THE WONDERMAKERS COLLECTIVE
Artist Statement
Wondermakers No. 61, The Wondermakers Collective | Mindy Sue Wittock & Jenna Freimuth,
4” Embroidery, Felt, Yarn, Sequins, Seed Beads, Applique
The Wondermakers Collective is a collaborative embroidery project created by Mindy Sue Wittock and Jenna Freimuth.
We attended the same college at different times, connected on social media, and now mail art back and forth between Wisconsin and Minnesota. Our name ‘The Wondermakers’ was conceived by the idea of simply wondering what we could make together. Mindy makes embellished, abstract soft sculpture and Jenna draws lush, patterned illustrations. As we navigated how to blend our unique artistic styles into a long distance collaboration, our dense embroidered pieces started to emerge. With the limitless combination of color and texture possible within our embroideries, we continue to explore creating wonder and curiosity in our work.
Our embroideries start with one of us putting down some stitches and then mailing it off to the other person. Nothing is drawn out ahead of time or preplanned. Every embroidery is a response to the other’s mark making and a metaphysical representation of our two styles colliding. As the layers build and stitches accumulate, a hint of an imaginary world is created within the hoop.
We have often noted similarities with how we build our pieces and the journey of Alice in Wonderland. Just as Alice falls into Wonderland without a map and uses her intuition to navigate through parts unknown, we follow our intuition with mark making, trust in the response from one another’s take on a piece, and always find ourselves somewhere new, yet familiar. We credit the ability to wonder for the success of our collaboration and honor where it can lead with each catch and release of a hoop back and forth from one another.
Instagram: @thewondermakers
Happily residing in Minneapolis, MN, Jenna Freimuth likes to make coffee and beautiful things. With a BA Degree in Studio Arts from the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay, Jenna has built a freelance career illustrating for clients and collaborating with other artists. Working from her home studio, she enjoys building surface design patterns, stitching abstract embroideries, and drawing motifs to decorate and delight. When not crafting her next project, Jenna can be found playing board games with her Husband, watching old episodes of The Office, or plotting Harry Potter World vacations.
Mindy Sue Wittock is a Sculptress and Mother who works in her home studio making soft sculpture that explores her experiences in motherhood. She received her BA from the University of Wisconsin Green Bay and her MFA from Arizona State University with a concentration in fibers. Mindy Sue worked as an associate lecturer and gallery director at the University of Wisconsin Fond du Lac. She has an extensive exhibition record and has taught many textile and fiber-based workshops. When not stitching on her next project, Mindy Sue enjoys listening to 80’s music, researching childhood nostalgia, and spending time with her family and her puppy, Chuck. She currently resides in Cedarburg, Wisconsin.