Kirstyn Wright (she/her) is an artist working with the land, animals, and other people in rural areas to investigate how society creates value systems based on an entity’s productivity. Her interests and interrogations deal with the lore surrounding The American West and predominantly Texas culture and iconography.
Kirstyn’s formative years were spent in Paradise, Texas. A small town on the Trinity/Arkikosa River and in the LBJ/Caddo National Grasslands of North Texas. Her country upbringing still shapes her art practice and has taught her to be curious about the natural world and learn from it. Kirstyn’s undergraduate studies were at Abilene Christian University where she gained a BFA in Sculpture. She then spent a decade in the classroom as an art teacher to K-12 students in various rural Texas public schools. Now she is pursuing an MFA at Texas Tech University with a studio concentration in Painting.
Kirstyn recently spent a summer studying Playa Lakes in The Panhandle region of Texas with Ogallala Commons, an organization that works to recharge the Ogallala Aquifer. She is excited to see the similarities and differences between playas in different regions and how local and national perceptions compare. Ultimately, her art practice and research aim to learn from the land, animals, and across disciplines how to lead more sustainable, equitable, respectful, and responsible lives.