Biography
Chloe Ann Van Becelaere is an interdisciplinary artist and academic from Pittsburg, Kansas. She completed a BA in Global and International Studies with emphasis in Latin America and the Caribbean and a BA in Spanish with a minor in Visual Art at the University of Kansas in 2022. Chloe's academic investigation is concerned with government policies and social movements in the Western hemisphere, specifically how arts and culture relate to structural and direct violence. She presented her thesis, Stolen history: Barriers to cultural property restitution by Western museums at the 2022 KU Global Scholars Symposium. Chloe recently received a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grant and is currently living in Ibagué, Tolima, Colombia, where she teaches at Servicio Nacional de Aprendizaje (SENA). Her ceramic practice is partially influenced by her academic work and focuses heavily on experimental techniques involving clay and fibers. She utilizes various materials such as clay, cotton, and found objects to explore themes of identity, resilience, and fragility through a feminine lens.