Ep. 16- Jaymee Harvey Willms on Overcoming Life's Setbacks with Optimism, Creation & Community

Oct 1, 2019

Welcome Jaymee Harvey Willms! 

Jaymee is an artist living and working in the Milwaukee area of Wisconsin. She was born and raised in Maplewood, Minnesota. From there she moved to South Dakota where she received her BFA in painting and art history from the University of South Dakota. In 2015 she went on to graduate from SUNY Albany with her MFA in sculpture. Currently, she serves her community as Executive Director of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Washington County and an adjunct instructor at the Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design. She believes in fearless advocacy and the power of storytelling. Her artwork digs into fantasy, feminism and where materials meet these two concepts. She has had international residencies, shows her work across the United States, and continues to make work in her studio in Milwaukee’s Walker's Point neighborhood.

 She sits down with us in this multi-layered episode to share the journey that has led her to the present. To say she hit a few road bumps on the way would be an understatement. Her formative early 20's were filled with rejection, failures and under-appreciated hard work. But with each of these, new doors opened- paving the way for her to fulfill her passions while becoming one of the Greater Milwaukee Area's youngest female CEO's. In this interview, she also deconstructs the meaning behind her artwork and explains how feminism and an acute perspective on her privilege helps ground her while fueling her passion as an artist and advocate for the community. 

We also chat about:

• How to be a Big Brother/Big Sister! 
• Her volunteer work in Haiti 
• Service industry nightmares (we all have 'em)

Resources: 

• Websites: jaymeeharveywillms.com, jaymeeharveywillms.blogspot, http://www.bbbswashco.org
• Instagram: @jkayeharvey