Interview with Kelly Taylor Mitchell

Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) was pleased to welcome Kelly Taylor Mitchell to our Artist-in-Residence program in summer 2018.

For her residency, Kelly researched Minnesota’s “Pilgrims,” a group of formerly enslaved Civil War soldiers and their families who fled the south for Minnesota. Mitchell created a limited varied edition suite of three artist books as well as an in-response open edition of zines and poetry chapbooks which worked to historicize the present by sharing oral histories and decentering narratives of colonization. Mitchell’s project explored how the stories of the Minnesota “Pilgrims” contextualize place-making in Minnesota for new and diverse populations, and inform a collective history of community building, confronting obstacles, and reciprocity in the state.

Kelly Taylor Mitchell is an installation, book, and print artist currently based in Rhode Island. Mitchell’s work recontextualizes oral histories in order to navigate the intertwined decolonial landscape of “Black” trauma and “Black” joy. Concepts of land tenure, territorial claims, community autonomy, inherited identity, and maronage act as an anchor in a cobbling of identity. Mitchell holds a BFA in printmaking from Tufts University, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and in May will receive an MFA in printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design.

Interview with CB Sherlock

CB Sherlock is a book artist, teacher, and long-time member of MCBA’s Artist Cooperative. Her work plays with book structure, often incorporating three-dimensional shapes and interactive elements. We spoke with CB about how being a part of the co-op and larger MCBA community has changed the way she approaches her art.
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Interview with Jill Weese

Jill Weese has been an integral part of the MCBA community for the past 20 years. Through the many hats she’s worn—as a volunteer, class instructor, Youth and Community Programs Director, and more—Jill has found a way to make an indelible mark on our community! We sat down with Jill to learn a little more about her history with MCBA, the importance of art education, and book arts’ continuing vitality in the greater Twin Cities art world.
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Interview with Tim Ternes

Tim Ternes, MA is Director of Programming at the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library (HMML), as well as Director of its Saint John’s Bible project. At the beginning of 2018, HMML started partnering with MCBA on a series of lectures and accompanying exhibition exploring the history of the book. Ahead of his May 24 lecture, “The Manuscript Meets the Modern Scriptorium,” we sat down with Tim to learn more about HMML’s valuable work and why it made sense to partner with MCBA.
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Interview with Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr.

Amos Paul Kennedy, Jr. is a letterpress printer based in Detroit. MCBA was honored to host him as printer-in-residence for the entire month of July, 2017. He lead a series of work sessions at MCBA inviting Twin Cities community organizations to make their own print signs, which were featured throughout Open Book as a building-wide “takeover.” We sat down with Amos to learn about what inspires him as an artist.
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