Celebration of Life Reception:
Friday, January 24—more details to come
This exhibition brings together a selection of work from MCAD alumni to pay homage to Jody Williams, their teacher and mentor. Jody’s passing last year summoned a widespread response, a testament to the profound effect she had on our community. Former students were invited to celebrate her legacy by contributing artists’ books, print, and paper based works that speak to the impact Jody Williams had on their artistic journey.
Participating Artists:
Tim Abel ’08 • Christopher Alday ’23, MFA • Juliana Belmont ’16 • Jennifer Bowman ’14 • Sarah Evenson ’16 • Payton Felper ’24 • Kara Faye Gregory ’23, MFA • Jessica Henderson ’11, MFA • Emily Hoisington ’08 • Jamie Kubat ’20 • Emilee Lund ’18 • Benjamin Merritt ’19 • Jessica Meuninck-Ganger ’04 • Sara Parr ’06 • Jon Renzella ’06 • Kerri Sandve ’19 • Zander Skelton ’23 • Lindsay Splichal ’12 • Kate Thomas ’13, MFA • LaToya Varpness ’17 • Melissa Wagner-Lawler ’07, MFA • Alexis Weber ’16
Jody Williams: A Life Dedicated to Artmaking and Teaching
MCAD: 4th Floor Suitcase Gallery, Main Building, 4th Floor
January 13-March 1, 2025
Jody Williams was a much-beloved member of the MCAD community for over thirty-five years. She taught in the Print, Paper, Book department and mentored undergraduate and graduate students. Jody also taught workshops and presented lectures at museums and colleges across the United States and in Europe. She also published artists' books under the name Flying Paper Press. Her work is in the collections of the Walker Art Center, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Minnesota Historical Society, and numerous other museums, universities, and libraries. Her honors include Jerome Foundation fellowships and grants and awards from the Minnesota Craft Council, the Minnesota Center for Book Arts, and MCAD.
Jody was an impassioned and impactful mentor to multiple generations of art and design students. These pieces are from Jody’s years of teaching at MCAD in the Printshop and publishing books under the name “Out of Hand Press.” Over the years, Jody taught her students all forms of printmaking, bookmaking and papermaking. Her classes would often create a collaborative book based on one word or theme where each student would have a print in the book.