A distinguished professor of art at Carleton since 1984, Hagstrom came to the book arts through a long background in printmaking. His recent work focuses on historical subjects, juxtaposing archival photographs with carefully chosen text to produce work both visually rich and emotionally provocative. His award-winning piece, "Passage," examines the historic tragedy of the slave trade using archival photographs of former slaves combined with hand-drawn diagrams depicting the inhumane conditions aboard slave ships. These images are paired with selected texts from two historical books that were important for building opposition to the slave trade: An Essay on the Impolicy of the African Slave Trade by Thomas Clarkson, 1788, and Biographical Sketches and Interesting Anecdotes of Person of Color by A.Mott, 1837.

Hagstrom teaches printmaking, drawing, art and narrative, and artist’s books at Carleton. He received his BA from Hamline University in Saint Paul and his MFA from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In addition, he studied at the University of Chicago for one year, as well as under S.W. Hayter at Atelier 17 in Paris, France. His prints have been shown in galleries throughout the United States and are featured in numerous museum collections, including the Minneapolis Institute of Arts and the Walker Art Center. Hagstrom’s awards and honors include several research, travel, and development grants, as well as prestigious national printmaking awards. He has also received fellowships through the McKnight and Blandin Foundations.

The Minnesota Book Awards, presented by 3M Library Systems, is a statewide, year-round outreach program of The Friends of the Saint Paul Public Library in partnership with the Saint Paul Public Library and City of Saint Paul. Explore this website or call 651-366-6497 for more information about the Minnesota Book Awards. Visit www.mnbookarts.org or call 612-215-2527 for more information about Minnesota Center for Book Arts.