Gretchen Stark is a visual artist and educator born and raised in Northern Illinois. She received her BFA in Studio Art with a minor in Education from Rockford University in 2021 and is currently pursuing her MFA in Painting at Texas Christian University. Her practice centers on examining what threatens the body, exploring how contemporary events shape both our physical selves and our psyches, leaving lasting imprints on memory, identity, and shared humanity. Growing up within the digital age, Stark’s work is heavily influenced by the constant exposure to an endless stream of images, news, and mediated realities that has altered the ways we process information, remember events, and relate to one another. Through collage, she draws upon the visual language of this hyperconnected environment, layering fragmented imagery that mirrors the rapid consumption and accumulation of content across social media platforms.Gretchen Stark is a visual artist and educator born and raised in Northern Illinois. She received her BFA in Studio Art with a minor in Education from Rockford University in 2021 and is currently pursuing her MFA in Painting at Texas Christian University. Her practice centers on examining what threatens the body, exploring how contemporary events shape both our physical selves and our psyches, leaving lasting imprints on memory, identity, and shared humanity. Growing up within the digital age, Stark’s work is heavily influenced by the constant exposure to an endless stream of images, news, and mediated realities that has altered the ways we process information, remember events, and relate to one another. Through collage, she draws upon the visual language of this hyperconnected environment, layering fragmented imagery that mirrors the rapid consumption and accumulation of content across social media platforms.