In Small worlds, Karin Bruckner presents a continuous installation of 3 x 3-inch hand-pulled prints, each a unique window into a tiny universe, meticulously floated on 10 x 8-inch BFK Rives paper. This format elevates each piece, allowing for both visual intimacy and the opportunity for exploration. The works are created using a range of traditional and experimental techniques, including Chine Collé, embossing, drypoint, and mixed media. Part of Bruckner’s “125 for 125” project, the small scale offers a creative laboratory for the artist; for the viewer, a chance to collect accessible, original art. Half of the works are displayed on the gallery walls, with the remainder available in an art case. Bruckner states, “I have always been a strong believer in good things coming in small packages and of art being accessible to anyone who loves it. It’s the little things and a small world, after all.”

Karin Bruckner, born in Switzerland, holds a Master’s in Architecture from the Technical University in Munich and a Master of Science in Architecture and Building Design from Columbia University. Her transition from architecture to printmaking was sparked by the structural parallels between the two disciplines, allowing her to reconnect with her lifelong passion for art. Embracing the spontaneity and layered complexity of printmaking, Bruckner has developed a process-driven practice that pushes two-dimensional works on paper into sculptural territory. Her portfolio, which ranges from intimate pieces to large-scale spatial explorations, reflects a deep engagement with materiality, repurposing, and dimensional layering. Her work has been widely exhibited and is held in both private and public collections internationally.

Kate Missett’s ceramic work in Small worlds draws inspiration from ancient vessel forms, including Egyptian canopic jars, Native American coil pots, African terra cotta sculpture, incorporating the richly patterned surfaces of Renaissance majolica. Her subject matter has always focused on her environment; based in Brooklyn, her practice engages with social, ecological, and political themes, often sparked by photographs she takes in the city and while traveling. Missett employs a range of techniques, including raku, salt, wood firing, lusters, silkscreen, and photo transfer, to craft narrative surfaces that reflect her observations. She states, “As an artist I have frequently responded to the challenges of our times; both political and environmental.” While her work often carries a sense of whimsy, it is deeply rooted in the belief that artists have a responsibility to bear witness and respond to the world around them.

Kate Missett, b. 1951, grew up in south Florida, and attended college in New Orleans where she discovered clay in her senior year of a journalism major. Upon graduation she immediately set up her own studio and has been working in clay ever since. She moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1982 to attend Pratt Institute, where she received her MFA in ceramics. While in graduate school she worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, developing a scholarly knowledge of and fascination with ceramic cultures of the past. This interest, as well as extensive travels in Europe, the Caribbean, and India have led to the development of her current body of work. In addition to exhibiting widely, her work has been included in several publications. Missett shares her knowledge and love of ceramics as both a curator and as an instructor, giving workshops and lectures, teaching all aspects of studio ceramics as well as ceramic history at Greenwich House Pottery and City University, as well as serving as director of the Artworks program of the West Side YMCA.