January 26–March 23, 2024
Open Book Literary Commons (2nd floor)
Reception: Friday, January 26, 6–8pm
Jody Williams was a teacher, a mentor, a friend, and an exceptional force in the world of book arts.
Small in scale, her award-winning artist’s books combined poetic writing, distinctive illustration, innovative structures, and a sense of magic and discovery. We invite you to remember—or explore for the first time—her life in art through a retrospective exhibition spanning four decades, courtesy of seven collections.
Jody was a two-time Minnesota Book Artist Award winner, first in its inaugural year in 2008 and again in 2019, for her book, For Now. (MCBA presents this award in collaboration with the Friends of the St. Paul Public Library as part of the MN Book Awards). Jody taught printmaking and book arts here at MCBA and at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and taught workshops and presented lectures at museums and colleges across the United States and in Europe. Her work is in the collections of the Walker Art Center, Minnesota Historical Society, and the University of Minnesota, which also houses her archives, as well as numerous other museums, universities, and libraries. She was known for her dedication to her practice and her students, as well as her longstanding commitment to the book arts community.
This fall, we collected stories and sentiments from the wider book arts community about Jody and her impact. You can read them here.