Photo: Sarah Sutterfield
Sarah Sutterfield
Sarah Sutterfield
Sarah Sutterfield is an artist whose work embraces radiant colors and textures, full utility of space and the challenging of compositional norms. She is behind GIRL OF THE 21ST, a brand of handmade accessories designed to bring personality and boldness to one’s everyday life. Her interdisciplinary approach to art has encompassed not only exhibitions and installations but frequent appearances vending at artisanal markets and community events over the years as well.
Born and raised in Lawrence, Kansas, Sutterfield’s origins as an artist began in high school. “I got really interested in film photography,” she recalls. “My teacher Angelia Perkins was stellar. She was challenging, and that really makes a difference when you’re a kid going through the motions.”
Seeking the opportunity to move somewhere new, Sutterfield attended the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) where she graduated in 2017 with a degree in fine art and minors in sculpture and writing. “MIAD is where art and community together really started playing a role in my life,” she reflects.
Sutterfield was in the Milwaukee Artist Resource Network (MARN) mentorship program in 2017. In addition to the Greater Milwaukee area, her work has been exhibited back home in Kansas as well as in Green Bay and Yarmouth, Massachusetts. Her current studio space is at Var Studios in Walker’s Point. Sutterfield describes her aesthetic proclivities, “I love shiny materials and things that sparkle, or things that give illusions. Working with the lustrous metallic film can make art experiential in a fun way.”
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
Immersive Installation
“Bright Sides,” Sutterfield’s debut solo exhibition, was displayed at Saint Kate-The Arts Hotel last year from April to October. The immersive installation consisted of one centered large painting, metallic flower blossoms, weaving embellishments and shades of pink. “I had an entire room to work with and that was the first time I’ve had an opportunity like that since college,” she said about the experience. “I had this grandiose idea that I was confident I could pull off but knew that I had to be careful not to mess with the walls too much, and it can be hard to have someone take a chance like that on you. It was definitely a milestone.”
The Emotional Heat painting from the “Bright Sides” series is currently displayed at The Daily Bird in Riverwest.
Girl of the 21st logo
Sutterfield launched GIRL OF THE 21ST (G21) in 2021 after thinking of ways to have supplemental income to fund application fees for exhibition opportunities and artist residencies. She liked the idea of making accessories because it gave her more freedom to have fun and be playful while creating, saying, “In fine art you have more of a specific concept that you’re working with, but designing stickers and jewelry and playing with dyes becomes an exercise in creativity in of itself, sometimes even more than fine art can be.”
“GIRL OF THE 21ST was my Instagram handle and I decided to go with it for the name because people already knew me as that—it’s from the 1999 Disney movie Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century and I love when people catch the reference.”
G21’s online store contains stickers, earrings, pins, socks, prints and more, all designed by Sutterfield herself. She is typically most busy with G21 over the summer during market/street festival season; in fact, G21 vended at seven events this past month alone.
Sutterfield has been incorporating more activism into her products overtime; one of her stickers advocates for reproductive rights, for example. “The “Abortion Saves Lives” sticker is $3 and I donate $1 to the Wisconsin Abortion Fund for each one sold,” she explains. “I would like to do stickers themed around more things like queer identity, the environment and legalizing marijuana. That money can always go towards helping something else.”
In terms of the future Sutterfield plans to expand G21 with more apparel and hopes to get her products into some local shops. She also wants to continue experimenting with metallic film in her fine art practice. “There’s always things to make,” she laughs. “It’s all about finding the hours in the day to do it.”
GIRL OF THE 21ST will be vending at Broadway Paper Gallery Night & Day on July 21-22, Cream City Vintage Fest on Aug. 5, Center Street Daze Festival on Aug. 12, Free Swim at Cactus Club on Aug. 27 and MKE Night Market on Sept. 13. She will also sell exclusive prints at the Riverwest Farmers Market on July 23, Aug. 20 and Sept. 10.
Visit Sarah Sutterfield’s website at girlofthe21st.com to view her work and products or get in touch.
