Paige Tashner
Point Richmond, California — born Portland, Oregon
Paige Tashner builds things that shouldn’t exist and then parks them where people can climb on them. A native Oregonian turned East Bay transplant and longtime Burning Man participant, she’s spent years turning personal quirks into public sculpture — starting with a single-occupancy drivable cupcake car and escalating from there.
Signature Works
Purr Pods (2019–present)
Interactive mild-steel cat sculptures the size of a VW Bug, inspired by the artist’s own pets. Debuted as a Black Rock City Honoraria installation at Burning Man 2019, the Purr Pods have since appeared in U.S. cities and as far as Bristol, England — where Bristol Boo still lives at Ashton Court Mansion. Scooby Doo resides at the American Museum of the House Cat in Sylva, North Carolina.
Trust (2023)
A Black Rock City Honoraria installation: a circle of five large metal cats, hind ends in the air, butts facing inward. Visitors stepping inside the circle were offered trust exercises to connect with strangers and strengthen existing relationships. Trust went on to the Reno International Art Show, Portland’s Winter Light Festival, and the 2024 Bay Area Maker Faire.
Demure Le Purr
Third-scale Purr Pods — more collectible, equally mischievous. The first, Spring Kitten, sold at Sotheby’s Boundless Space: The Possibilities of Burning Man auction in fall 2021. UV-reactive versions have lit up the Portland Winter Light Festival, Oakland’s Autumn Lights Festival, and the Ruth Bancroft Garden’s Garden of D’Lights.
Underwater Psychedelic Disco Cat Box (2022)
Exactly what it sounds like: 3D blacklight, cats, and an enclosure built for the Golden Guy Gallery at Burning Man 2022. Exhibited at the Portland Winter Light Festival and Autumn Lights Festival, 2022–2024.
Stardust (2018)
A nine-foot-wide, ten-foot-tall glowing flying-saucer bench. Burning Man 2018, followed by the snowy Portland Winter Lights Festival and the Dark Room at the Bay Area Maker Faire.
Honoraria & Grants
- Black Rock City Honoraria — 2018 (Stardust), 2019 (Purr Pods), 2023 (Trust)
- Ruth Bancroft Gardens / Sculpture in the Garden — 2022, 2023, 2024 (Demure Le Purr)
Education
1964–present: Figuring it out as she goes.