Louisville-based Megan Morgan is a fine artist whose work explores the emotional and physical connections between people, materials, and the natural world. Through textured, tactile processes using reclaimed burlap, paint, denim, and printmaking, she creates evocative artworks that invite reflection on resilience, sustainability, and transformation. Rooted in a deep respect for material histories and environmental care, Megan’s work offers viewers a space to engage with both beauty and impermanence.
In addition to being a fine artist, Megan is also a graphic designer, with a B.F.A. in Fine Art – Graphic Design from Colorado State University. She owns and operates Strange Bird Designs with her husband.
We invited Megan to share insights into her art practice in her own words…
My artistic journey has always centered around connection — connection to material, to emotion, and to our shared environment. Over time, I have found myself drawn to working with reclaimed and repurposed materials, particularly those that carry a history of everyday use. I create to give fiber a voice. Currently, I am developing a sculpture using upcycled denim collected at Colorado State University, working alongside my daughter, Neva, a student at the Warner College of Natural Resources. This project continues my exploration of texture, transformation, and sustainability through art.
What inspires you?
I’m deeply inspired by the resilience of natural systems, the beauty in imperfection, and the endless possibilities within discarded materials. Lately, water has become a focus in my work — its movement, its necessity, and its vulnerability.
I believe art can create a way for anyone to reflect on what sustains us and how we can live in more mindful, connected ways.
Why do you create?
I create to offer concepts of reflection and inquiry. I create to make invisible connections more visible — between people, between the materials we use, and between ourselves and the planet. I hope my work draws in viewers from all walks of life, encouraging them to slow down, feel, and consider their own role in larger systems of care, sustainability, and our daily choices. For me personally, creating is an act of continual learning, responsibility, and hope.
What is something surprising about you or your work?
One surprising aspect of my work is how much trust I place in the materials themselves. In my process, I often surrender to the innate qualities of a material — its fibers, its textures, even its flaws — and let it guide the final form. In this current denim project, I am abstracting water’s form through the texture and weight of reclaimed fabric, aiming to create something that feels both deeply familiar and entirely new. It surprises me how denim — a tough, everyday material — can express something as vital and delicate as water when reshaped in an abstract way.
Is there a final insight or project you’d like to share?
This project is particularly meaningful to me because it involves community, students, and environmental awareness all woven together through art. Working with my daughter and the Warner College of Natural Resources community brings a generational dimension to the project — a reminder that sustainability is a shared journey across time. I want this sculpture to not only honor the critical importance of water but also to encourage new conversations about upcycling, creative reuse, and how we all can be stewards of our planet, both personally and collectively.
