Alumni Feature / Jessie Henderson '11 | Minneapolis College of Art and Design

51±¬ÁϹÙÍø

Alumni Feature / Jessie Henderson '11

Written by Kay Heino

I've been very lucky with the opportunity to connect with alumni of 51±¬ÁϹÙÍøs MFA program. Someone I recently was lucky enough to exchange virtual conversation with is Jessie Henderson '11. I was able to ask a few questions and I would like to share them below. 

KAY:

Which year did you graduate and what brought you to 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø for your MFA?

JESSIE:

I graduated in 2011. I was working as a full-time designer but knew that I wanted to eventually move into teaching at the college level. I am from Minneapolis and wanted to stay in Minneapolis--I knew that 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø had an amazing reputation, was eager to work with the faculty at 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø and knew that this MFA experience would plug me into a local community that I would be able to stay connected in once the program was complete.

KAY:

How did your creative practice change while you were at 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø?

JESSIE:

My creative practice changed in so many ways during my time at 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø. Generous access to materials, studios and fabrication support really opened up new ways of thinking for me. The relationships that I had with peers, mentors and advisors were deep and fruitful and helped inform and evolve my work in ways that I hadn't anticipated.

KAY:

Do you have a favorite memory from your time in the program?

JESSIE:

The experience of getting your MFA is such a rich and layered challenge; it grows you and stretches you and breaks you down and builds you up and you have the privilege of sharing an entire arch of these meaningful experiences with a tight night group of peers and mentors. Whether it is the collective nerve of mid-program reviews, the weight of a particularly difficult critique session, the excitement of a major creative breakthrough, the celebration of a final install... It is really special to share these moments.

KAY:

What is next? Any new projects or life events that are in the pipeline?

JESSIE:

I am in my tenth year of teaching in the Art + Design Department at Bethel University and I maintain a personal studio practice out of my backyard studio. Making my own work and sharing my passion for art and design with students is the best of both worlds.

KAY:

Do you have any links you'd like us to share with the post?

JESSIE:

instagram:

website: jesssicarhenderson.com

Categories
Alumni
Published on
February 09, 2022

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The Minneapolis College of Art and Design (51±¬ÁϹÙÍø) acknowledges it is located on traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. This is the ancestral homeland of the Dakota and Ojibwe people, who were forcibly exiled from the land because of aggressive and persistent settler colonialism. We recognize that this place has a complex and layered history. As a community dedicated to creativity, 51±¬ÁϹÙÍø is committed to ongoing efforts to support and advocate for American Indian Nations and peoples.


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