Meet The Artist

Hello, I’m Robyn, a Minnesota-based artist.

Words and word fragments inspire my letterpress prints and mixed media installations, exploring identity and various cultural influences. I invite the viewer to get up close and personal to experience the delicate nature of my work and often times I leave work unfinished for the viewer to complete.

I hold a BFA from the University of Arizona and an MFA from the University of Dallas, and am a founding member of Form+Content Gallery in Minneapolis.

In The News

MCBA is proud to announce the Spring 2017 Artist-in-Residence: Robyn Awend!

For more details visit: mnbookarts.org/air

Robyn Awend Activates Community Through Gallery, Art

A TCJewFolk.com Article  by Keren Kroul April 7, 2016

You may know Robyn Awend as Director of Visual Arts and Co-Director of the Center for Arts and Culture at the Sabes JCC, where she curates, directs, and organizes exhibitions and programs that explore the intersection of Judaism and art. An energetic champion of the arts, she also coordinates the Minneapolis Jewish Artists’ Laboratory and is a board member of Rimon: The MN Jewish Arts Council.

Despite her high visibility in the art community, you may not know that Awend is an accomplished artist in her own right. With a BFA from the University of Arizona, and an MFA from the University of Dallas, she specializes in letterpress printing—a technique of relief printing using a printing press—as well as artist books and installation art. Her work has been widely exhibited, and featured on MN Original on TPT- Twin Cities PBS.

I recently caught up with Awend to talk about her unique experience as arts administrator, curator, community liaison, and artist. As we spoke, it was immediately apparent that in all her varied occupations, her passion lies in creating and activating a space for community engagement.

How did you become involved with the Tychman Shapiro Gallery and the Sabes JCC?

As a graduate student at the University of Dallas, I worked in the university’s exhibition space. Moving back to Minneapolis, I connected with the JCC and offered my services as a volunteer in the gallery. When the opportunity to run the gallery presented itself,  I moved into the role, and developed it from a quarter-time to a half-time and eventually a full-time position, which I have held for almost ten years. I worked closely with the Tychman Shapiro family to transform the space into what it is now—a viable exhibition space for artists.

Read this full article on tcjewfolk.com

Minnesota Original Feature