Jennifer Gatz
Meet the artist
A lifelong collector of interesting papers and mixed media, Jennifer Gatz is a collage artist from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Since 2017, she has been exploring analog collage, working exclusively with paper, scissors and glue. A weekend collage workshop in 2018 and the daily word prompts of Februllage 2019 motivated her to make collage a regular habit. The quiet concentration of collage is a form of self-care that allows her to enter a meditative flow of spontaneous creativity.
As the daughter of a banker and an artist, Jen is firmly planted in two worlds – left brain and right brain, practical and creative, logical and intuitive. She considers herself a creative problem solver whether she is organizing words on a page, arranging interior furnishings or assembling cut paper into collage. One thing she does not arrange is music, though she enjoys playing the piano and mandolin.
Jen holds a BS degree in Art and Interior Design from Valparaiso University. Work experience includes retail store display, graphic design, communications, volunteer coordination, home staging and marketing. She has exhibited at Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in Kalamazoo, Michigan, 2021; Studio 659 in Whiting, Indiana, 2021; Gallery Uptown in Grand Haven, Michigan, 2021; Lost and Found Gallery in Rotterdam, Netherlands, 2020; and the Mini Collage Garden in Rochester, New York, 2020. Her work can also be seen on Instagram feeds across the globe @jengatz.
Solo Exhibition
2023 Mezzo Coffee House - Otsego, MI Fall Artist Showcase
Group Exhibition
2024 Create! Magazine - GLAM virtual exhibition, juror: Alicia Puig
2024 Box Factory - St. Joseph, MI MAAC Michiana Annual Arts Competition, juror: Anne Corlett
2024 Wilder Collage - Paper Constellations virtual exhibition, juror: Elyse' Jokinen
2024 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts - West Michigan Area Show, juror: Jessica Silverman
2024 SKP Design - Otsego, MI Artist Mix & Mingle, curated by Sondra Phillips
2024 Kalamazoo Book Arts Center - Kalamazoo, MI The Illustrated Accordian
2023 South Haven Center for the Arts - South Haven, MI Give It A Try! curated by Alisa Clark
2023 Pour-d - Rockford, MI Solar, curated by Tree Anderson
2023 Box Factory - St. Joseph, MI MAAC Michiana Annual Arts Competition
2022 Roaring Artist Gallery - Awakening + Furor, juror: Bernadine Franco, virtual exhibition
2022 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts - West Michigan Area Show, juror: Ed Fraga
2022 Box Factory - St. Joseph, MI MAAC Michiana Annual Arts Competition, juror: Thea Grigsby
2022 Pour-d - Rockford, MI Awakening, curated by Tree Anderson
2022 Kalamazoo Book Arts Center - Kalamazoo, MI The Illustrated Accordian
2021 National Collage Society - Annual Juried Exhibit, jurors: Lisa Tremper Hanover, Daniel Burke, Katherine Chang Liu
2021 Kalamazoo Institute of Arts - West Michigan Area Show, juror: Larry Ossei-Mensah
2021 Vayo Collage Gallery - Rochester, New York Compression, curated by Celia Crane
2021 Studio 659 - Whiting, Indiana Pandemic: The Art Show, curated by Kathleen Ulm
2021 Gallery Uptown - Grand Haven, MI Winter Arts Festival, curated by Catherine Mott
2020 Center for New Media - Kalamazoo, MI Creativity During Crisis, virtual exhibition
2020 Vayo Collage Gallery - Rochester, New York Mini Collage Garden, curated by Celia Crane
2020 Lost and Found Gallery - Rotterdam, Netherlands Assembly, curated by Ryan Blackwell (Beyond Photography)
Publication
2024 Wilder ROAM 002 - To the Sea, curated by Elyse’ Jokinen
2024 Paris Collage Collective - International Women's Day 2024, curated by Petra Zehner
2023 Wilder ROAM 001 - On the Road, curated by Elyse’ Jokinen
2023 Cut Loose #2 - cut out pages, curated by Elyse’ Jokinen and allison anne
2023 Women United Art Magazine - The Curator’s Pick, curated by Mona Lerch
2023 Collage Lab - Faces of Collage, curated by Kelly Schaub
2023 Paris Collage Collective - Hommage à Rachid Taha, curated by Petra Zehner
2022 Cut Me Up Magazine - Scars and All, curated by Laurent Seljan
2020 Paris Collage Collective - 2020 Yearbook, curated by Petra Zehner
2019 Paris Collage Collective - 2019 Yearbook, curated by Petra Zehner
Collections
Private collections in Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, California and Oregon