Erin Krembs, Racine
2024-25 RAM Emerging Artist Award Recipient
Born in 1992, Erin Krembs is a multimedia artist who was born, raised, and currently resides in Racine, Wisconsin. In 2014, she graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Art majoring in sculpture. They have worked various art-based jobs such as for the Milwaukee Public Museum and COST of Wisconsin on a contract with Disney. Krembs has exhibited artwork in a handful of locations in southeast Wisconsin.
Krembs is also an educator working with middle school students to foster creativity in the classroom and inspire the next generations of creative people. The schedule of an educator works hand in hand with her practice as an artist, allowing for summers filled with time in the studio and a school year with the rewarding experience of teaching new students. Even though Krembs works full time, they have continued to create artwork and have held a studio practice ever since 2014, working out of the attic of her home.
Artist Statement
I am a multimedia artist who focuses on the use of craft materials in a fine art application. I am heavily inspired by nature and fantasy, choosing my subjects based on an affinity for creatures with no common language with us. I use plants and animals as a vehicle of expression for human experiences, which are showcased in many of my works. Expression of certain emotions has been hard to share at various stages in my life and being able to create artworks that embody those difficult emotions has been a way to express myself without words.
Grief, in particular, is an emotion I have been exploring in my artwork this year. The piece titled A Lily in Bloom is a larger-than-life jaguar that began as a sketch of just a bust and quickly grew a whole body as I sculpted the head. This piece is the largest, with the felt pelt being the most complex pattern I have ever created. Each spot on the jaguar was cut individually and no spot is exactly alike. They were then sewn by hand onto the pelt of the jaguar. No machine stitching is ever used on my pieces.
The tedious process of hand sewing feels akin to the bubbling waves of grief as you mourn the loss of someone or something dear to you. There has been a lot of grief in my life this year—that grief now resides in the spots and seams of the jaguar. Other pieces in the show, like the pink deer titled Glamour, represent expressions of self. The rainbow trout-inspired piece, Trophy Fish, represents ancestry and skills passed down from previous generations. Each piece displayed in this show is in some way a reflection of myself.
Another concept I explore in my work is my use of materials. The base forms in the core of the sculptures feel more like a classical art process, using clay and paper to create armatures with accurate musculature that feels more like art from antiquity in many ways. Then the sculptures get covered in skins of felt and other fabrics, upholstery fringe, embroidery thread, and sequins. These are materials that tend to fall under the category of craft and not that of fine art. I like using these materials for how readily available they are and how relatable they can be. Almost everyone can remember creating something with these materials, whether that was a holiday craft, a childhood activity, something done for decoration in the home, or for fun with relatives and friends. Not very often are these materials thought of in a fine art standpoint and I like to challenge the idea of them being fine art materials. It is fun for me to explore their application in fine art and expand my audiences’ views of the materials in this world.
Erin Krembs, Racine
2024-25 RAM Emerging Artist Award Recipient
Photography: Camela Langendorf, Varitay Studios
Born in 1992, Erin Krembs is a multimedia artist who was born, raised, and currently resides in Racine, Wisconsin. In 2014, she graduated from the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design with a Bachelor of Fine Art majoring in sculpture. They have worked various art-based jobs such as for the Milwaukee Public Museum and COST of Wisconsin on a contract with Disney. Krembs has exhibited artwork in a handful of locations in southeast Wisconsin.
Krembs is also an educator working with middle school students to foster creativity in the classroom and inspire the next generations of creative people. The schedule of an educator works hand in hand with her practice as an artist, allowing for summers filled with time in the studio and a school year with the rewarding experience of teaching new students. Even though Krembs works full time, they have continued to create artwork and have held a studio practice ever since 2014, working out of the attic of her home.
Artist Statement
I am a multimedia artist who focuses on the use of craft materials in a fine art application. I am heavily inspired by nature and fantasy, choosing my subjects based on an affinity for creatures with no common language with us. I use plants and animals as a vehicle of expression for human experiences, which are showcased in many of my works. Expression of certain emotions has been hard to share at various stages in my life and being able to create artworks that embody those difficult emotions has been a way to express myself without words.
Grief, in particular, is an emotion I have been exploring in my artwork this year. The piece titled A Lily in Bloom is a larger-than-life jaguar that began as a sketch of just a bust and quickly grew a whole body as I sculpted the head. This piece is the largest, with the felt pelt being the most complex pattern I have ever created. Each spot on the jaguar was cut individually and no spot is exactly alike. They were then sewn by hand onto the pelt of the jaguar. No machine stitching is ever used on my pieces.
The tedious process of hand sewing feels akin to the bubbling waves of grief as you mourn the loss of someone or something dear to you. There has been a lot of grief in my life this year—that grief now resides in the spots and seams of the jaguar. Other pieces in the show, like the pink deer titled Glamour, represent expressions of self. The rainbow trout-inspired piece, Trophy Fish, represents ancestry and skills passed down from previous generations. Each piece displayed in this show is in some way a reflection of myself.
Another concept I explore in my work is my use of materials. The base forms in the core of the sculptures feel more like a classical art process, using clay and paper to create armatures with accurate musculature that feels more like art from antiquity in many ways. Then the sculptures get covered in skins of felt and other fabrics, upholstery fringe, embroidery thread, and sequins. These are materials that tend to fall under the category of craft and not that of fine art. I like using these materials for how readily available they are and how relatable they can be. Almost everyone can remember creating something with these materials, whether that was a holiday craft, a childhood activity, something done for decoration in the home, or for fun with relatives and friends. Not very often are these materials thought of in a fine art standpoint and I like to challenge the idea of them being fine art materials. It is fun for me to explore their application in fine art and expand my audiences’ views of the materials in this world.
Interview with the Artist, January 2025
Please share the basics of your art career thus far. Education, years working, etc. How long have you been a part of the Racine/Kenosha community?
Ever since childhood, my family has been supportive of my creative pursuits and encouraged me to continue creating into adulthood. I took many art classes in grade school and had work as a child in a couple of the K-12 Wustum Exhibitions. I later went to the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design and graduated in 2014 with my Bachelors of Fine Arts with my major in sculpture. I had professors who believed in my abilities to make art a career and I have been working on that part of my path ever since I graduated.
I also worked for several companies as an artist. My favorite was the Milwaukee Public Museum working on exhibits and recreating artifacts for display.
I have lived in Racine most of my life. I was born here and grew up here. I did move away briefly to a northern part of Wisconsin and came back. I don’t plan to leave again!
Would you please describe your work–what materials you use, what subject matters you explore?
I was originally a wildlife artist and have lately begun adding fantasy and flora to my list of inspirations which I’d like to explore more. I have long been drawn to the animal form. Even plants have begun to inspire me and I take many inspirations from walks in the woods. I have begun to focus on relatable human experiences that run a gamut of emotions from grief to joy.
I am also continuing to explore fantasy as one of my subjects. Especially unicorns as I find they can be anything you imagine them to be. I like them because I have the freedom to envision them with unique amalgamations of anatomy from different animals. They are a symbol that is traditionally about purity and power alike. I also see the unicorn as a symbol of extreme wildness being so elusive and one with nature that they went from reality to myth in the minds of many people.
My use of materials has changed a little in the past few years as I explored fibers in my pieces. I especially love using wool felt and embroidery thread. I like these materials for their craft origins while they lend their versatility to fine art on the body of the animals I create. I also sculpt my animals from paper and air-dry paper clay using another fibrous material in the core of the sculptures.
How often are you in your studio? Do you work outside of your studio much or at all?
My studio is in the attic of my home and I spend every evening and most weekends there. It’s so easy to just walk up the steps and get sucked into the creative process for hours. I am also a middle school teacher so my summers are spent working on my art, which is such a blessing to my schedule. I hope teaching the skills I have learned to my students can help the next generations and inspire them to continue to be creative as they grow up.
Outside of the studio I am always looking for inspiration–especially while on my walks on the lakefront, in the woods, with friends on camping trips, and at the farm where I ride.
Certain parts of my process are easily packable, and I bring the pieces I am sewing with me to most places so I can continue to work on them. Last year I brought pieces of my pink deer to the 4th of July parade and fireworks. I was sewing most of the day while hanging out with friends and family.
What inspires you most these days? But also what do you go to bed thinking about most nights?
Nature and animals for sure inspire me, but also thinking about the experience of being human. We go through so much in our lives that bring us intense emotions of joy, anger, grief, among others. I have been trying to capture some of the fleeting moments of my life and the lives of my friends and family in the animals and fantastical creatures I create.
I also find my sculptures to be a way I can express who I am as a person and have always found animal forms a welcoming place to showcase my inner being. My favorite part of the process has been the tedious nature of sewing each piece by hand and seeing the pieces become a deflated pelt for each animal sculpture. I feel like I can cocoon myself in the pelt for a place of protection and comfort. Once the pelt is placed over the animal sculpture, I can disconnect myself from the creation and step back. Being able to share them with the world now is so special.
I should also mention that I am heavily inspired by taxidermy and the art of preservation. Taxidermy is a hobby I have always found interest in but it is expensive. I began creating my fabric pelts as an affordable way to dabble in taxidermy and now I am finding it much more interesting than taxidermy of real animals. I have also salvaged old taxidermy pieces that were destined for the trash so they don’t have to go into a landfill and can be something beautiful and different again.
When I go to bed at night, I think of where I’d like to be in my career a lot. I dream of having dedicated collectors who return to me to see what I am doing and share my work with other people. Finding homes for my pieces has been something I have hoped for and continue to wonder about. Having collectors who love my pieces as much as I do means I don’t have to worry about where they go and I can have more space to continue to create.
What does it mean to you to get recognition as a RAM Emerging Artist?
It means more than I could ever describe. I received my acceptance letter after a tremendous time of grief and cried when I opened it. It felt like hope, that what I am doing is meaningful and I am going in the right direction. I have been reflecting on the feelings of grief and the feelings of happiness that have come after in some of the pieces that will be displayed. The RAM Emerging Artist Award also allowed me to create large works again and gave me a sense of purpose that I haven’t felt in my creative endeavors since my time in college. Monetarily, it also allowed me the ability to try new materials and purchase a few tools for my studio. I did not have to rely on pay from my day job to fund new artwork, which has freed up my time and allowed me to live without worry this year as I continued to create. The peace of mind and opportunity to exhibit work to the public means so much to me. I feel like I have more to look forward to in my career as an artist.
Sample of Work
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