Artist Reflects on 25 Years of Creating and Sharing Online

Kate Bingaman-Burt reminisces about her early days of internet art and the changing nature of digital creation.

Published on Mar. 2, 2026

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In a personal essay, artist Kate Bingaman-Burt reflects on her 25-year career creating and sharing work online, from her early days documenting her purchases in Lincoln, Nebraska in the early 2000s to her current drawing events. She explores the evolution of her practice, the impermanence of digital art, and her nostalgia for the early days of the internet as a place for play and connection.

Why it matters

Bingaman-Burt's story provides insight into the experiences of digital artists who have navigated the changing landscape of the internet over the past two and a half decades. Her reflections on the ephemeral nature of online work and the sense of community she found in the early 2000s internet resonate with many creatives who have grappled with the shifting realities of digital art and social media.

The details

Bingaman-Burt recounts her time as a graduate student in Lincoln, Nebraska in the early 2000s, where she started an online project documenting all of her purchases. This early internet art project, built in Flash, was recognized by USA Today and Yahoo News. She describes the sense of promise and possibility she felt about the internet at that time, and how that has evolved over the years. Bingaman-Burt also shares memories of her current drawing events, where she creates custom illustrations for customers' purchases, and reflects on the impermanence of her own artistic works, from physical drawings to digital files.

  • Bingaman-Burt started her purchase documentation project in 2002 and continued it through 2004.
  • She was invited to give a lecture at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln in February 2026, which sparked her recent nostalgia for her time as a graduate student there.
  • Bingaman-Burt has been creating and sharing work online for 25 years, since the early 2000s.

The players

Kate Bingaman-Burt

An artist who has been creating and sharing work online for 25 years, starting with a project documenting her purchases as a graduate student in Lincoln, Nebraska in the early 2000s.

Jenni Freidman

Bingaman-Burt's lifelong graduate school friend who flew to Lincoln to spend time with her and reminisce about their time there.

Saul Steinberg

An artist and writer who was Bingaman-Burt's first favorite drawer of things, and whose work she continues to admire.

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What they’re saying

“I miss the internet. I miss the days when it was a place to just play and delight, and where you could meet other people doing the same.”

— Kate Bingaman-Burt (substack.com)

The takeaway

Bingaman-Burt's reflections on her 25-year career as a digital artist highlight the evolving nature of online creativity and the bittersweet nostalgia many feel for the early days of the internet as a space for experimentation and community. Her story serves as a reminder of the impermanence of digital work and the importance of preserving artistic legacies in an increasingly ephemeral landscape.