2024 Annual Meeting Commemorative Notebook Cover Art Contest Winner Announced

The Local Organizing Committee for the 2024 AFS Annual Meeting is proud to announce that Lindsay D. Williams of Desert Illuminations is the winner of the annual meeting commemorative notebook cover art contest. 

Williams’ cover, The Trickster, portrays an illustration of a mischievous coyote chasing butterflies on the edge of a desert cliff underneath the hot desert sun. The coyote appears as if they are about to meander off into the void of the unknown which symbolizes the leap of faith they are about to take, unaware and unconcerned about the possible dangers that lie ahead. This image captures the essence of New Mexico’s vast, untamed landscapes, the feelings of freedom, playfulness, adventure, and the mystic allure of the “trickster” archetype of the coyote as seen in much of southwestern folklore and mythology. The coyote roams freely and we can look to this animal to embody its wisdom, humor, and inspiration in a world that is always changing as the boundaries between the sacred and the profane become blurred.

Lindsay D Williams is a visual artist, designer, tarot enthusiast, international performance artist, and art teacher with a BFA from Parsons School of Design Illustration Department who stands as a beacon of creativity, a virtuoso of the whimsical, and a purveyor of the surreal. Her kaleidoscopic compositions are a blend of pop culture, folklore, mythology, and the mystical allure of the seen and unseen. 

Lindsay’s fascination with color, culture, and the esoteric began at an early age and her creative journey has taken her across the United States from New York to New Orleans and now to New Mexico where she discovered the majestic beauty and peace of the southwestern desert landscape. This enchanting terrain became the wellspring of inspiration for her current artistic endeavors and has served as a sacred space where she is able to pay homage to her homeland. 

Lindsay is also a seasoned tarot reader with over a decade of experience. Her love of tarot and its symbolism sparked the inspiration to design, illustrate, and self-publish her own tarot and oracle deck back in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown which has now captivated collectors worldwide. She is proud to have her Desert Illuminations Tarot Deck be published with US Games Systems in January 2025 and to be able to reach an even wider audience with her insight and artwork.

When AFS staff asked Lindsay what intention she wanted to set for the Annual Meeting in Albuquerque, she responded by saying, “We all belong here. We all deserve a place to be seen and heard.” Lindsay followed by talking about how her Desert Illuminations tarot deck, of which The Trickster illustration is a part of, is a love letter to the Southwest, which she refers to as an important “cultural nexus” of America. She emphasized that she also wants peace for humanity, and that type of peace is open to understanding all of our differences and that is what makes us all beautifully human. The Trickster tarot card represents the new beginnings and pathways that come about by stepping out into the unknown with a sense of playfulness, adventure, and courage, not knowing exactly what will happen but trusting that all will work out. Endless potential awaits on the other side of fear. 

Lindsay was born and raised in Long Island, NY. As of 2020, she resides in Truth or Consequences, NM and teaches art at the local middle school.

Lindsay will be on site at the Annual Meeting in ABQ on Saturday, November 9, so look for her in the Exhibitor’s Room to buy merch and have her sign your notebook!

Follow (and buy!) Lindsay’s work at https://www.lindsaydwilliamsart.com/ and on Instagram at @desertilluminations.