CATYA PLATE -Spanish born/German multi-media artist, animator, director, producer, writer - came to New York in 1987 through a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the School of Visual Arts.

Her work has been shown since the mid-1980's at Museums and Galleries like the Whitney Museum at Altria and Adam Baumgold Gallery and is included in collections such as The Brooklyn Museum and New York Library/Print Collection. Reviews have appeared in The New York Times, among others.

In 2009 she created Clothespin Freak Productions to bring her “Clothespin Freaks” characters to life through handcrafted award-winning stop-motion animation films.

In April 2023, she received a prestigious NYC Women's Fund Grant Award by New York Foundation for the Arts for Las Nogas which premiered at the Oscar-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival and won the Grand Prize for Best Environmental Film.

Director Statement

Once upon a time, there was an artist named Catya Plate, and she created a beautifully intricate sculpture called "Hive Mind." It was one of her favorite pieces because it was so complex and contained dozens of two-headed creatures made from clear clothespins which she lovingly called "Clothespin Freaks." They were decked out in tiny hand-sewn clothes and connected by their brains so they could work together as one "Hive Mind." But something was terribly wrong... the Clothespin Freaks couldn't move! She imagined they all safely advanced as a whole and dreamed of a world where humans could do the same. Catya desperately wanted to see them in motion, must see them in motion, just had to see them in motion! And... one day she did. That artist is me. And that's how I got started in Stop Motion Animation... by bringing my Clothespin Freaks to life. Now in 2023, fourteen years and four award-winning stop motion animated short films later, the universe of the Clothespin Freaks has grown larger than my wildest dreams. Along the way, other quirky, colorful creatures have joined in on the fun. Working so close together with this bunch of adorable earth-loving team players has turned me into a cheerful nature advocate myself. I've learned with and from them that living in harmony with nature is not a platitude but a necessity. With their help, I've completed "Las Nogas," the LAST short in a trilogy of animated adventures where nature rules. Last? Don't worry they're not going to Clothespin Freaks nirvana... My kooky friends and I will be embarking on new territory - our first stop motion animated FEATURE! I can hardly wait to see what rabbit they pull out of their "heads" next!