MIAD Alum Kelly Alexander Wendorf Brings Stories of Travel to Life Through Paper Cutting

For Kelly Alexander Wendorf, paper cutting is more than an artistic medium. It’s a way to explore memory, movement and human connection through intricately layered works of art.

A MIAD alum who studied printmaking, Wendorf recently created a series of large-scale paper cut artworks for Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport. The project drew inspiration from the architecture of the airport, the history of aviation and the experiences travelers bring with them as they move through the space.

“When I begin my paper cutting projects, I start with researching different subject matters,” Wendorf said. For the airport commission, that meant studying airplanes, airport design and the unique character of Milwaukee’s airport before developing sketches that explored how people interact with travel.

Many of those ideas were informed by personal experience. Wendorf reflected on her first time flying as a child and later watching her own children experience air travel for the first time. “I was thinking about the experience of children interacting with flight and planes and how it opens up their imagination and discovery,” she said.

Paper cutting first became central to Wendorf’s practice while she was a student at MIAD, where she created a large-scale installation for her senior thesis. Drawn to the medium’s balance of precision and possibility, she continues to embrace its deliberate pace.

“I find that paper cutting is a slow meditative process that I really enjoy,” Wendorf said. “It’s kind of my time to slow down and reflect and relax a little bit.”

Her work is known for its detailed layers, silhouettes and patterns, which are carefully assembled through a process of tracing, cutting and problem-solving. While each composition begins with a plan, Wendorf allows room for experimentation, often rearranging elements as pieces evolve and new visual connections emerge.

Installed in a place where travelers are often rushing from one destination to the next, the airport artworks are intended to offer a moment of pause. Wendorf hopes viewers will “stop and take a breath” and find points of connection within the imagery, whether through memories of travel, family adventures or the wonder of flight itself.

Through her intricate paper cut compositions, Wendorf transforms familiar experiences into visual stories, inviting travelers to slow down, reflect and see the journey from a new perspective.