Residents will receive $3,000, studio access, and recognition through an exhibition
Minnesota Center for Book Arts is pleased to announce the recipients of the seventeenth series of the MCBA/Jerome Book Arts Residency: papermaker Jelani Ellis; interdisciplinary artist Louise Fisher; and photographer Christopher Selleck. 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 residents. They were: Nancy Ariza, a printmaker, educator, and arts and cultural engagement organizer; Keri Miki-Lani Schroeder, a book artist and the proprietor of Coyote Bones Press; and Edie Overturf, a printmaker and book artist who teaches printmaking, drawing, and visual storytelling.
Taking place from October 2023–November 2024, the 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 from November 2024–January 2025.
Jelani Ellis received her BFA in Communication Arts at Virginia Commonwealth University in her home state. Shortly after graduating, she moved to Minneapolis to start her career as an artist. Her papermaking practice is progressing through play and exploration of paper as a sculptural medium.
Louise Fisher holds an MFA from Arizona State University and a BFA from the University of Northern Iowa. She explores themes of landscape and environmental psychology through prints, artist’s books, and installations. She teaches drawing and printmaking at Normandale Community College, and her recent accomplishments include the 2018 SGC International Graduate Fellowship Award and the 2021 Jordan Holly Fellowship Award as an artist-in-residence at In Cahoots.
Born in August, GA, Christopher Selleck has spent the last 25 years working in the arts in the Minneapolis area. He received his BFA in photography from the University of Minnesota and his MFA in visual studies and photography from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design. His recent projects address issues of hyper-masculinity, sexuality, and the male body. Photographic prints and books are central to his practice, but Christopher also incorporates video, sound, installation, printmaking, and sculpture. His first museum solo exhibition, Body//Weight, was recently on view in the US Bank Gallery at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
ABOUT THE JEROME FOUNDATION
Since 1985, the Jerome Foundation has helped emerging artists push the boundaries of contemporary book arts by supporting the creation of new work. Through these fellowship and mentorship opportunities, Minnesota artists of diverse disciplines have created book arts projects that challenge and redefine conventional notions of book form and content.
