Zoom In: Amy Jo Hendrickson

Hendrickson’s handiwork is a mélange of burlesque camp,
cowgirl grit, and Victorian flourish. She’s undeniably influenced by ’70s pop
design and ’80s album covers, but this North Dakota girl also mixes in a
frontier spirit straight out of a nineteenth-century Sears, Roebuck catalog.
But make no mistake, the work has some bite: Hendrickson’s all-American blonde
pigtails are more Minnesota RollerGirl than Little House on the Prairie.

If you go to rock shows around Minnesota, you’ve seen
Hendrickson’s posters on the walls around you; she’s been at it for years.
Since she moved to Minneapolis and set up shop at First Amendment Gallery with
some other artists, her sly grrrl-power designs have been garnering more and
more notice. And no wonder-with all the elements she unabashedly draws
from, Hendrickson’s design savvy has the hook of a catchy pop song, tweaking
familiar styles with unexpected juxtapositions and cheeky flair.

Looking back, she says it makes sense that she was drawn to
this kind of work. "When I was a kid, I loved flipping through the images in
catalogs. I always noticed album covers and ad designs and movie posters," she
remembers. "There’s all kinds of inspiration out there if you know how to
look."

Originally appeared in issue 18.1 of access+ENGAGE.