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
SOLO & DUO EXHIBITIONS
upcoming Public Space One, Hold On/Let Go, Iowa City, IA
2024 K. K. Merker Gallery, University of Iowa, Dear you, dear me, Iowa City, IA
2023 On View Gallery, Passages, Cedar Rapids, IA
2022 Cedar Rapids Public Library, Neighborhood Artist, Cedar Rapids, IA
2022 Marvin Cone Gallery, Coe College, Compendium, Cedar Rapids, IA
GROUP & JURIED EXHIBITIONS
2023 Northern State University, nice; 01, juried show, Aberdeen, SD
2022 Public Space One, Infinite Weave, group show, Iowa City, IA
2022 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 and 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
AWARDS & RESIDENCIES
2023 Summer Residency, Public Space One, Iowa City, IA
2023 Iowa Arts Fellowship, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
2022 Inaugural Artist Residency, Cedar Rapids Public Library, Cedar Rapids, IA
2022 Marvin Cone Art Prize, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
2020 Robert and Joan Kocher Prize in Art, Coe College, Cedar Rapids, IA
INSTALLATIONS & PUBLIC WORKS
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 fiber 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
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.