Harper (she/her) is a paper-based artist living and working in Iowa City, IA.
Her work utilizes book forms and papermaking techniques, and often focuses on themes of collecting, remembering, and preserving. She is an MFA candidate and Iowa Arts Fellow at the University of Iowa Center for the Book.
Harper graduated from Coe College in 2022 with a BA in Studio Art, emphasis in Printmaking, and was awarded the Marvin Cone prize for most outstanding body of work. She worked with the Cedar Rapids Public Library to develop an ongoing artist residency program, and served as the inaugural artist-in-residence. Most recently, her work has been represented by On View Gallery in Cedar Rapids, IA.
EDUCATION
exp. 2026 MFA in Book Arts, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
2022 BA in Art and History, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
TEACHING EXPERIENCE
2023 Pysanky: Ukrainian Egg Decorating, one-week class, Grant Wood Area Education
2023 Bookbinding demonstration and workshop, Cedar Rapids Public Library
2022 Bookbinding demonstration, visiting classroom assistant, Coe College
2022 Papermaking, bookbinding, and collage workshops, Cedar Rapids Public Library
2022 Pysanky: Ukrainian Egg Decorating, lecture & workshop, CSPS Hall
2021-2023 Art Educator, workshop and open studio instructor, Eastern Iowa Arts Academy
AWARDS & RESIDENCIES
2023 Iowa Arts Fellowship, University of Iowa
2023 Summer Residency, Public Space One
2022 Inaugural Artist Residency, Cedar Rapids Public Library
2022 Marvin Cone Art Prize, Coe College
2020 Robert and Joan Kocher Prize in Art, Coe College
SOLO & DUO EXHIBITIONS
upcoming Public Space One, Hold On/Let Go, with Heather Steckler, Iowa City, IA
2024 K. K. Merker Gallery, University of Iowa, Dear you, dear me, with Emma Hodges, Iowa City, IA
2023 On View Gallery, Passages, solo show, Cedar Rapids, IA
2022 Cedar Rapids Public Library, Neighborhood Artist, solo show, Cedar Rapids, IA
2022 Marvin Cone Gallery, Coe College, Compendium, with Emma Hodges, Cedar Rapids, IA
GROUP & JURIED EXHIBITIONS
2023 Northern State University, nice; 01, juried show, Aberdeen, SD
2023 Public Space One, Infinite Weave, group show, Iowa City, IA
2023 Virtual exhibition, mint condition, juried by Midwest Nice Art, online
2022 Atlas Science Center, Arnold Grummer’s Paper on the River, juried show, Appleton, WI
2022 CSPS Hall, Broadening Their Focus, group show, Cedar Rapids, IA
2022 CSPS Hall, Pysanky, group show, Cedar Rapids, IA
2022 Cherry Building/CSPS Hall, Honoring the Human Form, group show, Cedar Rapids, IA
2022 Student Gallery, Coe College, Collectivity, group show, Cedar Rapids, IA
CURATORIAL EXPERIENCE
2024 Public Space One, Reading Rooms: DIY Publishing In and Through Iowa, Iowa City, IA
2024 K. K. Merker Gallery, University of Iowa, Luminosity, Iowa City, IA
INSTALLATIONS & PUBLIC WORKS
2024 City of Cedar Rapids, Monarch, collection truck mural, Cedar Rapids, IA
2023 Public Space One, Surreal Cereal, site-specific installation, Iowa City, IA
2023 Graduate Hotel, We Are All Students, mural, Iowa City, IA
2023 Public Space One, Interconnection, participatory installation, Iowa City, IA
2019 Good Neighbor Society, Sentimentality, mixed-media installation, Manchester, IA
2017 UICCU BenchMarks, Pysanka, bench mural, BenchMarks, Iowa City, IA
2016 UICCU BenchMarks, Bees on Mars, bench mural, Iowa City, IA
PERMANENT COLLECTIONS
Coe College Presidential Legacy Collection, Cedar Rapids, IA
Manchester Public Library, Manchester, IA
PRESS
KCRG, “Cedar Rapids rolls out garbage trucks featuring Iowa artists,” public work feature, Cedar Rapids, IA, March 6, 2024.
Press-Citizen, “Pushing the Envelope,” exhibition feature, Iowa City, IA, January 27, 2024.
OPEN+, “Artist in Residence,” interview, Cedar Rapids, IA, September, 2022.
The Gazette, exhibition announcement, Cedar Rapids, IA, January 27, 2022