Raised in a rural area in the US state of North Carolina, Susan Sidebottom now lives in New York City. She studied journalism and speech communications at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill until 1990—disciplines that continue to influence her artistic work to this day. In 2024, Sidebottom was awarded the Visionary Merit Scholarship from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree.
In her artistic work, Sidebottom is interested in people, their environment, and their history, which she sensitively engages with and brings closer to the viewer. The result is what she herself calls “visual storytelling,” which always keeps our own connection to the environment and community in mind.
Sidebottom's photographs have been exhibited nationwide in the United States and have been published extensively in journalism. Her book Thin Places (2024) is part of the Joan Flasch Artist's Book Collection.
During her two-week stay on Föhr as an artist-in-residence at the MKdW, Susan Sidebottom not only explored the unique nature of the island and the Wadden Sea itself, she also talked extensively with the people who call Föhr their home. The focus was on the history of emigration, which closely links the island to New York and the United States. Back in her homeland, the artist wants to engage with the relatives of the people she met on Föhr. This could be followed by another trip to the North Frisian island.
