Allison Keirstead Jones (she/her) is an artist and craftsperson living in Saint Paul, MN. She began embroidering and writing about fashion in high school and received her BA from Beloit College in Beloit, WI, where she majored in Sociology and Critical Identity Studies and participated in the Sustained Dialogue initiative (in which she eventually became a trained dialogue moderator), the Women’s Center special interest house, and the Center for Entrepreneurship in Liberal Education Beloit (where she sold her embroidery).
Jones has exhibited her textiles on numerous occasions, including with Fresh Eye Gallery, The Snips: Fiber Arts Collective, The Minneapolis Textile Center, the Otherworldly Arts Collective, and in the staff art show at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. She has also participated in the Makers Market, offering stickers, zines, and hand embroidered earrings.
In 2022, Jones participated in the Central Cohort of the Creative Community Leadership Institute (CCLI) through Racing Magpie and Springboard for the Arts. With the support of CCLI Jones conceived, developed, and produced the first issue of the Social Fabric: The Lives of Our Beloved Textiles, an anthology zine soliciting community submissions from across the country and in a variety of media about the stories, memories, and connections we have with textiles. The first issue became available online in November 2022, and was printed with Smart Set Community Printing in February, 2023. In summer/fall of 2023, Jones sent out a call for submissions for Social Fabric, Vol. 2: Gender and Sexuality Issue, which was printed and released in October 2024.
Along with her work in textile and print, Jones is a singer and performer, who has sung for the public both as a solo artist and in a number of choirs. She performed as a guest artist in 2019 in House of Larva Drag Co-Operative’s Viral Liaisons at Art Heads Emporium in Rochester, MN and as a psychedelic nun in Nourishing Wounds at Black Hart in Saint Paul, MN. She trained in the online Genderbending Starts with the Skin workshops in 2020-2021 and with the 2021 Movement Fundamentals Coalescence in Decorah, IA. Jones will debut in drag as a member of House of Larva in the co-operative’s upcoming show, Incident at Peckerpaugh Ridge in March, 2024.
When not creating, Allison can be found exploring the Twin Cities’ extensive art scene, devouring horror movies, swimming in Minnesota’s lakes, and lavishing affection on her cat.