Gracie Karl

Gracie Karl

Gracie Karl is currently attending Maine College of Art & Design in Portland, Maine, with an intended graduation year of 2024. Their work in furniture and instrument making is informed by a background in technical theater and music. Their work focuses on relationships and connection, representing those connections through objects.

My education in woodworking began during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, I have repeatedly been drawn to the subject of connection to others and relationships, resulting in a body of work concerned with representing those connections through physical objects. 

Music has an inherent communal nature that I have been exploring through making the Appalachian dulcimer, a string instrument associated with American folk music traditions. They appeal to me as they have a low skill barrier to entry that welcomes people from various levels of experience to make music together. These instruments also allow me to incorporate my woodworking and music practices, as they then become tools for creating music. I have created both solid-body electric and acoustic instruments, utilizing custom shapes to allow the pieces to express their own character and personality. The instruments themselves also represent personal relationships, using imagery of hearts and mirrored shapes continuing from my furniture work. This imagery is reminiscent of playing card suits. I am drawn to the card games and tabletop games that have been avenues for connection in my life. 

Another string instrument I have recently created is a simplified lute. Though a functioning instrument, it appears anachronistic, making it take on a second function as a prop or costume piece. This Medieval imagery, common to fantasy tropes, references role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, and the connections I have made through such games.

The work that I make explores and represents relationships while maintaining a lightheartedness and sense of humor. I focus on the joy found in connecting to others despite the challenges presented by contemporary life.