Kay Dartt

Sculpture • Design • Engineering

With a Master of Science in Engineering and a Master of Fine Art in Sculpture, Kay Dartt is an interdisciplinary artist, educator and activist. As Clinical Assistant Professor of Art at Shepherd University, she teaches sculpture courses, community outreach classes, and manages an interdisciplinary fabrication space called the FASTEnER Lab. In 2020, Kay received the President’s Faculty Excellence Award for managing personal protective equipment for front line workers at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2020, she received the outstanding faculty award in service for her contributions to the campus community. Outside of academia, she is the Co-Director of Keystone Iron Works, a non-profit organization focused on building community, teamwork, and mentorship for young students through metal casting. At the 2021 National Conference for Contemporary Cast Iron Art and Practice Kay received the Paige Wainwright award, an honor given to those making education and metal casting practices more accessible for future generations, an honor given for her part in the creation and fundraising for the Iron Futures Scholarship Fund. Her research focuses on using digital and traditional processes to make one of a kind or mass customizable objects for fine art pieces, products or prototypes. Kay’s work has been displayed nationally and internationally at galleries and public art venues. Kay’s work is extremely collaborative, interdisciplinary and highly creative.