Willi Nilli Leather Purses

Susanne Williams officially opened her studio and showroom, Willi Nilli, on Friday, October 7, 2005, in Fargo, North Dakota.

She’s been an artist ever since she could hold a crayon! In addition to textiles, her favorite mediums are acrylic, watercolor, and ink. She is also a self-taught calligrapher and letterpress printer.

Her work has been published or exhibited in a variety of places over the years. As a wee undergrad at the University of Nebraska, she was a cartoonist/illustrator for the Daily Nebraskan newspaper and an intern for the Bob Kerry for US Senate Campaign Lincoln Headquarters where she designed campaign event literature and invitations. She’s designed for the Nebraska Department of Agriculture’s Bureau of Animal Industry and Department of Communication at Wayne State University in Detroit.

Susanne spent 12 years in academia teaching and serving in university administration. At Minnesota State University Moorhead, she was tenured and promoted to associate professor of mass communication in August 2002, and was the assistant to the president for university communication December 1999-June 2008. June 30, 2008 was her last day at the university; she gave up tenure and her academic career to pursue her dream of being a full-time artist. Susanne and her husband Tim have one son, Oliver, three cats, and 20 goldfish.

Please visit the gallery showroom to see what we have in stock, or call to place a special order!