Andy Wiginton, PhD MFA
While working on a PhD in Theatre for Youth, Andy decided to make a quilt. This first project sparked an obsession with all things quilting. His passion for the art form ultimately drew him away from the theatre and into the studio where he combines his vocation for teaching with artistic excellence.
Through The Quilt Doc, he not only offers a spectrum of services, resources, and education for fellow quilters, but also imparts his unique artistic perspective, fostering a community that thrives on shared creativity, tradition, and innovation.
Before Andy was a quilter…
Andy was born in a small town in the rustbelt of south-central Michigan. Upon graduation from the University of Michigan, Andy moved to New York City and completed of a Master of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Outreach and Theatre Directing from Sarah Lawrence College. In New York, Andy began working with young people and his inventive approach earned him many awards and accolades. After teaching abroad for several years, Andy founded Savvy Theatre Works, a program that took high school and college students to Mexico, where they worked used applied theatre techniques with elementary students and teachers for fifteen years, serving thousands of children.
Andy completed the Theatre for Youth Doctoral program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. In his time at UW-Madison, Andy continued his work in Mexico, taught Drama and Education courses to undergraduate students, published several academic articles, and directed plays for young audiences. While at UW-Madison, Andy was awarded The Winifred Ward Scholar Award, one of the most prestigious awards given in the field of theatre for young audiences by the American Association of Theatre Educators.
While working on his dissertation, Andy took up quilting as a hobby. It was at the end of this time in Madison, that Andy fell in love with Brian, and they got married. Together with their Bernese Mountain Dogs they moved to New York City, where Andy finished his dissertation and began to quilt semi-professionally. Dr. Andy taught in the Theatre Department at the Dalton School in New York City, before moving to New Jersey where he became Director of Theatre Activities for Cedar Hill Prep School. During this time, his students and colleagues began to call him “Doc” and it stuck.
In 2019 the “Quilt Doc” was born, and Dr. Andy now spends his days doing all things quilting. He longram quilts for customers, creates quilts for show and for publication. Dr. Andy also leads weekly clubs, workshops and retreats as well as travels to guilds, shows, and quilt shops sharing his “Enlightened Quilting” approach with quilters from all over the world. His patterns, tools and kits are available online at www.quiltdoc.com.