EXHIBITION ON VIEW: June 21 - July 20, 2024
OPENING RECEPTION (with artist remarks): FRIDAY, June 21; 6:30 - 9 PM
Left to Right: Mei Lam So, Izzy Shinn, and Gidinatiy Hartman
The 2023-2024 Jerome Early Career Printmakers Residency kicked off in September, since then the artists Gidinatiy Hartman, Izzy Shinn, and Mei Lam So have been busy in the prinsthop, devoting much of their free time toward generating work for their upcoming exhibition. In early February, the residents welcomed Regan Golden-McNerney (Artist and Interim Chair of Fine Arts, MCAD) for their first of four in-progress critiques. Then, in February, Suyao Tian came to Highpoint for the second critique session. At these critiques, the residents share a selection of their artwork (at various stages of completion) along with sketches and ideas for other work seeking feedback and insight from the guest critics. Tamara Aupaumut will conduct a visit with the residents in April, and then finally, while their culminating exhibition is on view in the galleries at Highpoint, Heidi Goldberg will provide a critique of the completed work. These critiques are one of the most beneficial components of the Jerome Residency program at Highpoint. Read on to find out more about what each of the artists has been up to, along with what you might expect to see in their exhibition.
Based on their stated interests, Mei and Gidinatiy have worked individually with Highpoint staff member Josh Bindewald to learn a new printmaking technique. Mei explored a specific chine collé mounting technique using homemade wheat paste, and Gidinatiy began to learn stone lithography.
The artists each provided a brief quote about the residency experience to this point: Mei Lam So said, “I'm grateful for the support Highpoint has provided thus far. The museum visits, group critiques, and various support through this residency have been valuable and helpful for developing my work. I enjoy working in the studio and getting the opportunity to talk with other co-op members. Such small discussions between printing and the constant exchange of knowledge have been a highlight throughout my studio time.”
Izzy Shinn stated, “I’ve been giving myself a chance to break away from old habits and a strictness I’ve often held myself to. I think in our first group critique, I felt a good prod to get out of my own head and roll with a greater sense of freedom and gesture when it comes to my own drawing & printing process, which I’m wildly appreciative of. My expectations for myself have shifted, and I’m excited to navigate the balance of precise composition and rougher spontaneous drawing and see how I can make these two work in tandem.”
Finally, Gidinatiy Hartman said, “I am excited to use this residency to learn other printmaking techniques I couldn’t learn in college, like lithography. I just finished prepping my first stone, and I can’t wait to see how it prints.”
The residency exhibition will open at Highpoint on June 21, with a reception taking place from 6:30-9 pm and artist remarks happening around 7 pm. We hope that you can join us to celebrate and support these early career artists.
Mei Lam So (she/her) is a Minneapolis-based visual artist whose medium includes printmaking, textile printing, and ceramics. She received her BFA from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and her MFA in Printmaking and Ceramics from the University of Iowa. Originally from Hong Kong, Mei’s work explores topics surrounding the acculturation process of bicultural Asian immigrants. Mei has exhibited her work nationally.
Izzy Shinn (they/he/she) is a butch Twin Cities-based printmaker and comic artist specializing in intaglio etching and ink illustration, having earned their BFA from the University of Minnesota. With a focus butchness, lesbian life, and history, their work is tied intimately with themself and their own experiences, showcased through characters and archetypes, exploring the sexual and social stigmatization of women, the body, and the queer subject.
Most recently, they have worked as a summer workshop studio assistant at Penland School of Craft. They have exhibited and sold work in various local venues, such as the Katherine E. Nash Gallery, Open Eye Gallery, and the North Suburban Center for the Arts. They have also self-published multiple mini-comics and zines and participated as an exhibitor in the 2022 Minneapolis-based Autoptic Festival.
Gidinatiy Hartman (they/them) has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in printmaking from the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Their artwork is about creating visual representations of the Deg Xinag and other Native languages and is centered around a desire to reclaim their family’s Athabascan language, which was taken from them due to colonization. United by a sense of whimsy and wordplay, their art seeks to make it easier for people to learn Deg Xinag and other Native languages. They aspire to have multiple modes of representation, including visual art, that makes language revitalization more accessible to people.
Highpoint would like to thank this year’s panelists Tamara Aupumaut and Heidi Goldberg.
Tamara Aupaumut is a multidisciplinary artist and independent curator living on Mni Sota Makoce, also known as Minneapolis. She works in a variety of media, including printmaking.
Heidi Goldberg earned her BA from Hamline University and MFA in printmaking and works on paper at The University of Michigan. She taught studio art at Concordia from 1995-2022. Her works have been exhibited in local, regional, national, and international juried exhibitions. She lives and works in the sand hills near the National Sheyenne Grasslands in North Dakota.
The Jerome Early Career Residency is in its 21st year of programming and is funded with a generous grant from the Jerome Foundation. The program is open to early-career Minnesota printmakers — defined here as artists who show significant potential yet have not received a commensurate amount of professional accomplishment or recognition, regardless of age or recognition in other fields. You can find details about the program, application process, and creative benefits on our website.
About the Jerome Foundation – Created by artist and philanthropist Jerome Hill (1905-1972), The Jerome Foundation seeks to contribute to a dynamic and evolving culture by supporting the creation, development, and production of new works by emerging artists. Based in St. Paul, MN, the Foundation makes grants to not-for-profit arts organizations and artists in Minnesota and New York City.