Artist Bio

Doris Kapner (b. 1971, she/her) is a multidisciplinary artist, and arts leader working in ceramics and printmaking. The daughter of German immigrants and raised in New York, she earned a B.F.A. in Sculpture from Purchase College in 1994.

Kapner’s varied professional background includes work in galleries, TIG welding, law enforcement, homemaking, visual merchandising, yoga instruction, and art education. These experiences across traditionally gendered roles inform her ongoing exploration of gender, labor, domesticity, and cultural inheritance.

Beginning in 2015, Kapner developed a body of ceramic sculptures depicting undergarments, dresses, and handkerchiefs, often incorporating needlework and crochet. These works draw from domestic craft traditions while examining the social expectations placed on women’s bodies and labor. Since 2021, she has expanded this inquiry through sculpture and printmaking inspired by the darker narratives of the original Grimm’s Fairy Tales. This work culminated in her 2023 solo exhibition A Grimm Tale at McColl Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Kapner’s work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, including Vienna, Austria, and Warsaw, Poland. She received First Prize in Printmaking for the Women United Art Prize 2023. Her work has been featured in Studio Visit Book Vol. 1 by Arts to Hearts Project, Women United Art Magazine, and The Jealous Curator.

In addition to her studio practice, Kapner serves as Senior Creative Director at McColl Center, where she leads artist residencies, exhibitions, artist development programs, and creative initiatives that support artists at every stage of their careers. Drawing on experience as both an artist and arts leader, she is committed to creating opportunities that foster artistic growth, experimentation, and professional sustainability.

Kapner lives and works in Charlotte, North Carolina.