Three Book Artists Selected for Jerome Mentorship Program

Minneapolis, MN — Minnesota Center for Book Arts is pleased to announce our newly-selected MCBA/Jerome Foundation Book Arts Mentorship Recipients: D’Angelo Christian, Minneapolis-based photographer; Michael Khuth, St. Paul-based independent curator and lens-based collage artist; and Leah Klister, Minneapolis-based artist and art educator.

Three jurors representing different specialties in the book arts selected the incoming artists. Christpher Alday, a Latinx artist and printmaker, explores repetition, simple shapes, print as a material, and repetition. Artist and writer Regan Golden-McNerney creates large-scale collages and intricate drawings inspired by urban plants. Originally from Argentina, Minnesota North Shore resident Cecilia Ramon is an ecological artist, bookmaker, teacher, and meditation practitioner.

Unlike the Jerome Residency, these early-career artists primarily practice disciplines outside the book arts. The mentees will devote the first half of the program to learning foundational skills such as bookbinding, letterpress printing, and papermaking. Subsequently, they will develop individual projects employing these new skills, culminating in an exhibition at MCBA’s Main Gallery. The mentees will also receive funding for materials, an educational stipend, 24/7 access to MCBA’s state-of-the-art equipment and specialized studios, and mentorship support from MCBA staff, among other benefits.

Photographer D’Angelo Christian focuses on day-to-day scenes, acknowledgment of love, and gestures contained within families, loved ones, and the natural world. Collecting and preserving his personal history and giving agency to his identity is what motivates his work.

As a queer Khmer-American, Michael Khuth uses photography and collage as languages to articulate and reflect on queerness, memory, fluidity, and transformation. A recipient of many grants, fellowships, and residencies, they are also the founder and curator of Generation Magazine, a publication that gathers the voices of artists throughout the Cambodian diaspora.

Leah Klister has a BA in Studio Art from St. Olaf College and an MA in Art Education with a focus on social justice and community practice from NYU. Leah taught all types of media to grades 7–12 before leaving the classroom to take care of her daughters and focus on her art practice. Her current project is a relief printmaking series about the intimacies of motherhood.

Mark your calendars for the Jerome Mentorship Virtual Presentations on Tuesday, March 28, 2023 at 6pm, and be on the lookout for more information about the Jerome Mentorship exhibition in November 2023.