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Inspired by the Process of Making

"I am a maker, pure and simple," says Rosae Reeder MFA '95 (Book Arts + Printmaking), who is the assistant program director of Illustration, a senior lecturer and a new member of the UArts Alumni Council. But, "pure and simple" is simply...an understatement. Rosae is an inspiring teacher and an innovative and accomplished artist. She is a world traveler, journeying across literal borders and metaphorical boundaries to study historical papermaking techniques and bookbinding practices. Last winter, with the support of a UArts Faculty Development Grant, Rosae participated in an intensive workshop at El Ombligo del Libro in Mexico, a program organized by her former student, Lucia Farias Villareal '08 (Book Arts + Printmaking). She is currently working on a project called "Her Story," which is a mixed media investigation – combining traditional and contemporary techniques – of grief, inspired by the death of her mother just a year ago.

Rosae's educational and emotional journey informs her teaching. Her goal is to help students find their personal voice. "As a young person, no matter your choices, it's difficult to find your place in the world. As artists, in some ways, our place is found for us. We know what we're compelled to do. I want our students to see that it is possible to make a living doing what they love."

Her career has included participation in exhibitions at the country's most prestigious Centers of Book Arts ("Racism: An American Family Value" in New York City and "We, Too, Are Book Artists" in Minneapolis); teaching at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Split Rock Arts in Minnesota and UArts, where she has served on the faculty since 1996; and participation on the UArts Alumni Council. "I was pleased to be invited to join the Council. I care about the University and our students, and I hope to contribute my unique perspective as an alumna and a faculty member," she says. Working in collaboration comes naturally to Rosae. She is a member of the board of the Guild of Bookworkers, book artists from the region who create and exhibit together, and she initiated a course option on "collaborative book arts" through the University's Collaborative Studio (a component of the Common Curriculum required of all undergraduates).

Rosae acknowledges that it's not always easy to be an artist. "Being uncomfortable is part of what we must do as artists." But it is clear that she finds great reward and joy in the process of art making and hopes her students will do the same. "Let's eliminate the 'starving artist stigma.' It is possible for artists to learn how to earn a living making art and living – with a sense of success and satisfaction – as artists."