UW-Whitewater alum receives national accolade for sculpture

March 31, 2021

 

Timothy Nimmo has learned, after sculpting for more than 30 years, that patience and hard work will eventually lead to success.

The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater alum’s sculpture, “Constellation,” pictured left, was recently selected for the National Sculpture Society’s 88th annual Awards Exhibition, to be held in both South Carolina and New York. Of the 431 total submissions sent in by the top sculptors in the United States, only 54 works were selected.

Nimmo started out as just a kid with a dream.

“I’d been artistically inclined since early childhood. I had originally intended my Bachelor of Fine Arts to be a stepping stone to a terminal degree with the intent of becoming a college art teacher.”

But his plans ultimately changed once he got to college.

Originally from Janesville, Nimmo decided to attend UW-Whitewater because of its proximity and affordability. He also knew he could pursue his passion with a BFA degree — emphasis in sculpture and painting — along with a minor in art history.

Art and Design faculty guided Nimmo in many ways throughout his time at UW-Whitewater.

“Having excellent mentors is one of the reasons I have found success in my career, but also UW-Whitewater has one of the best equipped college foundries I have ever seen. Having that kind of equipment to learn on was instrumental in my education and craft.”

His mentor, the late James Wenkle of UW-Whitewater, taught him to “wring out every ounce of the limited talent I have by working.”

Nimmo recalls that Wenkle frequently said things to the effect of, “There will always be someone more talented, smarter, or with more resources than you. You can’t control that. But you can control how hard you work. Hard work always wins in the end.”

Nimmo attributes some of his success to what he terms “The Great Cross Pollination.”

“There were so many different courses with every discipline you can imagine — and each with top-notch teachers. I was able to try almost everything under the sun and all of these experiences have aided me at some point or another in my career later in life.”

Camaraderie with his fellow students and teachers ran deep.

“There were so many very talented artists around me, many I maintain friendships with them to this day. The creativity in the atmosphere was so thick you could cut it with a knife.”

Nimmo graduated from college in 1984 and started off his career in the field of art foundry. In this field, he would take clay pieces created by artists and turn them into finished works of bronze. It wasn’t until 2009, at the age of 48, that Nimmo decided to begin a second career as a serious sculptor himself.

As time went on, his talent attracted more and more attention. The National Sculpture Society first recognized Nimmo’s artwork in 2017.

“I won a national award in a nationwide competition with them back in 2017, and became an elected member in 2019. This is about as good as it gets for a regular kid from Janesville.”