featured colorful wooden sculptures of alien flora intertwining with ancient artifacts and geared machines. This earlier narrative shares a thematic thread with her AstroObjects: the profound sense of wonder and awe one feels when confronted by their insignificance; both in the grand scale of the cosmos and the relentless passage of time.
The turning of the planets mirrors the circling of electrons on an atomic level. The Fibonacci sequence manifests across the natural world, from conch shells to the veins in leaves. These orbits and patterns gather and diffuse according to natural laws and fields of power that we can’t hope to fully understand or control. Studebaker captures this mystery in her sculptures by asking us to reflect on systems that simultaneously defy and require simplification. Her work stimulates our imagination, prompting us to contemplate how other civilizations across the cosmos might navigate the vastness of the universe. Here on Earth, humanity has responded by creating timepieces, celestial maps and mechanical diagrams, thoughtfully designing functional and aesthetically pleasing devices to honor these systems. Studebaker’s work draws inspiration from these tools, fostering a sense of wonder about space, infinity, and the profound existential questions that arise as we seek to understand our place within this vast cosmic framework.
All photographs courtesy of the artist: Kathleen Studebaker
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Kathleen Studebaker: Gizmos & Gadgets, at Patricia M. Nugent Gallery at Rosemont College, @rosemontcollege https://www.instagram.com/rosemontcollege/ On view through: Mar 30, 2025 @kathleenstudebaker_art
About the writer: Claire Haik is a Philadelphia artist and educator whose work explores the hidden processes of nature. Using oil, acrylic, and hand-crushed, locally sourced pigments, she creates abstracted representations of landscapes and scientifically inspired imagery. Her work has been featured in SciArt in America and Issues in Science and Technology, and she was awarded the Lois and Charles X Carlson Landscape Residency and Experience Economies: Landscape Experience residency at Mildred’s Lane. Haik holds an MFA from the School of Visual Arts and studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. Her work has been exhibited at Pulse Miami and at galleries throughout the Northeast. See her art and learn more about her here. @clairehaik