BIO

Jessie Hedden is a painter, sculptor and printmaker who lives in Fairbanks, Alaska.  She delights in the experience of drawing from observed subjects playing one form off another in a visual, rhythmic dance. Unique to Jessie’s work is her ability to move between abstraction and representational imagery and her skillful articulation of form in various mediums.  

Hedden received her Master’s degree in painting from the University of Washington in 2004.  She previously received a Bachelor’s degree in art at Hampshire College in 1997 and soon thereafter moved to Fairbanks.  For the past 20 years she has been a teaching adjunct in the Art Department at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. 

Her upbringing in rural, Maine including frequent trips to New York City, gave her the best of both worlds, an appreciation of nature and exposure to great art.  On a three-week road trip across the United States, Jessie arrived in Fairbanks and unexpectedly she fell in love with Alaska.  

She has had solo exhibitions throughout Alaska, notably at Georgia Blue Gallery and the International Gallery both in Anchorage.  Other shows include one at the University of Alaska Kenai as well as multiple shows at the Bear Gallery at Pioneer Park and Well Street Art Company in Fairbanks. She also was a member of the Bowery Gallery, a respected artist co-op in New York City for thirteen years where she exhibited five times. 

In 2009 she was awarded a Rasmuson Project Grant, and has received two awards associated with the All Alaska Juried exhibition at the Anchorage Museum.  She has also been a regular participant and award recipient in the 64th parallel juried exhibition in Fairbanks. 

Though best known for her work as a solo artist, she has participated in many group exhibitions and successful collaborations.In 2015 she completed a large-scale public art project with David Mollett, her husband, and well-known Alaska painter.These two stained glass pieces are prominently displayed in the Margret Murie Life Sciences Building at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.Active with the group “In a Time of Change” she participated in two exhibitions where artists work with scientists to articulate visually the effects of climate change in the Arctic environment.