education
2025: doctor of philosophy (ph.d.) visual anthropology; michigan state university
2018: master of arts (m.a.) appalachian studies; appalachian state university
2013: bachelor of arts (b.a.) studio art; western michigan university
public art projects
2026: textile cube, greenhill center for art, greensboro, nc (forthcoming)
2026: weaving winston, public art ws, winston-salem, nc (forthcoming)
2026: arachne, daisy chain fields festival, irvine, ca
2026: weaving our future, swbid art rx, washington dc
2025: threads of change ii, uab building, georgetown, malaysia
2025: chromophobia, abbotts creek community center, raleigh, nc
2025: wavelengths, center for marine science-university of north carolina, wilmington, nc
2024: golden land project, jim thompson farm, korat, thailand
2023: trash cube, chiang mai university, chiang mai, thailand
2021: losing ground: endangered plants of michigan, beale herbarium, east lansing, mi
selected solo exhibitions & installations
2026: natural/unnatural, durham art guild, durham, nc
2026: no strings attached, hastings art gallery, pinehurst, nc
2025: trashed, culture ws, winston-salem, nc
2025: weight, florence thomas art school, west jefferson, nc
2024:threads of change, warin lab contemporary, bangkok, thailand
2024: you’re not really seeing this, evanston art center, evanston, il
2023: loom & doom, marathon center for the performing arts, findlay, oh
2022: loom & doom, langley arts council, british columbia, canada
2022: loom & doom, east lubbock art house, lubbock, tx
2022: loom & doom, chenango arts council, norwich, ny
2020: upside down/downside up, turchin center for the visual arts, boone, nc
2019: cambodian marine life, nature discovery center, siem reap, cambodia
2018: birds of cambodia, fauna in focus nature discovery center, siem reap, cambodia
2018: banyantree of life, fauna in focus nature discovery center, siem reap, cambodia
2018: elephants of cambodia, fauna in focus nature discovery center, siem reap, cambodia
2018: elephantine & anthropocene: a global timeline, turchin center, boone, nc
2017: from bangkok to boone, looking glass gallery, boone, nc
selected group exhibitions
2026: interwoven space, visions museum of textile art, san diego, ca (forthcoming)
2026: mekong fulcrum, chiang rai, thailand (forthcoming)
2026: sequesterings, center for visual art, denver, co
2026: (re)useful, sawtooth school for visual art, winston-salem, nc
2026: artfields, lake city, sc
2026: fiber, alterwork studios, long island city, new york
2025: weave the wave, central slovak gallery, banská bystrica, slovakia
2025: aaws spotlight, milton rhodes center for the arts, winston-salem, nc
2025: aaws fall/winter show, benton convention center, winston-salem, nc
2025: threaded: contemporary art of thailand, turchin center, boone, nc
2025: found & formed, pullen art center, raleigh, nc
2025: climate matters, grand valley state university, allendale, mi
2024: rift drift, alien art space, khon kaen, thailand
2024: crafting appalachia, floyd center for the arts, floyd, va
2024: blue ridge fiber guild annual show, jones house cultural center, boone, nc
2024: earth first, floyd center for the arts, floyd, va
2024: art worms showcase, king mongkut's institute of technology, ladkrabang, thailand
2022: artprize, gerald ford presidential library, grand rapids, mi
2022:1.5 degrees celsius, msu museum, east lansing, mi
2021: biophilia, e.e. ford house, grosse pointe, mi
2021: our changing climate, huron valley council of arts, huron, mi
2021: artprize, first united church, grand rapids, mi
2021: utopaphobia, the green exchange, chicago, il
2020: catalyst, michigan state university, east lansing, michigan
2020: what are you voting for?, woman made gallery, chicago, illinois
2019-2011: details available upon request
artist-led workshops
2026: weaving our future x swbid art rx, washington dc
2025: community trash weaving x art shac, winston-salem, nc
2025: community trash weaving x sawtooth craft school, winston-salem, nc
2025: community trash weaving x think city, penang, malaysia
2025: community trash weaving x think city, kuala lumpur, malaysia
2025: community trash weaving x seek fellowship, raleigh, nc
2025: community trash weaving x florence thomas art school, west jefferson, nc
2024: trash weaving workshop x jim thompson farm, korat thailand
2024: trash weaving x warin lab, bangkok, thailand
2024: trash phant, evanston, il
2023: mekong monsters: river clean-up and trash art, nong khai, thailand
2023: (un)visualizing elephants: a photovoice project, chiang mai, thailand
2023: eco-artivism: weaving with plastic against plastic iv, chiang rai, thailand
2023: trash cube, chiang mai, thailand
2022: eco-artivism: weaving with plastic against plastic i, east lubbock, tx
2019: plastic project: southern river terrapin installation & video art, siem reap, cambodia
selected curatorial work
2025: mekong voices: transnational river justice, broad art museum, east lansing, mi
2025: threaded: contemporary art of thailand, turchin center, boone, nc
2018: creative democracy: mountain college, turchin center, boone, nc
2017: collective vigilance: speaking for the new river, turchin center, boone, nc
residencies
2024: jim thompson farm, korat, thailand
2024: edgewood cottage, blowing rock, nc
2014: vermont studio center, johnson, vt
collections
work is held in a variety of private and public collections, including the city of raleigh, north carolina; jim thompson foundation; kuiburi bring home the elephant project; michigan state university; grand valley state university; and university of north carolina-wilmington.
representation
wagner is represented internationally by warin lab contemporary in bangkok, thailand.
affiliations
2026-present: project vortex (collective member)
2026-present: associated artists of winston-salem, winston-salem, nc (board member)
2025-present: piedmont craftsmen, winston-salem, nc (board member)
2023-present: mekong art worms collective, thailand (founding member)
2017-present: blue ridge fiber guild (member)
selected press
2025: penang monthly: “weaving waste into art”
2025: broad art museum: “mekong voices”
2025: kiri post: ”mekong voices to resonate in anthropological art exhibition in michigan”
2025: mekong school: ”from baan had bai to the international stage: tai lue weavers featured in mekong voices art exhibit at michigan state university”
2025: malay mail: “turning trash into art: kl's bandar tun razak community learns from an american eco-artist”
2025: the star: “us-based artist brings plastic weaving craft to kl public housing communities”
2025: warisan kl: “trash weaving in downtown kl”
2025: watauga democrat: “nrc, florence thomas art school hosting 'keepers of the new' event”
2025: mountain times: “first friday: kelsey merreck wagner”
2024: jim thompson farm: “golden land project”
2024: bangkok post: “art highlights at jim thompson farm”
2024: bangkok post: “weaving a greener future”
2024: burnaway: “in the studio with kelsey merreck wagner”
2024: the visualist: “kelsey merreck wagner: you’re not really seeing this”
2024: warp and weft magazine: “field notes: kelsey merreck wagner”
2024: michigan state university: “ph.d. candidate kelsey merreck wagner featured in exhibit”
2024: bangkok art city: “threads of change”
2024: watauga democrat: “new turchin center exhibit, fiber art gallery first friday art crawl”
2022: michigan state university: “kelsey merreck wagner: human-environment relationships and art as activism”
2018: fauna in focus: “cambodia's plastic terrapin (say no to plastic!”
2018: phnom penh post: “nature in focus at inaugural film and photo festival”
2018: appalachian state university: “kelsey merreck wagner: the elephantine in the anthropocene”
2018: watauga democrat: “gallery times”
2018: carolina mountain life: “elephantine in the anthropocene”