Wendy Brackman's Paper Plate Mandala

MAKEZINE
By Sean Ragan

MARYLAND---As a young sculptor fresh from art school, Wendy Brackman struggled with the problem of “selling out.” In the video below she talks about her decision to become a party entertainer. Her act involves spontaneous sculpture of weird party hats cut by hand, from paper plates, using scissors, and joined together with staples. That was it. In need of a broader color palette, she began painting the plates with acrylic house paint before cutting them up, and as her act developed and began to take off, eventually graduated to custom-printed and die-cut cardstock blanks, instead of plates. Eventually, she began to incorporate jokes and “patter” into her routine. Now, 30 years on, her alter ego Wacky Wendy is a hugely successful and sought-after party act. She’s flown all over the world by corporate clients for executive retreats and other gala events. Recently, her 8′-diameter Paper Plate Mandala was exhibited at Baltimore’s American Visionary Art Museum as part of their All Things Round exhibit. [link]