Pretty Girls Making Cool Shit

Born in Busan, Korea, Kate Bae holds an MFA in painting from Rhode Island School of Design and a BFA in painting from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is an artist and independent curator in New York City.
Many thanks to Kate for taking the time to chat with us and being our first artist interview!
Pretty Girls Making Cool Shit: Welcome! Would you like to introduce yourself?
Kate Bae: Yes, hello! My name is Kate Bae, yep I was told that’s a good name because it is so short. I officially changed it from my Korean name that I was born with, Kyoungwon Bae. No one could pronounce it, and when they said it, it was always wrong. I feel like name is very important; you sort of get to live up to your name. The meaning of my Korean name is ‘one who is aware.’ Kyoung means awareness, and Confucianism basically starts and ends with Kyoung. I used to dislike the sound of the name because it sounds like a boy but I am appreciating its root and the meaning as I got older, even though I …

Many artists explore and capture beauty and inspiration in the repetitive and mundane tasks and experiences of modern living; not many artists use what is an everyday object as their chosen medium to portray their message. Mychaelyn Michalec combines old and new technology to create scenes capturing everyday life, exploring home life and notions of “high art.”
Mychaelyn Michalec is an artist whose work depicts ultramodern matters of domestic life. For many art is about meaning or a message, but for her it is about a daily practice, covertly documenting what is happening using her cell phone. Those images are used to make drawings which are translated into paintings and rugs. She is interested in technology and distraction and the aesthetic of the everyday and domestic labor. She has exhibited widely at national and international venues such as Krasl Arts Center, MI, Purdue University Rueff Galleries, IN and Custom House Gallery, Edinburgh, Scotland. Her work has been published in Art M…