Artist’s Statement

My work explores the connective tissue of personal, interpersonal and collective nostalgia. I generate text, images and objects rooted in memory, both my own and those shared with me through the generous vulnerability of others.

Memory embeds invisible importance into everyday things. An object unremarkable to one person might be rich with history for another, a quiet symbol inextricable from the time or experience it represents. Only through telling our stories can we reveal the depth of these hidden meanings, forming genuine connections with one another in the present. My work honors these connections, these small things and their hidden significance. I am interested in mining the narrative histories of place and architecture, clothing and belongings, and any objects that require conversation to bring their unseen substance to the surface. 

Through my work, I have discovered again and again that a longing to reside in the space of memory, to honor our histories by sharing them, binds us together in the present. Remembering can be a navigational tool, an encyclopedia of the self, and most remarkably, an entrypoint to knowing and understanding one another here and now.

About Claire

Claire Kessler-Bradner is a studio artist and printmaker, elementary school art teacher and parent. A second-generation printmaker, she loves the community spirit and the process-based approach of the printshop. She works primarily in series and artist's books that combine writing and image, and are rooted in conversation and storytelling, both her own stories, and those shared with her through intimate dialog with others.

Claire earned her BA in studio art from Wesleyan University, and her MFA from California College of the Arts. She lives in Oakland, California and teaches art to enthusiastic third and fourth grade artists in Marin County. Claire is a longtime Artist in Residence and member of the Advisory Council at Kala Art Institute in Berkeley, CA, where she enjoys the bustling printshop and participates in many group exhibitions. She is a member of the arts collective Time.Material, a group of artists who are also parents, exploring how these two roles inform one another. Her book arts works are represented by Seager Gray Gallery in Mill Valley, CA.