Finding Home collage installation was on view in Toronto, February 2008: The large-scale drawings, textile maps, and archival photos explore how a person can create a feeling of being at home in the world.

One year later... Kathleen's dissertation was awarded the Phi Delta Kappa (Toronto Chapter) award for Outstanding Doctoral Dissertation, 2007-- a wonderful honour! Her thesis was York University's first multi-modal doctoral dissertation. A story in York University's YFile magazine details the particulars.

Finding Home: A doctoral adventure in research and creation

On November 24, 2006, I earned my PhD in Education from York University at the successful defence of my dissertation, Finding Home: Knowledge, Collage, and the Local Environments.

Finding Home was the Faculty of Education's first multi-modal doctoral dissertation-that is, a dissertation including a visual installation as well as a scholarly text. Both aspects are represented here, the illustrated text as downloadable PDF files, and the installation in QuickTime video clips. Read, see and hear more...

On December 2, 2004, I had the great pleasure of meeting and being interviewed by Shelagh Rogers, host of Sounds Like Canada, CBC Radio One's national morning show. The occasion was the recent exhibition of my Bog Series in the Netherlands.

In the two-part interview, posted here, I discuss the genesis of my Bog Series, describe my mixed media series of works exploring the lives and deaths of Iron Age bog mummies, and tell stories of the excitement of taking my work to the Netherlands, home of the famous 'Yde Girl' bog mummy. Also featured is commentary on my work by Michel van Maarseveen, director of the Drents Museum (Netherlands), an international leader in bog archeology.

Click the link to listen:

• Interview - Part 1 (MP3, 4:57 min., 5.6MB)
• Interview - Part 2 (MP3, 5:26 min., 6.2MB)

Audio files courtesy of CBC Radio.

For the second time in as many years, my Bog Series is being displayed in conjunction with the international archeological blockbuster The Mysterious Bog People.

My collection of works on canvas and linen, developed before and independently of the now famous archeological show, is showing from 10 November through 10 December 2004 at the Municipal Hall and the ICO (Centre for Arts and Culture) in Assen, Netherlands - a place where bog bodies were found. Simultaneously, The Mysterious Bog People will be on display until January 9, 2005 at the nearby Drents Museum.

Last year, when the international exhibition drew throngs at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Gatineau, my work was on show at the nearby Galerie Montcalm. This year, the Galerie Montcalm, through the Ville de Gatineau, partners in the presentation of The Bog Series in the Netherlands.

My work was enthusiastically welcomed by the Dutch people. Indeed, Michel van Maarseveen, Director of the Drents Museum, opened my exhibition at the Municipal Hall with these words of praise: "These are some paintings! When I was walking around the other day, while the exhibition was being mounted, I was literally overwhelmed by Kathleen Vaughan's work. The scope and forcefulness of her work have left an indelible impression."

I was thrilled to be present for the vernissage (10 November), as well as for a joint tour with the Drents Museum (12 November), a slide talk about my work and a hands-on workshop for local artists (13 November).

It is a homecoming to have my work shown in the terrain that inspired it: bog country. Now, I am investigating the possibility of taking The Bog Series even further afield, accompanying The Mysterious Bog People on their coming travels to England, the U.S., Australia and New Zealand.

I would like to acknowledge and thank those whose financial support made this exhibition possible: Art Works Art School, Carol Buller, Connie Filletti, Peter Herrndorf, Olga Kuplowska, Jim Matsui, Judy Roberts & Associates/Associés, Tobin Associates, Ville de Gatineau, and the Ontario Arts Council.

"Kathleen Vaughan's work ...is spiritual by nature, it reminds us of our own mortality. Not in a frightening way, but almost reassuringly and lovingly she shows us that we are all part of this eternal cycle. This makes her work a tribute to life itself and the transient human body in particular. Dust we are, and unto dust we return. Even the slowly disintegrating body contains beauty. This is shown quite evocatively by the confrontation between the bog bodies and the vital, zestful and often sensual bodies of flesh and blood."

-- Michel van Maarseveen, Director of the Drents Museum

Updated Thursday, 3 March 2005

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