Kristen Tordella-Williams is an interdisciplinary artist and arts educator based in the American South. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, including a recent exhibition at a villa in Berlin. Tordella-Williams has been an artist in residence at WNC Sculpture Park, Salem Art Works, the Ateliers im Alten Schlachthof, and the TIDES Institute & Museum of Art. In 2023, Kristen’s piece 40 Burnt Books was selected for the second place award out of over 1000 entries in the ArtFields competition in Lake City, SC. Recent solo exhibitions include Precipice at Fort Smith Regional Art Museum in Arkansas and Dark Matter in the Hudson Galleries at Mississippi University for Women in Columbus, MS.

Kristen Tordella-Williams examines the impact of personal and communal labor on the landscapes of our bodies, communities and environments. Often using repetitive processes such as iron casting and hand papermaking, Tordella-Williams balances the strength and fragility inherent in the materials of cast iron and paper as well as their common histories in industrial and domestic spaces. Tordella-Williams memorializes the impact of our actions on our environments and collective culture by gathering and re-interpreting the remnants of labor, her own and that of others. When making multiples, Tordella-Williams uses the number forty to reference the forty-hour workweek unions fought militantly for in the past and now is mainly taken for granted. Her studio explorations result in site-responsive installations that invite viewers to reflect on their own experiences and the residue they leave behind through their art, refuse, or communal efforts.

In addition to her primary studio practice, Tordella-Williams works with collaborators to create sculpture, performance works and participatory events like the Harder Barter Market. The Market is a one hour pop up event where participants enter an arena and trade handmade goods under the jurisdiction of Kristen and her longtime collaborator, Jenny Hillenbrand. Another sculptural and performance collaboration is the Alligator Dreams project with German artist Susanne Hackenbracht focused on transatlantic feminist empowerment through the exploration of a singular abstract alligator form. She also works cooperatively to create various public sculpture projects like her Wreath series (Eudora Welty Wreath, 2016, Trails Wreath, 2018, Synaptic Wreath, 2022) that incorporate life castings of a community into a large scale public cast iron sculpture. The confluence of working with others allows for a shared history of labor and new perspectives to emerge in Tordella-Williams’ work.

Tordella-Williams holds a BFA in Sculpture from the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth and an MFA in Sculpture and Dimensional Studies from Alfred University. She is currently the President of the Mid-South Sculpture Alliance and an Associate Professor of Sculpture at Auburn University in Alabama. Peek inside Kristen's current studio practice by following her on Instagram.

2024
Art of Work,  Auburn University Research and Innovation Campus, Huntsville, AL
Precipice, Fort Smith Regional Art Museum, Fort Smith, AR
Dark Matter, Hudson Gallery, Mississippi University for Women, Columbus, MS

2023
Watershed, City Hall Gallery, O’Fallon, MO

2022
Of an Industrial Nature, Pogue Art Gallery, Eastern Central University, Ada, OK

2021
Fallen Lines, Lycoming College Art Gallery, Lycoming, PA
Alone, together // Alleine, zusammen, Projekt Traum, Friedrichshafen, Germany 
Frühlingsglaube, Ateliers im Alten Schlachthof, Sigmaringen, Germany
The Harder Barter Market, as Lifetime Guarantee, Hall Gallery, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS
HOME//WORK, Lower Level Galleries, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel, MS

2020
Paperwork, Gallery 336B, Illinois Central College, East Peoria, IL

2019
Working Matters, Pearl River Glass Studio, Jackson, MS

2018
Compression, Lewis Art Gallery, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS

2017
Natural Histories, Lewis Art Gallery, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS

2015
Knot Work, Lewis Art Gallery, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS
Knot Work, ONE Arts, Burlington, VT

2014
Excavations, Lewis Art Gallery, Millsaps College, Jackson, MS
Grave, CAP Artspace, Ithaca, NY
Remnants, Corks and More, Ithaca, NY

2012
Strata, Fosdick-Nelson Gallery, Alfred University, Alfred, NY

2018
A Body, An Archive, AND Gallery, Jackson MS (juried)
Pushing the Pull, SPF 18, Fort Lauderdale FL (juried)
VergeJXN 2.0, The Hatch, Jackson MS
MSA Select 2018, ACA Emporium, Knoxville TN *Best in Show (juried by Elizabeth Turk)
salem2salem, Salem Monastery and Palace, Salem, Germany
3rd Annual Alternative Process Photography Exhibition, The Image Flow, Mill City, CA (juried)
Solid Gone, Sordoni Art Gallery, Wilkes University, Wilkes-Barre PA (juried)
F.I.R.E. Pop-Up Exhibit, Metal Museum, Memphis TN
In the Belly of the Beast - First and Second Degree, Stephen Smith Fine Art, Fairfield AL (juried)
sXe: Southeastern Contemporary Art, Florida Atlantic University Galleries, Boca Raton FL

Re:Growth, Artworks, Loveland CO
Verge JXN, Lucky Town Brewery, Jackson MS
Small Works Alumni Exhibition, Cohen Gallery, Alfred NY
NCCCIAP Curated Professional Exhibition, Sloss Furnaces Visitor's Center, Birmingham, AL (juried)
The First Mississippi Light Festival, Arts Complex & Gardens, Jackson MS (juried)
Nasty Women Exhibition, Knockdown Center, Maspeth Queens, NY (juried)

2016
Dis-sec-tion, Downtown Artery, Fort Collins, CO
MSA Select, Gallery 72, Atlanta, GA (juried)
State of Matter, Steamworks Gallery, Scranton, PA (juried)
Flare: Iron through the Lens, AFA Gallery, Scranton, PA (juried)
Natural Threads, Heritage Museum and Gardens, Sandwich MA (juried)
Garner Arts Festival, Garner Arts Center, West Haverstraw NY
6x6, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Rochester NY
Chronodrift, lumber room, Portland, OR
Potsdam Prints, The Art Museum, SUNY Potsdam, Potsdam NY *Best in Show (juried by Harvey Breverman)
Translating the Intangible, 203Art, Shanghai, China 

2015
Art Shape Mammoth, Governor's Island Art Fair, New York City NY (juried)
Ewen Arts Festival, Centennial Hall, Ewen MI
Mississippi Collegiate Art Faculty Juried Exhibition, Lauren Rogers Museum of Art, Laurel MS
The Art Faculty of the Colleges of Jackson, The Cedars, Jackson MS

2012
There and Back Again, (co curator) Hinkle Memorial Library Exhibition, Alfred, NY
Bookopolis: Editorial Content Spine Tickling Books, Asheville Bookworks, Asheville, NC
The Woodcut Show, Robert C. Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
Normally on Paper, Robert C. Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY
Subversive Turf, Robert C. Turner Gallery, Alfred, NY

2011
Ongoing Exhibition, Franconia Sculpture Park, Franconia, MN
Lifetime Guarantee, The Random Room, Alfred, NY

2010
BFA Thesis Exhibition, Artworks, New Bedford, MA  

2009
Fine Arts Exhibition, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
Student Showcase, The Whaling Museum, New Bedford, MA

2008
Annual Outdoor Show, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, Collaboration

2007
Outstanding Foundation Show, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

2006
Westford Regional Art Exhibition, Parish Center for the Arts, Westford, MA
High School Photography Contest, Drexel University, Philadelphia, PA

2022
Eisenwunderwelt, (co-curated with Jenny Hillenbrand) Moving Poets Novilla, Berlin, Germany
2019 
Fierce - Women in Iron, (co-curated with Jam Rohr) Prairie Center for the Arts, Peoria IL
2013
Popup Show! Salem Art Works, Salem, NY
2012
There and Back Again, (co curated with Jenny Hillenbrand) Hinkle Memorial Library Exhibition, Alfred, NY

Public Sculpture Exhibitions

Out of the frying pan... Ateliers de la Nature, Arnaudville, LA 2024-25
Synaptic Wreath, ArtSculpt International, Fairview, IL, 2024-25
Trails Wreath, University of Alabama Huntsville, 2024-26
Caterpillar Canopy, made with Jenny Hillenbrand, WNC Sculpture Park, Lenoir, NC, 2023-present
Synaptic Wreath, Downtown Sculpture, Granite City, IL, 2023-24
Eudora Welty Wreath, the Art Garden at the Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson, MS 2022-present
Trails Wreath and Eudora Welty Wreath, Jule Collins Smith Museum, Auburn, AL 2022
Rope Piece, WNC Sculpture Park, Lenoir, NC 2020-present
Eudora Welty Wreath, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, Hamilton, OH 2020-21
Trails Wreath, Women in Sculpture Exhibition, Chattanooga TN 2019-21, juried by Chakaia Booker.
Eudora Welty Wreath, University of Southern Mississippi Outdoor Exhibition, Hattiesburg MS (juried), 2018-20
Trails Wreath, Sculpture Trails Outdoor Museum, Solsberry IN 2018-19
Memento Mori: 40 Hours of Digging, Franconia Sculpture Park, Shafer MN, 2011-19
Rope Piece, Natural Threads, Heritage Museum and Gardens, Sandwich, MA (juried), 2016
Dragon, Rob and Shelley Hartz, Littleton, MA, 2011-present
Annual Outdoor Exhibition, UMass Dartmouth, North Dartmouth MA, 2007, 2008, & 2009

Awards and Residencies 

2024
Honorable Mention, Second Time Around, Jamestown Arts Center, RI, Juror Dr. Ella S. Mills

2023
Iron & Light Residency, with Jenny Hillenbrand, Western North Carolina Sculpture Park, Lenoir, NC
Second Place Award, ArtFields, Lake City, SC

2022
StudioWorks Artist in Residency, Tides Institute & Museum of Art, Eastport, ME

2021 
Ateliers im Alten Schlachthof artist residency, Sigmaringen, Germany

2020
Arts & Humanities Fellow for Innovation in Scholarship, Millsaps College

2019
Salem2Salem, international collaborative residency, Salem, Germany

2018
Salem2Salem, international collaborative residency, Salem, NY
Best in Show, MSA Select 2018, juried by Elizabeth Turk

2017
Frueauff Faculty Pedagogy Fellow, Millsaps College
Richard A. Smith Award for Excellence in Scholarship or Creative Work, Millsaps College

2016
Best in Show, Potsdam Prints, judged by Harvey Breverman at The Art Museum, SUNY Potsdam

2013
Emerging Artist Fellowship, Salem Art Works, Salem, NY

2011
Franconia Sculpture Park Intern Artist Fellowship, Shafer, MN

2010-2012
Graduate Fellowship, Alfred University

2010
Massachusetts Commonwealth Scholar, UMass Dartmouth

2006
Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery

Grants

2023
Sustainable Foundry Startup Funds, Daniel F. Breeden Endowed Grant, Biggio Center, Auburn University
Immersive Woodshop Safety Training, AUX Immersive Learning Experiences Grant, Biggio Center, Auburn University

2022
Individual Artist Career Opportunity Grant, South Arts, Atlanta, GA
Greater Jackson Arts Council Mini Grants, lead grant writer, co-written with MSA Development Committee, funding “Squaring the Cube” exhibition
Presentation Grant, South Arts, co-written with MSA Development Committee to fund Confab 22 speaker Anila Agha
Summer Research Grant, Auburn University College of Liberal Arts
Semester Research Leave, Auburn University College of Liberal Arts

2019
A Community Thrives, USA Today foundation grant funding the Midtown Sculpture Walk 
Creative Art Grant, Jackson MS Department of Human and Cultural Services, funding the Midtown Sculpture Walk
Horn Foundation Grant, lead grant writer, co-written with Department of Art and Institutional Advancement
Faculty Development Grant, Millsaps College

2018
Faculty Development Grant, Millsaps College

2017
Faculty Development Grant, Millsaps College

2016 
Creative Artist Grant, Greater Jackson Arts Council
MAC Mini-Grant, Mississippi Arts Commission
Faculty Development Grant, Millsaps College
Horn Foundation Grant, co-written with Department of Art and Institutional Advancement Faculty Development Grant, Millsaps College

2015
Faculty Development Grant, Millsaps College

2022
Coles Castings, fine arts foundry in Shaftesbury England,
Texas A&M Corpus Christi Spring Iron Pour
2016
Mississippi Children's Museum December Visiting Artist, Jackson MS
2015
Visitor's Center, Sustainable Arts Symposium, Ewen MI
One Arts Center and community, Burlington VT
2014
Coles Castings, fine arts foundry in Shaftesbury England 

Juror

2023
Artist Fellowship Award, adjudication panel for 3D work, Mississippi Arts Commission
2022
Student Juried Exhibition, Columbus State University, Columbus, GA
2021
Student Juried Exhibition, Marie Hull Gallery, Hinds Community College - Raymond Campus
2019
Mississippi Scholastic Art Awards, hosted by the Mississippi Museum of Art
2017
Chimneyville Arts Festival, Jackson Trademart, MS,

Lectures, Panels, Workshops, and Demos

2024
Workshop Instructor for papermaking and foundry, Teen Arts Program, Salem Art Works, Salem NY
Sustainability in Chaos virtual artist talk: How It’s Made, Robert C. Williams Papermaking Museum, Atlanta, GA
Gallery Talk, Hudson Galleries, MUW, Columbus, MS

2023
MSA Opportunities and more, DK II Invitational Iron Pour, 3D Art Building, University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg, MS
Artist Talk, Studio 222, Auburn, AL
Resident Artist Talk, with Jenny Hillenbrand, WNC Sculpture Park, Lenoir, NC
Coffee with the Artist, O’Fallon City Hall, O’Fallon, MO
Multi-parted Sand Mold Workshop, Lead Instructor, National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art & Practices, Sloss Historic Furnaces, Birmingham, AL
Studio Visit, Professor Hannah Israel and Columbus State University upper level art majors, Opelika, AL

2022
Material Dichotomies panelist, 9th International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art, Berlin, Germany
Studioworks Artist-in-Residence Talk, with Kimberly Wetzel, Tides Institute & Museum of Art, Eastport, ME
Interdisciplinary Artmaking, via Zoom, Prof. Christyn Overstake’s Printmaking class, East Central Oklahoma University, Ada, OK

2021
Student Scholarship Winners, panel moderator, Mid-South Sculpture Alliance Conference, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH.
Fruhlingsglaube Vernissage, Ateliers im Alten Schlachthof, Sigmaringen Germany
Harder Barter Market: The Fire and the Fury, Panel Co-Moderator with Jenny Hillenbrand, National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art & Practices, Online
Artist Panel for the National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art & Practices Juried Exhibition with curator Karen Smith, online
Quick Easy and Cheap Silicone Caulk Moldmaking, video demonstration for the National Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art & Practices, online
Artist Talk, James Madison University Drawing class, invited by Prof. Mallory Burrell
Graduate Studio Visits, Texas A&M Corpus Christi
Artist Talk, TAMU-CC Advanced Sculpture class, invited by Prof. Leticia Bajuyo, online
Co-Teaching Problem Solving + Collaboration using STEAM Principles, panelist, Arts and Humanities Multidisciplinary Education Collaborations, CAA online 

2020
Network Matters panelist at the TAMU-CC Oso Bay Biennial XXI symposium via Zoom
Paper +, panel moderator, North American Hand Papermakers Paper Currents 2020 Conference via Zoom
Artist Talk Exchange between Kristen Tordella-Williams and Matt Lynch, with Millsaps College and University of Cincinatti sculpture students via WebEx
Artist Talk, Pfullendorf-Meßkirch Rotary Club, Germany via Zoom
Artists Chatting with Tea, interview with Lauren Koch viewable here
Touch: An Instagram Artist Talk, hosted by Dane Winkler, Instagram Live
Cyanotype Workshop, lead instructor, Mississippi National Art Honor Society All Star Art Event, Mississippi Museum of Art

2019
Art and Community Engagement at Millsaps, Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society Convention, Millsaps College, Jackson MS
Folded Book Workshop, assistant instructor to Sue Carrie Drummond, Mississippi National Art Honor Society All Star Art Event, Mississippi Museum of Art
Like a Velvet Glove Cast in Iron, panelist, NCCCIAP, Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham AL

2018
Paper Casting and its Potential, demonstration, MSA Conference, University of Tennessee Knoxville
Mississippi Scholastic Art Awards Adjudication Gallery Talk, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson MS
Artist Talk, University of Southern Mississippi Hattiesburg, Hattiesburg MS
Bringing Outdoor Sculpture to your Community, panelist, ICCCIA, Scranton Historic Furnaces, Scranton PA

2017
Artist Talk, Nicholls State University Iron Pour, Thibodaux, LA
Im-Permanence? panelist, NCCCIAP, Sloss Furnaces, Birmingham AL
Mississippi Scholastic Art Awards Keynote Speaker, Mississippi Museum of Art, Jackson MS
VergeJXN, Friday Forum panel director about, Millsaps College, Jackson MS
IVI Hour, Millsaps College, Jackson MS

Alfred University
New York State College of Ceramics
MFA Sculpture/Dimensional Studies, 2012

University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
College of Visual and Performing Arts
BFA Sculpture/3D Studies summa cum laude 2010

Experience

Associate Professor of  Sculpture, Department of Art and Art History, Auburn University, AL 2021-present

• Teach all levels of sculpture to majors and non-majors 
• Teach Issues and Crit in Contemporary Art seminar
• Maintain sculpture studios including metal, wood, and digital technologies
• Create and maintain a new papermaking studio
• Create and maintain sustainable foundry studio
• Develop departmental curriculum and contribute to service

Board President, Mid-South Sculpture Alliance 2021-present

• Lead a working board, coordinate and delegate activities with Managing Director or Administrative Assistant
• Lead outreach and recruitment of new members and opportunities
• Co-Chair Conference 2024 Committee, Chair Confab 2022 Committee. Plan conference, exhibitions, and presentations
• Chair of Development Committee. Lead grant writing and fundraising for the organization

Vice-President/Board Member, Mid-South Sculpture Alliance, 2017-2021

• Working board member, plan and implement sculpture opportunities for southern states, organize conferences, meetings, and exhibitions
  
• Chair of Scholarship Committee, chair of Confab 2022 Committee

Associate Professor of Studio Art, Millsaps College, Jackson MS 2014-2021

• Teach sculpture, digital arts, drawing, and performance to both art majors and non-majors at beginning, intermediary, and advanced levels
• Guide and advise students as they advance towards their degree and career path

Coordinating Producer and Co-Founder, VergeJXN, Jackson MS 2015-18

• Lead producer for interactive arts festival
  
• Set goals and coordinate between five producers, manage and apply for funding, sponsorships, manage website, outreach to artists, coordinate events, and assist with curation and logistics

Frueauff Faculty Pedagogy Fellow, Millsaps College, Jackson MS 2017-18

• Yearlong pedagogy award for research into differentiation in higher education on behalf of Millsaps faculty
  
• Coordinate visiting expert workshop and lead series of seminars on the topic

Workshop Instructor/Board Member, Purple Word Center for Book and Paper Arts, Jackson MS 2014-16

• Responsible for art education and paper making
  
• Teach community based workshops on book making and paper arts

Photographer & Video Recorder, Documentary Crew, Sabile, Talsi and Pedvale, Latvia 2014

• Document live performances, lectures, and events during the 7th International Conference on Contemporary Cast Iron Art based at the Pedvāle Open-Air Art Museum

Lecturer, Art and Art History Department, SUNY Cortland, Cortland NY 2014

• Teach sculpture to both art majors and non-majors as a semester long sabbatical replacement
  
• Help students develop an appreciation for art, lead critiques and theory discussions
  
• Advise upper level students, challenge students to further conceptual and technical abilities

Adjunct Art Professor, College of Liberal Arts, Alfred University, Alfred NY 2012-13

• Teach studio and theory based foundation classes on the topics of performance, video, figure drawing, and sculpture, individually and in groups as a yearlong sabbatical replacement
  

Adjunct Art History Professor, NYSCC at Alfred University, Alfred NY 2012

• Lead individual discussion sessions for sophomore level Issues and Debates in Contemporary Art
  
• Mediate group discussions, discuss art history readings, and provide new avenues of thought when approaching art history and current praxis