Celeste Cooning

Celeste Cooning is an Indiana girl at heart. Graduate studies in painting at the University of Washington brought her to Seattle, where she continues to live and work. A pervading interest in pattern and ornament led her to explore cut paper. The medium facilitates a particular response to material, shape, light, and space. This process continues to inform the development of ethereal, site-specific installations for city parks, storefronts, celebrations, and more recently the stage. 2013 marked the transformation of Cooning’s signature cut paper aesthetic into a permanent outdoor sculpture with the support of 1% for Public Art and the Seattle Office of Arts and Culture. Bounty functions as a threshold for Jackson Park Trail and harkens to the lush, abundant beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Celeste exhibited in Artprize 2010. She is thrilled to return this year with her installation at TowerPinkster. This constructed ethereal environment is meant to conjure sensations of wonder and delight. It is within these moments that we become hopeful, curious, and inspired. Ultimately, Cooning strives to cultivate this wonder, spark imagination, and nurture joy.