NEWS

2026

Women’s Studio Workshop Residency
6/7-6/14/2026

Wen-Li is honored to join the Women’s Studio Workshop Residency sponsored and supported by the McKnight Fellowship for Book Artists and the Artist Communities Alliance.

This program is made possible through the generous support of the McKnight Foundation and Artist Communities Alliance.

About Women’s Studio Workshop:

Women’s Studio Workshop was founded in 1974 with the vision of a society where women’s visual art is integral to the cultural mainstream and permanently recorded in history. WSW maintains facilities for etching, letterpress, papermaking, book arts, silkscreen, 3D work, ceramics, and photography. The studios are housed in a historic building, located in the foothills of the Hudson Valley’s Shawangunk Mountains. The studios are extensively equipped and well-maintained. Artists can take workshops, rent the studios, or schedule private instruction.

About ACA:

Artist Communities Alliance (ACA) is the international service organization for artist residency programs and artist-centered organizations. For 35 years, ACA has centered artists and artist residencies, providing them with tools, knowledge-sharing, resources, and frameworks to create and sustain inclusive, accessible, just, and joyful environments. We work to unite people and inspire the field.

About the McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships Program:

Founded on the belief that Minnesota thrives when its artists and culture bearers thrive, the McKnight Foundation’s arts and culture program is one of the oldest and largest of its kind in the country. Support for individual working Minnesota artists and culture bearers has been a cornerstone of the program since it began in 1982. The McKnight Artist & Culture Bearer Fellowships Program provides annual, unrestricted cash awards to outstanding mid-career Minnesota artists in 15 different creative disciplines. Program partner organizations administer the fellowships and tailor them to address the unique challenges of different disciplines. Currently, the foundation contributes about $2.8 million per year to its statewide fellowships. For more information, visit mcknight.org/artistfellowships.

About the McKnight Foundation:

The McKnight Foundation, a Minnesota-based family foundation, advances a more just, creative, and abundant future where people and planet thrive. Established in 1953, the McKnight Foundation is deeply committed to advancing climate solutions in the Midwest; building an equitable and inclusive Minnesota; and supporting the arts and culture in Minnesota, neuroscience, and global food systems.

“Second Thought Project” Book Launch Event + Guest Speakers
6/21/2026
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Black Garnet Books
1319 University Ave W, Saint Paul, MN 55104

Wen-Li will present her publication to share her ongoing personal learning journey in social justice. Additionally, she has invited visual artists and educators to share their stories and work, emphasizing social justice in the processes of making, healing, and building awareness and resilience.

Free for everyone to attend. Refreshments and beverages will be provided, and attendees will receive a free copy of Wen-Li's new publication.

Wen-Li Chen is a fiscal year 2025 recipient of a Creative Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota State Legislature, and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

Art Fair at St. Kate
7/11/2026
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Intersection between Randolph Ave & S Cleveland Ave, St. Paul, MN 55105

Powerhorn Art Fair
8/1-8/2/2026
10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Powderhorn Park,
3400 15th Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55407

2025

I'm honored to be invited to participate in the 2025 Taiwan Art Biennial: Black Water (@Taichung, Taiwan), among other incredible Taiwanese and Native Taiwanese artists, including WANG Ding-Yeh, Pailang Museum, LEE Li-Chung, LI Kin, LI TzuMei, Your Bros. Filmmaking Group, WU Chi-Yu, WU Chia-Yun, WU Tzu-An, hewen a ta:in tawtawazay, Anchi Ring, LIN Yi-Chi, James T. HONG, Musquiqui Chihying, KAO Jun Honn, CHEN Chieh-Jen, CHEN Fei-Hao, CHEN Wen-Li, CHEN Yin-Ju, YUAN Goang-Ming, KUO Pei-Chi, ljalje’elan patadalj, Mayaw Biho, CHANG Li-Ren, CHENG Yuan, RUI Lan-Xin, CHANG Chi-Chung, CHANG Wen-Hsuan, HSU Chia-Wei, TENG Chao-Ming, TSAI Yu-Ting, LAN Chung-Hsuan, SO Yo-Hen. If you happen to be around in Taichung, Taiwan, this winter until next Spring, check out this fantastic group exhibition!

Black Water — 2025 Taiwan Art Biennial
2025.11.15 - 2026.03.01
Gallery 102-107, Gallery 202, Gallery Street
Curator: Jay Chun-Chieh LAI

Opening:
2025.11.15
3:00-5:45 pm
Buffalo Lobby, National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JuVoYADJOWM

More details:
https://event.culture.tw/mocweb/reg/NTMOFA/Detail.init.ctr?actId=55049&request_locale=en&useLanguage=en

Artist Book Launch Event @FOGSTAND Gallery, St. Paul
Sat., 10/4, 2-5 pm

"at the fountain, at the fountain"
by Beck Slack, Galilee Peaches, Darren Tesar, Charles Matson Lume

Book Design by Wen-Li Chen

Free Sun Print Workshop @ Test Plot

The outdoor sun print workshop is free and open to everyone. Please register in advance so that I can prepare supplies accordingly.

This event is part of Ellen Mueller's collaborative project with Test Plot MN, A LINE THAT GROWS.

For more information, please visit https://ellenmueller.com/

Click to Register Here

Date/Time:
Sun., August 31, 11:00 am - 12:00 pm

Location:
Test Plot MN, St. Paul

Test Plot MN – look for the small wooden fence and sign near the bike path.

Panel Talk: 2024 McKnight Book Artist Fellows

The talk will include an artist talk, a discussion with my mentor, Enman Chang, and a Q&A section with the public. Stay tuned for more at MCBA’s social media .

Date/Time:
Tue., August 19, 6:00 - 8:30 pm

Location:
Minnesota Center for Book Arts

1011 Washington Ave S, Ste 100,
Minneapolis, MN 55415-1263

Art Sale @Urban Art Village

This is my first time participating in a pop-up art sale at Urban Art Village. I will be selling some of my artist books, photo books, and zines, as well as other artist books.

Hopefully I can see you there!

Date/Time:
Sat., July 26, 1-4 pm
Sat., August 9, 1-4 pm
Sat., September 20, 1-4 pm
Sat., October 18, 1-4 pm

Location:
730 E Lake St, Minneapolis, MN 55407

MCBA New Editions 2025
@Minnesota Center for Book Arts

The sale begins on October 10th with a ticketed preview party and will remain open to the public through October 26th. Selected work including: “bypassing” and “メモリーランドスケープ記憶風景”

Two-Person Group Exhibition

Oceans Divided, Hearts Intertwined
CMU Second Floor Gallery

Date:
January 30, 2025 - May 04, 2025

Location:
Coffman Memorial Union
300 Washington Ave. S.E.
Minneapolis, MN 55455
University of Minnesota

Minnesota State Arts Board FY2025 Grantee for Creative Individual

I'm excited to announce that I received a grant from MSAB to continue developing my next publication project. I will distribute and produce bilingual, sequential art combining text and images to share personal experiences with research and studies on learning social justice.

This project will be a free publication for you to share.

I'll host a free event and public talk soon.

Sign up for my E-Newsletter to stay tuned for upcoming developments.

Learn more about the FY2025 Creative Individual grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board

Online Essay Published by Pailang Museum

Essay: I Carry Three Names: Name, Identity, and the Dissonance Between Recognition and Reality as a Kavalan in Taiwan and a Taiwanese-American in the USA.

Learn more about stories, essays, reviews, and critics from the Pailang Museum from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples in Taiwan.

2024

McKnight Fellowships for Book Artists Announcement

Tatana Kellner shared, “Wen-Li Chen’s work stood out in its poetic beauty, exploring her Kavalan heritage. I was impressed by the haunting imagery delving into the issue of immigration, inheritance, ritual, celebration, and mourning, providing the viewer with a window into her world.”

Jurors —
Jill Chisnell, Paul John, Tatana Kellner

Learn more about McKnight Fellowships for Book Artists

Teach at MCAD
Summer 2024

Continue Education - Play, Redefine, and Explore: Typography as Art Form (in person)

Learn the anatomy of typography and the role it plays in the history of graphic design and art movements, particularly English and Chinese typography and the Dada art movement.

To Register

Artist Book Collected by Minneapolis Central Library

The artist's book “On The Other Side of Sea” can be reviewed at the Minneapolis Central Library.

Please contact Bailey Diers for more information.

Artist Book Selected by Juried Group Exhibition

On The Other Side of Sea

January 13 – February 24, 2024
Arts North International 29
Hopkins Center for the Arts
1111 Mainstreet, Hopkins, MN 55343

January 16 – March 1, 2024
39th Annual International Exhibition
Meadows Gallery, The University of Texas at Tyler
3900 University Blvd., Tyler, Texas 75799

March 21 – May 3, 202437th Annual McNeese National Works on Paper Exhibition
McNeese State University/Dept. of Visual Arts
4205 Ryan St., Lake Charles, LA 70605

2022

Artist Book Collected by the Walker Art Center Library

The artist's book “To My Unborn Child” can be reviewed at the Walker Art Center Library.

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