Local fellows will discuss their work with two national figures in the arts
Minnesota Center for Book Arts is pleased to present our 2020 McKnight Book Artist Fellows, Paula McCartney and Lisa Nebenzahl, in conversation with the arts professionals who worked closely with them throughout their fellowship year, Allie Haeusslein and Susan kae Grant. The panel talk is free and open to the public and will take place in the Target Performance Hall on the second floor of Open Book on Saturday, April 23 from 2 to 4pm.
Offered in partnership with the McKnight Foundation, these competitive fellowships support two mid-career artists annually with $25,000 in non-restricted funds, studio access at MCBA, and professional development opportunities to deepen their art practice, including studio visits from national figures in book arts. Allie Haeusslein is the Director of Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco, the largest space dedicated to photography in North America, while influential lens-based artist Susan kae Grant is an educator and early proponent of book arts.
MCBA takes an expansive view of the book as a “contained narrative,” and both Paula and Lisa work within this sphere. Paula makes artist’s books, photographs, and ceramics that illustrate her collaborations with the natural world and consider ways that light activates both objects and environments. Lisa’s multidisciplinary practice includes sculpture, historical printing processes, and collage/montage, all of which help her to ponder themes of resilience and fragility, loss and persistence, and the passage of time.
After brief visual presentations by Paula and Lisa, the discussion will center on how their creative practices evolved during and after their fellowship, their artistic trajectory as a whole, and the relationships built with these visiting professionals. Near the end of the conversation, there will be time for audience questions.
This will be Paula and Lisa’s first public appearance as our 2020 McKnight Book Artist Fellows. Due to their fellowship period coinciding with the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic and the subsequent closure of Open Book, MCBA postponed the panel until we could host it in person.
Masks are required for this in-person event. Join us!
ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT ARTIST FELLOWSHIPS PROGRAM
Founded on the belief that Minnesota thrives when its artists thrive, the McKnight Foundation’s arts program is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. Support for individual working Minnesota artists has been a cornerstone of the program since it began in 1982. The McKnight Artist Fellowships Program provides annual, unrestricted cash awards to outstanding mid-career Minnesota artists in 15 different creative disciplines. Program partner organizations administer the fellowships and structure them to respond to the unique challenges of different disciplines. Currently the foundation contributes about $2.8 million per year to its statewide fellowships. For more information, visit mcknight.org/artistfellowships.
ABOUT THE MCKNIGHT FOUNDATION
The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in the Midwest; building an equitable and inclusive Minnesota; and supporting the arts in Minnesota, neuroscience, and international crop research.