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
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