Left to Right: Mei Lam So, Izzy Shinn, and Gidinatiy Hartman
ANNOUNCING HIGHPOINT’S 2023-24
JEROME EARLY CAREER PRINTMAKERS
Highpoint is pleased to announce the 2023-24 Jerome Early Career Printmaking Residents Mei Lam So, Gidinatiy Hartman, and Izzy Shinn. The nine-month residency begins in September and will culminate in May with a June 2024 exhibition in Highpoint’s galleries. Between now and then, though, much experimentation, progress, and growth will occur. The program will include four special guest critiques that occur at intervals during the residency. For more about each of the residents, read on:
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.
Mei offered this about the upcoming residency, “I look forward to enacting some developing ideas and creating a new body of work with the community support of Highpoint's technical and conceptual expertise.“
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.
When asked what they’re most looking forward to in the residency, Izzy said, “What I'm most excited for is the time and resources to experiment more with intaglio printing methods, specifically multi-plate printing, chine collé, and plate shape variation. I'm also very much looking forward to delving into this newer, more personal facet of my work and exploring how drawing from intimate and archival sources will influence my style and practice.”
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.
Gidinatiy said this about the upcoming residency, “I am looking forward to being in a printmaking studio because it gives me the opportunity to use a variety of printmaking methods again. I am excited to continue the same work I did for my BFA, creating artwork related to my Native language: Deg Xinag. Also, I look forward to being more involved in the printmaking community and being able to get feedback and input on my artwork.”
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.