Originally from the Upstate New York area. Madeline (Maddie) McHugh moved to Oxford, Mississippi on a cross country and track scholarship and received a B.A. in Art History from the University of Mississippi in 2020. After spending time teaching elementary art and high school Spanish in North Mississippi, she returned to the University of Mississippi and earned a B.F.A with a concentration in ceramics in 2024. 

She started off making functional pottery and was heavily influenced by the City Grocery Plate Project put together by the Mud Daubers. After making sets of plates for different local restaurants in Mississippi, she realized how influential the restaurant industry has been to her background and lifestyle. She has worked in various restaurants for over a decade and grew up watching and helping her family work in the family restaurant in New York. Her work altered from focusing on making functional pottery into creating sculptural installations. She explores a variety of themes that encompasses the restaurant industry. 

Currently, she is pursuing a Masters in Fine Art with a concentration in sculpture at the University of Oklahoma. She continues her research by working and making art in Norman, Oklahoma.