Making Art Inspired by the Natural World

Learn more about this artist and educator who teaches 2D Foundations of Art, Printmaking I and II, Drawing I, and Professional Practice at TCC.

Faculty Feature: Katherine Hair Eagle

Ever since she was little, Katherine Hair Eagle enjoyed making art and being outdoors. Today she combines those two loves by being an artist and an educator, serving as Assistant Professor at Tulsa Community College in the School of Visual and Performing Arts where she teaches 2D Foundations of Art, Printmaking I and II, Drawing, and Professional Practice.

"My path with TCC started way back in 2003 when I was a concurrent enrollment student, taking printmaking and metals while still in high school," says Eagle, who is originally from Tulsa. She earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from the Kansas City Art Institute and a Master of Fine Arts in studio art from the University of Illinois.

During her undergraduate internship, her passion for teaching grew. “One of my favorite disciplines is printmaking, which is very process heavy,” explains Eagle. “I love being able to teach a student the method so that they can execute the process to the final result. There is a lot of labor, but also a lot of magic in that."

Now as a faculty member, Eagle enjoys working with students at the College. "The diversity in lived experiences makes for such a rich student body," says Eagle who joined TCC as an adjunct in 2022 and was hired into her current role in 2023. "Our students have so much to express, and it is so exciting to get to help facilitate that work. It has been really rewarding to teach at TCC because I know how valuable my own time was as a student, and how important it was to my educational goals."

Eagle’s creative research and practice engages necessary entanglements with the natural world. Using animal studies, natural histories, and human interactions with nonhumans as a framework, she explores how we cope with extinction and utilize grief to determine our own survival and look for solutions during rapidly degrading environmental change.

“My work is inspired by the natural world and our stewardship of it, which reflects how much I enjoy spending time outside. Although I gardened with my parents throughout my childhood, I started gardening in earnest on my own during COVID lockdowns, and now seed saving, starting, and growing have become hobbies of mine. My two dogs also enjoy the garden, although we don't always agree on how it should be done!

"I think that art making is not only intrinsic to being human, but also that it is an incredible tool for starting conversations around difficult topics," Eagle adds. 

"I get the most satisfaction from making art that is accessible to a wide audience, because I think that bridging gaps between people is going to be one of the only ways forward.”

Outside of TCC, Eagle is a practicing artist, creating installations, prints, sculptures, and paintings that are collected and exhibited worldwide. She enjoys weaving baskets and mats with her mom, as well as traveling with her husband and getting to see and experience different ecosystems. To view more of her work, go to katherinehair.com.