Minneapolis book artist and printmaker Ryan is 2022 Minnesota Book Artist Award winner

Mary Ann Grossmann, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Nov. 30—Cathy Ryan, a Minneapolis-based book artist and printmaker, is the 2022 Minnesota Book Artist Award winner for her new artist's book "Chronicle." The award was announced Tuesday by Friends of the St. Paul Public Library. This biennial award is presented as part of the Minnesota Book Awards with the Minnesota Center for Book Arts and recognizes a Minnesota book artist or book artist collaborative group for excellence of a new artistic work.

Ryan's work in book arts explores the significance of human interaction with the natural world ,and with "Chronicles" she speaks to the universal experience of 2020 and the global pandemic. Members of the award committee praised Ryan's craftsmanship and content that lays out the contrast between public and private experiences as the year unfolds.

Ryan was awarded a 2011-12 Jerome Book Arts Fellowship and her work is included in the 2012 Quarry publication "1000 Artist Books." She has been artist-in-residence at the Anderson Center in Red Wing, and co-curated The Contained Narrative: defining the contemporary artist's book exhibit at Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Most recently, she was awarded a second Jerome Book Arts Fellowship and an artist residency in Salzburg, Austria. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally and is included in private and public collections, including the Minnesota Historical Society, Hennepin County Library Special Collections and the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Library Special Collections. She holds a bachelor's degree in art from San Francisco State University and a post-baccalaureate certificate from Minneapolis College of Art and Design.

An exhibition celebrating "Chronicles" will be on display Jan. 13-March 6 at Minnesota Center for Book Arts in the Open Book building, 1011 Washington Ave. S., Mpls. An opening reception will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 20, in MCBA's Main Gallery. A visual artist talk will be held at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 31.