Kate Weingart

Artist Bio

Kate Weingart is a visual artist whose practice draws on a lifetime of scholarship, activism, and spiritual inquiry. Based in Daytona Beach, she creates layered, symbolically rich paintings and clay sculptures that explore ancient goddess cultures, ecological consciousness, and the inner life of the psyche. Her art is influenced by Jungian psychology, Abstract Expressionism, and European automatism, synthesizing figuration and abstraction with a tactile, meditative process.

Weingart’s academic foundation includes a Ph.D. in International Relations from the University of Miami (1989), an M.A. in Labor Studies from Rutgers University (1976), and a B.A. in Anthropology from Penn State (1972). She taught at Purdue University from 1990 to 2006, retiring as Professor Emeritus. Prior to that, she served as a union representative and educator in cities across the U.S., advocating for worker rights and social justice. Her work in labor and academia deeply informs her artistic lens, which examines the intersection of social structures, gender, nature, and human expression.

Following her academic career, Weingart turned more fully to the visual arts. From 2008 to 2023, she trained and served as an art docent at the Norton Museum of Art (West Palm Beach), Appleton Museum (Ocala), and Museum of Arts and Sciences (Daytona Beach). These experiences expanded her knowledge of art history and sparked her own art-making journey. Her clay sculptures evoke ancient goddess forms with a modern sensibility, while her paintings reflect a deeply intuitive exploration of identity, myth, and emotional landscapes.

Weingart has delivered public lectures on art history topics such as Women and Art, History of Landscape Painting, The Language of the Goddess, and Beauty in Our Own Image at institutions including the African American Museum of DeLand, the Cici and Hyatt Brown Museum, and regional art associations.

Her artwork has received increasing recognition, including:
• 2022 – First Place, Halifax Palette and Brush Club
• 2023 – Judge’s Award, Art League of Daytona Beach
• 2024–2025 – Juried exhibitions with Gallerium Art, Spectrum Art, Abstract Zone, and Exhibizone (Canada); Naturalist Gallery (Washington, DC); and publication in Artstonish (Canada) and the University of Pennsylvania Arts Magazine

Through her art, Weingart seeks to reclaim feminine spiritual traditions, challenge patriarchal narratives, and promote an ethic of connection with the Earth, each other, and our deeper selves.

Artist Website

Artist Statement

My journey as an artist began in the halls of Pennsylvania State University, where I studied drawing, sculpture, and print-making between 1969 and 1972. Despite having one of my sculptures selected for the Undergraduate art exhibit in 1970-71, my artistic path would take an unexpected detour. It wasn’t until years later, after retiring from Purdue University as Professor Emeritus and volunteering as a docent at an art museum alongside my husband, that my passion for creating art was profoundly reignited. This renaissance of purpose led me to pursue further education through online courses and local art venues, allowing me to refine my technique and develop my distinctive artistic voice.

My work exists at the confluence of automatic surrealism and abstract expressionism, drawing deep inspiration from the revolutionary spirit of Modernist art movements. I embrace a multidisciplinary approach, working with materials ranging from clay to ink on rice paper and acrylic on canvas. By incorporating elements of digital art into my practice, I create pieces that vibrate with dynamic tension between form and color—each work a living testament to the varied tapestry of my life experiences.

The bold departure from classical traditions exhibited by European and American Modern Art movements resonates profoundly in my creative process. Their courage to abstract, to challenge, and to reimagine the very foundations of artistic expression continues to inspire my own explorations. I paint with vigor and intention, positioning myself within the rich American tradition of Abstract Expressionism while honoring the French movement of Automatic Surrealism.

In my most authentic moments of creation, I surrender to what I can only describe as the artist spirit—a force that flows through me when my unconscious mind takes control of the materials. This surrender is not an abdication of artistic responsibility but rather its purest expression. For me, creating art transcends mere activity; it is a meditation of being, a sacred dialogue between consciousness and creation where the boundaries between artist and artwork momentarily dissolve.