photography by IAN GEORGE SCHULTZ

mackenzie mack

formerly kt simmons-uvin
formerly kathryn simmons-uvin
formerly kathryn hodgkins

i grew up alongside the freezing shores of the atlantic, convinced i’d grow up to become a mermaid. my mother has created two books of her lineage. i have memories of creating robots and legos with my father. i remember playing polly pockets with my sister upstairs and our parents coming to check on us when we were too quiet. the majority of entries are within the same region, meaning: i come from a long line of assholes bitter bitches cold-hearted crownies new englanders. this shaped me into the people-pleasing person i am. my grade school experiences are a blur as i mastered the art of masking my autism and dissociation. college was spent experimenting with formal photography; post-college was attempting to survive capitalism by way of corporate retail. my thirties have, so far, been spent trying to figure out who i am apart from my mother, my father, my sister, my ex-husband, and ex-girlfriend(s). in a not-quite-ironic-enough-joke, i arrived in the plains of the midwest to pursue a master’s of fine art and ended up exploring obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic-stress disorder, autism, and gender dysphoria. i concluded my studies at the university of wisconsin-madison without breasts, a husband, but with a resounding flare of unabashedly discovering myself.

alone.

i’m nervous for what the future holds — that’s kind of the thing with ocd: very difficult to sit in the discomfort of the unknown, so we make rules and regulations internally to make sense of the world — since the world i’m living in is banning restroom usage, gender-affirming care, and giving cushy breaks to those in power who uphold that status quo.

i think i might be here to upset that. the only way to find out is to

Stay Alive in 2025 <3

- Mack
he/him

photograph by IAN GEORGE SCHULTZ

EDUCATION

2015       University of Massachusetts, Amherst             Bachelor of Fine Arts, Studio Arts, Photography   Amherst, MA

2023       University of Wisconsin, Madison                     Master of Fine Art, 4D                           Madison WI

 

GRANTS & SCHOLARSHIPS

2021      University of Wisconsin-Madison                      Professional Development Grant Madison, WI
Professional development proposal supported through Ernie Moll Graduate fund

2020       University of Wisconsin-Madison                      School of Education Bridge to Success                   Madison, WI
               Additional Academic Year scholarship support to students experiencing financial hardship due to COVID-19

2015       University of Massachusetts, Amherst             Mini Grant                                                                   Amherst, MA
              Arts Council grant aimed to support student-run projects/events; utilized for Loves Me, Loves Me Not show

2014       University of Massachusetts, Amherst             Anderson Ranch Arts Center Scholarship             Snowmass, CO
              Through Susan Jahoda’s partnership, this scholarship grants access to artists with financial adversity

 

ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS

2020-2021         University of Wisconsin-Madison      Stephen Hillyard’s Research Assistant                         Madison, WI

2021-Present University of Wisconsin-Madison  Art 100 Instructor of Record Madison, WI

 

AWARDS

2022
5th, 6th, 7th place, Adult Design Competition, Wisconsin Sheep & Wool Festival; Jefferson, WI

2021
Honorable mention; UW DesignLab 12th Annual Digital Salon; online

2017
Finalist for the John Chervinsky Award Emerging Photographer Scholarship; online and gallery show

2016
Winner of Creative Quarterly's 45th issue; sold in Barnes & Noble and Borders and exhibited online
1st place in Digital Media for the "South Shore Arts Festival Juried Show;" Cohasset, MA

2015
3rd Place in External Juried "Junior/Senior Exhibition;" University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

2014
Winner of Amazon’s "Head in the Clouds" digital image contest; online
"HFA Student Showcase," Spotlight Artist; University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Honorable Mention in the "South Shore Arts Festival Juried Show;" Cohasset, MA

2013
2 Honorable Mentions in Boston’s "Photorama" contest; Boston, MA

 

PUBLICATIONS & Talks

2023
”Dude, where’s my community?” performance, University of Wisconsin-Madison Library Mall

2022
”Artist’s Night 2022” interview, WORT 89.9FM; online

2021
11 Art Talks; April 30, 2021; online
Feeling Fragmentary: A Graduate Student Material Culture Symposium; May 14, 2021; online
’Personal Meme’; Interview by Ben Kenney; Nov 9, 2021; online

2019
Seven photos published by Vogue Italia; online, July 29, 2019; July 22, 2019; December 2, 2019; January 16, 2019; January 14, 2019

2018
Two photos published by Vogue Italia; online, December 17, 2018; June 11, 2018

2017
LoosenArt's "Shift" publication; online and print
Featured artist in PhotogrVphy Magazine; online

2016
Feature on Mall Pretzel's homepage gallery and Instagram; online
Published in Femme Fotale's "Volume III" photography zine; Phoenix, AZ

2015
"Skorch" magazine publication om collaboration with Kobi Jae; online
Cover artist for UMass Amherst’s Literary Journal, "Jabberwocky;" Amherst, MA

 

EXHIBITIONS & Performances

2023
”[fuck if i know]” solo MFA show, University of Wisconsin-Madion
”Dude, where’s my community?” performance, University of Wisconsin-Madison Library Mall
”Graduation Parade” performance, University of Wisconsin-Madison, downtown Madison, WI

2022
”Magical Thinking” solo MFA-Qualifier show, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI

2021
”Transitions,” Non-binary Artist Call; online
”4D Area Group Exhibition” Backspace Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI
”In This Economy?” Gallery 7, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI
”Personal Meme” solo show, Art Lofts Front Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI
”Cliffhanger” Art Lofts Front Gallery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, WI

2020
”CATSTATE: 4D Area Group Show” artist; University of Wisconsin-Madison, online

2017
RAW Boston's "Fixate" community showcase; Malden, MA

2016
Black Box's "Photo Shoot: 2016" exhibition; online, published in a Blurb Book
Black Box's "Color Burst" exhibition; online, published in a Blurb Book
"Projections! Art on the Brewery Wall" exhibition; Jamaica Plain, MA
"Boston Biennial 4" juried exhibition; East Boston,

2015
Bachelors of Fine Arts Thesis Show, "Loves Me, Loves Me Not;" University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA

2014
Hampshire College's "Tea House Exhibition;" Amherst, MA
Photography Center of Cape Cod and the Cape Cod Art Association’s exhibition "Night;" online

2013
"Amalgam" exhibition; University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA
Starbucks’s "Featured Artist" solo show; Hingham, MA