John L. Risseeuw
Biography

Born in Wisconsin in 1945, John L. Risseeuw received his BS, MA, and MFA degrees in printmaking from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1968, 1972, and 1973, respectively. He has been involved in book arts since 1967. He has taught art at Arizona State University since 1980, when he came to establish book arts courses within the printmaking area as well as a book arts press. Previously, he taught at the University of South Dakota and the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

At ASU, John teaches courses in Fine Printing & Bookmaking, Papermaking, Artists’ Books, and Photo Processes for Printmaking. He is the proprietor of Cabbagehead Press and Director of ASU’s Pyracantha Press. His prints and books, many on handmade paper, have been exhibited nationally and internationally in over 325 competitive, solo, and invitational exhibitions. His work is in public collections in London, Budapest, The Hague, Montreal, Edmonton, Offenbach am Main, Oxford, Birmingham, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Washington, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Seattle, New Haven, and numerous university libraries.

Over four decades, John’s art has often touched on political and social themes, including political corruption, equal rights, environmental abuse, fascism, illegal wars, arms proliferation, and sheer idiocy. Recent prints on handmade paper about landmines and the detritus of war are generating fundraising for agencies that assist mine victims and work for mine clearance.