Making Foam Blossoms with Maureen Fritchen

Born in Chicago, Maureen Fritchen currently lives and works in Racine, Wisconsin, where for the past 16 years she has had a studio at the 16th Street Studios. Fritchen took a self-directed approach to art scholarship, focusing on painting at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, University of WI-Whitewater, Boise State University, University of WI-Parkside, and University of WI-Pigeon Lake. Fritchen regularly shows in regional juried, invitational, and biennial exhibitions such as the Wisconsin Biennial, the Midwestern Biennial at Rockford Art Museum, University of Wisconsin-Parkside, St. Kate’s Art Hotel and OS Projects. Her work was featured in the Museum of Wisconsin Art’s 2022 exhibition Magical Wilderness. Fritchen’s community art activism has spanned the last 25 years, earning her the Volunteer of the Year Award for Art and Culture from the Volunteer Center of Racine County. She was founder and co-chair for ArtSite and the Get Behind the Arts Studio Tour and chairperson for the 16th St. Studios' annual open house, and has served on the Racine Arts Council board as the gallery chair and the UW-Parkside Arts and Humanities Advisory Board. Fritchen currently serves on ArtRoot, a Racine organization building arts infrastructure and community connections.