Sue Fuller

Sue Fuller (August 11, 1914 – April 19, 2006) was an American sculptor and printmaker who created three-dimensional works with thread. She was a student of Hans Hoffman in 1934, Stanley Hayter in 1943, and Josef Albers in 1944. She was awarded the Alumni Merit Award by Carnegie Mellon University in 1974, and the Lifetime Achievement Award by Women's Caucus for Art in 1986.

Fuller was born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Her father was an engineer that worked on bridges. Her mother worked in the home, constantly knitting and crocheting. Because of her mother, Fuller said she felt destined from childhood to work with threads one day. In 1932, Fuller enrolled at Carnegie Institute of Technology. In 1934, she took a summer class with Hans Hofmann at the Thurn School of Art. This was where Fuller first found her interest in modernism. Propelling her interest was Fuller's trip to Europe in 1937 when she saw an exhibition in Munich entitled "German Degenerate Art".

In 1943, Fuller began working at the Atelier 17 printmaking workshop run by Stanley William Hayter. During this time she also taught children at the Museum of Modern Art. While working at the MoMA, Fuller was introduced to many techniques such as Bauhaus techniques, collage making in print, and experimental weaving. This is how she revitalized her needle and thread-work that she began in childhood.

Fuller was one of the first artists to use a technique of embedding her designs. This involved pouring translucent plastic around polypropalene thread. She described the outcome of this technique as "bananas in jello."