Mindy Sue Wittock
Mindy Sue Wittock is an enthusiastic woman with big dreams who enjoys coffee, glitter, and polka dots. She received her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and her MFA from Arizona State University with a concentration in fibers. She has previously worked as an associate lecturer of art at the University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. Wittock has an extensive exhibition record and has taught many textile-based workshops. She currently works in her home studio in Cedarburg, Wisconsin where she makes soft sculpture that explores the intersection of childhood memory and her experiences in motherhood. Wittock enjoys watching vintage television shows, listening to 80’s music, and going on adventures with her husband, daughter, and pup. www.mindysuewittock.com
Mindy Sue Wittock is also a co-founder of The Wondermakers Collective with the incredible illustrator and coffee drinker Jenna Freimuth. They work together to build beautiful, layered embroideries, pen palling them back and forth from Wisconsin to Minnesota. You can learn more about their collaborative project at: www.thewondermakerscollective.com
Artist Statement
In my work I use sewing and stitching techniques to create soft sculptures and textiles that are inspired by nostalgia, motherhood, play and form. I gather domestic textiles, such as stuffed animal scraps, bed sheets, my daughter’s outgrown clothing, and objects found around the home to build pieces that explore the intersection of my childhood memories and my current experiences in motherhood. The materials I use are fabrics and objects associated with youth and are usually unceremoniously tossed once worn out, but the cloth holds so much memory. Each of my pieces becomes a relic full of stories and the heartache and nostalgia of a childhood past and a present childhood fleeting.
CV
Education
2008 Master of Fine Arts, Fibers, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2004 Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art, Emphasis in Textiles and Sculpture, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Select Exhibitions
2019
Glitter Dotted Lush, Two Person Show with Lael Burns, Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, Texas
30x30x30 Exhibition, Juried Show, Var Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mother + Artist, Group Exhibition, James May North Gallery, Algoma, Wisconsin
Art a Whirl, Group Show including The Wondermakers Collective, The Corner Store Gallery, NE Minneapolis, Minnesota
2018
Abstract Thoughts, Invitational Exhibit, The Wondermakers Collective, Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
The Art of the Needlewoman, Invitational Exhibition, Langdon Divers Community Gallery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Artful Play, Invitational Exhibition, I.D.E.A. Museum, Mesa, Arizona
The Wondermakers Collective, The University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design, Warrensburg, Missouri
2017
Imaginary Friends, Solo Exhibition, The Jabberwock, Algoma, Wisconsin
Imaginary Friends: Kitchen, Solo Exhibition, Shelf Gallery, Fordham, Great Britain
Inspired by the Beatles, Juried Exhibition, The Pink Llama Gallery, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Lovely Trees, Langdon Drivers Gallery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Art in Circles, Juried Exhibition, The Art Garage, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2016
State of the Union, Juried Exhibition, Cole Arts Center, Nacogdoches, Texas
Imaginary Friends, Solo Exhibition, Studio 550, Manchester, New Hampshire
The Big Draw, Juried Exhibition, Beacon Arts, Beacon, New York
2015
Self Made: 15 Years of Eye Lounge, Group Retrospective, Vision Gallery, Chandler, Arizona
2014
Unbound, Juried Fibers Exhibition, The Hardy Gallery, Ephraim, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Colleges Faculty Exhibition, The Center for the Visual Arts, Wausau, Wisconsin
2013
Childhood Explored, Fundraiser Exhibition, Eden Court, Inverness, Scotland
Exquisite Uterus Project, Collaborative Art Exhibition, Red Gym Art Gallery, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
2012
Imagination Land, Solo Exhibition, Visual Arts Gallery, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Exquisite Uterus Project, Collaborative Art Exhibition, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
Re-fuse/Re-Seen, Juried by Warren Seelig, Some Things Looming, Reading, Pennsylvania
Utopian Dream, Group Exhibition, Step Gallery, Tempe, Arizona
2011
Pink Week Exhibition, Invitational Exhibition, 407 Gallery, Green Bay, Wisconsin
More is More, Juried Exhibition, Lexington Arts League, Lexington, Kentucky
7 Deadly Sins, Juried Exhibition, Studio 659, Whiting, Indiana.
The Milkweed Project & Other Flawless Fibers, Group Exhibition, The Eclipse Gallery, Algoma, Wisconsin
2010
Artists of Studio 210, Residency Exhibit, Neville Pubic Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Going Postal, Fundraiser Exhibition, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, England
Hungry, Group Exhibition, The Eclipse Gallery, Algoma, Wisconsin
One from Wisconsin, Solo Exhibition, Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, Wisconsin
2009
The Best of Phoenix 2009 New Times Invitational Exhibition, Merz Project Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Eats and Treats, Two Person Exhibition with Mark Menjivar, Cole Arts Center, Nacogdoches, Texas
2008
Stitchalicious, Solo Exhibition, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
Stitchalicious, Master of Fine Arts Solo Exhibition, Harry Wood Art Gallery, Tempe, Arizona
Leftovers, Solo Exhibition, Eye Lounge Contemporary Art, Phoenix, Arizona
Table Manners, Invitational Exhibition, Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, Arizona
MFA Juried Summer Exhibition, Harry Wood Gallery, Tempe, Arizona
Number One’s, Invitational Exhibition, LAS Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Residencies and Awards
2019
Artist in Residence, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
2018
Artist Residency in Motherhood
2010
Artist in Residence, The Craft Alliance, Saint Louis, Missouri (June 2010)
Student Nominated Teaching Award Nominee, University of Wisconsin Green Bay
2009
Artist in Residence, Studio 210, The Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2008
Juror’s Award, “MFA Summer Exhibition,” Juror, Dennita Sewell
First Place Small Sculpture Award, National Society of Arts and Letters, Arizona Chapter
2007
Juror’s Award, “Craftsmanship: Arizona Designer Craftsman” exhibition, Juror Sandra Blain
School of Art Special Talent Award, Arizona State University
Honorable Mention, Art for Health Exhibition, Phoenix, Arizona
2004
Academic Deans Award, University of Wisconsin Green Bay
William Prevetti Memorial Scholarship, University of Wisconsin Green Bay
Select Professional Experience
2019
Soft Sculpture Workshop, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
The Wondermakers Collective Collaborative Embroidery Workshop, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
2018
Visiting Artist, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri
2017
Visiting Artist, Heyer Elementary IDEA Club, Waukesha, Wisconsin
2015
Student, Studio 550 ten week intensive clay course, Manchester, New Hampshire
2014
Gallery Director, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac Art Galleries, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Juror, Waupaca Art Show, Waupaca, Wisconsin
2013
Gallery Director, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac Art Galleries, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
2010
Felting Workshop Instructor, I AM ART, Iron Mountain, Michigan
Felting Workshop Instructor, Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, Wisconsin
2008
Visiting Artist and Lecturer, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, Felting, Stitching Workshops
Guest Lecturer, American Costume Institute, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
Art Made Feminist Panelist, Wisconsin Women’s Conference, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Lecture on the Phenomenon of Martha Stuart and Home Crafting Advisory Committee Member for “Radical Lace and Subversive Stitch” exhibition, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, Arizona
Teaching Experience
2014
Associate Lecturer, Intro to Fibers and Textiles, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Associate Lecturer, Three Dimensional Design, Advance Three Dimensional Design, Intro to Fibers and Textiles, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
2013
Associate Lecturer, Design Methods, Intro To Fibers and Textiles, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Associate Lecturer, Three Dimensional Design, Advance Three Dimensional Design, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac,
2012
Associate Lecturer, Design Methods, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2011
Associate Lecturer, Design Methods, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2010
Associate Lecturer, Two Dimensional Design, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2009
Associate Lecturer, Design Methods, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Mindy Sue Wittock is an enthusiastic woman with big dreams who enjoys coffee, glitter, and polka dots. She received her BA from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay and her MFA from Arizona State University with a concentration in fibers. She has previously worked as an associate lecturer of art at the University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac and the University of Wisconsin Green Bay. Wittock has an extensive exhibition record and has taught many textile-based workshops. She currently works in her home studio in Cedarburg, Wisconsin where she makes soft sculpture that explores the intersection of childhood memory and her experiences in motherhood. Wittock enjoys watching vintage television shows, listening to 80’s music, and going on adventures with her husband, daughter, and pup. www.mindysuewittock.com
Mindy Sue Wittock is also a co-founder of The Wondermakers Collective with the incredible illustrator and coffee drinker Jenna Freimuth. They work together to build beautiful, layered embroideries, pen palling them back and forth from Wisconsin to Minnesota. You can learn more about their collaborative project at: www.thewondermakerscollective.com
Artist Statement
In my work I use sewing and stitching techniques to create soft sculptures and textiles that are inspired by nostalgia, motherhood, play and form. I gather domestic textiles, such as stuffed animal scraps, bed sheets, my daughter’s outgrown clothing, and objects found around the home to build pieces that explore the intersection of my childhood memories and my current experiences in motherhood. The materials I use are fabrics and objects associated with youth and are usually unceremoniously tossed once worn out, but the cloth holds so much memory. Each of my pieces becomes a relic full of stories and the heartache and nostalgia of a childhood past and a present childhood fleeting.
CV
Education
2008 Master of Fine Arts, Fibers, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona
2004 Bachelor of Arts, Studio Art, Emphasis in Textiles and Sculpture, University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Select Exhibitions
2019
Glitter Dotted Lush, Two Person Show with Lael Burns, Fort Worth Community Arts Center, Fort Worth, Texas
30x30x30 Exhibition, Juried Show, Var Gallery, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mother + Artist, Group Exhibition, James May North Gallery, Algoma, Wisconsin
Art a Whirl, Group Show including The Wondermakers Collective, The Corner Store Gallery, NE Minneapolis, Minnesota
2018
Abstract Thoughts, Invitational Exhibit, The Wondermakers Collective, Miller Art Museum, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
The Art of the Needlewoman, Invitational Exhibition, Langdon Divers Community Gallery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Artful Play, Invitational Exhibition, I.D.E.A. Museum, Mesa, Arizona
The Wondermakers Collective, The University of Central Missouri Gallery of Art and Design, Warrensburg, Missouri
2017
Imaginary Friends, Solo Exhibition, The Jabberwock, Algoma, Wisconsin
Imaginary Friends: Kitchen, Solo Exhibition, Shelf Gallery, Fordham, Great Britain
Inspired by the Beatles, Juried Exhibition, The Pink Llama Gallery, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
Lovely Trees, Langdon Drivers Gallery, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Art in Circles, Juried Exhibition, The Art Garage, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2016
State of the Union, Juried Exhibition, Cole Arts Center, Nacogdoches, Texas
Imaginary Friends, Solo Exhibition, Studio 550, Manchester, New Hampshire
The Big Draw, Juried Exhibition, Beacon Arts, Beacon, New York
2015
Self Made: 15 Years of Eye Lounge, Group Retrospective, Vision Gallery, Chandler, Arizona
2014
Unbound, Juried Fibers Exhibition, The Hardy Gallery, Ephraim, Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Colleges Faculty Exhibition, The Center for the Visual Arts, Wausau, Wisconsin
2013
Childhood Explored, Fundraiser Exhibition, Eden Court, Inverness, Scotland
Exquisite Uterus Project, Collaborative Art Exhibition, Red Gym Art Gallery, University of Wisconsin Madison, Madison, Wisconsin
2012
Imagination Land, Solo Exhibition, Visual Arts Gallery, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Exquisite Uterus Project, Collaborative Art Exhibition, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, Illinois
Re-fuse/Re-Seen, Juried by Warren Seelig, Some Things Looming, Reading, Pennsylvania
Utopian Dream, Group Exhibition, Step Gallery, Tempe, Arizona
2011
Pink Week Exhibition, Invitational Exhibition, 407 Gallery, Green Bay, Wisconsin
More is More, Juried Exhibition, Lexington Arts League, Lexington, Kentucky
7 Deadly Sins, Juried Exhibition, Studio 659, Whiting, Indiana.
The Milkweed Project & Other Flawless Fibers, Group Exhibition, The Eclipse Gallery, Algoma, Wisconsin
2010
Artists of Studio 210, Residency Exhibit, Neville Pubic Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Going Postal, Fundraiser Exhibition, Chelsea College of Art and Design, London, England
Hungry, Group Exhibition, The Eclipse Gallery, Algoma, Wisconsin
One from Wisconsin, Solo Exhibition, Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, Wisconsin
2009
The Best of Phoenix 2009 New Times Invitational Exhibition, Merz Project Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Eats and Treats, Two Person Exhibition with Mark Menjivar, Cole Arts Center, Nacogdoches, Texas
2008
Stitchalicious, Solo Exhibition, Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
Stitchalicious, Master of Fine Arts Solo Exhibition, Harry Wood Art Gallery, Tempe, Arizona
Leftovers, Solo Exhibition, Eye Lounge Contemporary Art, Phoenix, Arizona
Table Manners, Invitational Exhibition, Arizona Museum for Youth, Mesa, Arizona
MFA Juried Summer Exhibition, Harry Wood Gallery, Tempe, Arizona
Number One’s, Invitational Exhibition, LAS Gallery, Phoenix, Arizona
Residencies and Awards
2019
Artist in Residence, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
2018
Artist Residency in Motherhood
2010
Artist in Residence, The Craft Alliance, Saint Louis, Missouri (June 2010)
Student Nominated Teaching Award Nominee, University of Wisconsin Green Bay
2009
Artist in Residence, Studio 210, The Neville Public Museum, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2008
Juror’s Award, “MFA Summer Exhibition,” Juror, Dennita Sewell
First Place Small Sculpture Award, National Society of Arts and Letters, Arizona Chapter
2007
Juror’s Award, “Craftsmanship: Arizona Designer Craftsman” exhibition, Juror Sandra Blain
School of Art Special Talent Award, Arizona State University
Honorable Mention, Art for Health Exhibition, Phoenix, Arizona
2004
Academic Deans Award, University of Wisconsin Green Bay
William Prevetti Memorial Scholarship, University of Wisconsin Green Bay
Select Professional Experience
2019
Soft Sculpture Workshop, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
The Wondermakers Collective Collaborative Embroidery Workshop, Cedarburg Cultural Center, Cedarburg, Wisconsin
2018
Visiting Artist, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, Missouri
2017
Visiting Artist, Heyer Elementary IDEA Club, Waukesha, Wisconsin
2015
Student, Studio 550 ten week intensive clay course, Manchester, New Hampshire
2014
Gallery Director, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac Art Galleries, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Juror, Waupaca Art Show, Waupaca, Wisconsin
2013
Gallery Director, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac Art Galleries, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
2010
Felting Workshop Instructor, I AM ART, Iron Mountain, Michigan
Felting Workshop Instructor, Museum of Wisconsin Art, West Bend, Wisconsin
2008
Visiting Artist and Lecturer, Stephen F. Austin State University, Nacogdoches, Texas, Felting, Stitching Workshops
Guest Lecturer, American Costume Institute, Phoenix Art Museum, Phoenix, Arizona
Art Made Feminist Panelist, Wisconsin Women’s Conference, Green Bay, Wisconsin, Lecture on the Phenomenon of Martha Stuart and Home Crafting Advisory Committee Member for “Radical Lace and Subversive Stitch” exhibition, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art, Scottsdale, Arizona
Teaching Experience
2014
Associate Lecturer, Intro to Fibers and Textiles, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Associate Lecturer, Three Dimensional Design, Advance Three Dimensional Design, Intro to Fibers and Textiles, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
2013
Associate Lecturer, Design Methods, Intro To Fibers and Textiles, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
Associate Lecturer, Three Dimensional Design, Advance Three Dimensional Design, University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac, Fond du Lac,
2012
Associate Lecturer, Design Methods, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2011
Associate Lecturer, Design Methods, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2010
Associate Lecturer, Two Dimensional Design, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
2009
Associate Lecturer, Design Methods, University of Wisconsin Green Bay, Green Bay, Wisconsin
