Katherine Fu

katherinemfu@gmail.com
Instagram
Linkedin
CV

Katherine Fu (b. 2003, Ohio) is a ceramist, educator, and writer invested in the intersection of historical and contemporary symbols—both natural and unreal—as seen in their surrounding cultural narratives. Raised in Maryland by Chinese immigrant parents, they work with ceramic craft as a framing device to highlight and bridge the disparate narratives and symbolism of their dual upbringing. Writing not only supplements their studio practice but activates the formal process of distilling complex meaning into singular moments. 


Katherine graduated with honors from the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with a BFA in Ceramics and a concentration in Theory and History of Art and Design and a MA in Art + Design Education with a focus on craft as pedagogy in art education. Katherine is a recipient of the 2025 Herbert and Claiborne Pell Medal for History and has exhibited at the Bell Gallery (Providence, RI), Gelman Gallery (Providence, RI), the Franz Collection (Taipei, Taiwan), and MenLo International Studio and Gallery (Jingdezhen, China). 















2026
Master’s Thesis

Woodfired Vessels

Porcelain Collection
2025
Diorama for:

Tenth Arrow and Sun for Lord Archer

Pottery Collection
2024Sun Series 

Squire 

Old-growth 

Celestial Pursuit: Tiangou’s Flight

Top Knot
Drawings
Writing
What I’m thinking about right now:

“4.) Take a red magic marker and draw a 9 on your naked chest. Draw the 9 from the bottom up. Start the tip of its tail at your naval and sweep UP to have the round circle of its head in the middle of your breasts. Put on a shirt that conceals the 9 from other eyes.“

^ From (Soma)tic Poetry Exercises, CAConrad

Master’s Thesis

Abstract for

"Hand and Mind Lead to Life": Craft Pedagogy in Art Education for Older Adolescent Learners

A thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Teaching + Learning in Art + Design at the Rhode Island School of Design. May 2026. 

Art educator Jo-Anna Moore (1991) asks “What is the purpose of our individual growth through art or craft?” (p. 162). Moore’s question is daunting not least for the seasoned artist, but for the young people in our art classrooms who, to varying degrees, are or are not interested in art. This thesis draws from my personal narrative as an older adolescent whose introduction to craft helped me navigate great questions of identity, belonging, and motivation. It seeks to discover how craft can become a method of teaching art to all students, and in particular, how such a pedagogy addresses the developmental needs of older adolescent students. Through a phenomenological analysis of student and instructor testimonies on their experiences with craft, common and emergent themes point towards a three-pronged craft pedagogy centered on an awareness of material, equal community, and personal agency. These findings guide suggestions for secondary educators looking to explore and incorporate craft pedagogy in the classroom and point to the possibility for craft to help students nurture their individual and shared worlds.

Glazed stoneware. Letterpress printed on Tājā Cotton Off-White XL 200gsm paper with polymer plates and Pantone ink. 

Read here.