MCBA Announces 2021–2022 Jerome Book Arts Residents
Left to right: Brooks Turner, Nicole Soley, and Leah Willemin.
Minneapolis, MN — Minnesota Center for Book Arts is pleased to announce the recipients of the sixteenth series of the MCBA/Jerome Book Arts Residency (formerly known as the MCBA/Jerome Book Arts Fellowship): printmaker Nicole Soley; artist, writer, and educator Brooks Turner; and artist/designer Leah Willemin. The program encourages the creation and exhibition of new and compelling artwork, strengthens skills and career development, and deepens relationships in the book arts community.
Three jurors, reflecting diverse perspectives and expertise, reviewed the applications to select the winning fellows. They were: Paula McCartney, artist and 2020/2021 McKnight Book Artist Fellow; Tia-Simone Gardner, interdisciplinary artist and Assistant Professor of Media and Cultural Studies at Macalester College; and Peng Wu, social practice artist and past Jerome Fellowship recipient.
Taking place from October, 2021–January, 2023, the yearlong residency will include access to MCBA’s 12,000-square foot space—complete with two galleries, a library, rare book arts equipment, and specialized studios including a bookbindery, darkroom, and studios for letterpress printing, screen printing, and papermaking. The residents will also benefit from an educational stipend, one-year membership to MCBA, participation in group critiques, professional documentation of artwork, and recognition through a culminating exhibition in MCBA’s Main Gallery.
While all three artists will work under the broad umbrella of book arts, they embody a range of approaches.
Nicole Soley has maintained an active studio practice at Highpoint Center for Printmaking since 2017. Her multi-process prints and three-dimensional artworks have been featured in exhibitions nationally and internationally.
Brooks Turner’s work engages the history of fascism in Minnesota and has appeared at the Weisman Art Museum, St. Cloud State University, and Soo Visual Arts Center, among others. He is currently Chair of Visual Art at St. Paul Conservatory for Performing Artists.
Interested in tool-making, material histories, and teaching, Leah Willemin makes projects that explore the interaction between large-scale systems and individual experience. She teaches at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design.
Since 1985, MCBA has partnered with the Jerome Foundation to help early career artists push the boundaries of contemporary book arts by supporting the creation of new work. With projects ranging from exquisitely-crafted fine press volumes and documented performances to one-of-a-kind installations, Minnesota early career artists have created work that breaks the bindings and redefines conventional notions of book form and content.
