Dust to Dust | Artist Talk and Presentation with Katie Murken

Petaluma Arts Center

230 Lakeville Street
Petaluma

(925) 858-9941

michelle@petalumaartscenter.org

Event Link

Saturday October 17, 2026

3:30pm – 4:30pm

Join Katie Murken as she discusses Steer Clear, the pinnacle work of her interdisciplinary series Dust to Dust. In this work, she transforms discarded materials into a meditation on the environmental crisis and the silencing of women’s voices. Murken will describe her overall process of using found materials and documentary-style photography to weave her narratives into layered, interdisciplinary works that defy categorization.

Driving through the Central Valley when she moved to California from Pennsylvania, Murken was struck by the impact of industrial farming on the landscape. She saw in those desiccated fields a story that mirrored the experiences of women who have been dispossessed. Murken will describe her process of using found materials and documentary-style photography to weave these narratives into layered, interdisciplinary works that defy categorization.