Purdue Galleries exhibits biennial small print show
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Purdue Galleries is presenting an exhibition of small printmaking that has become a recurring community favorite.
Muncie artist Sarojini Jha Johnson's “Blue Guppies,” is a 9-by-6-inch four-plate, color intaglio. It received a Purchase Award.
On display from Monday (March 8) to April 25 in the Stewart Center Gallery will be the Galleries' biennial "Sixty Square Inches" competitive exhibition of small-scale contemporary printmaking. This year’s exhibit provides the 17th review of North American graphic artists working in an intimate format. Works in the exhibit are limited to 60 square inches in image size.
"The works in this show are always intriguing; it’s like a mini-conference of modern printmakers sharing new windows on their work," said Galleries Director Craig Martin.
Each Sixty Square Inches exhibit is a tribute to Purdue professor emeritus and local artist Robert Browning Reed, who originated the biennial in 1977 and continued to support it throughout his lifetime.
"The Galleries are committed to the practice of acquiring new works from each competition and building the collection of contemporary North American printmaking while helping to support the community of modern artists," Martin said. "Including this year's purchases, the Galleries have acquired 193 artworks from the biennial for the collection. These acquisitions fuel the ongoing educational outreach program and participatory exhibits."
"Corps Submerge" is an 8-by-6-inch digital print with burin by Yuan LaFontaine of Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec. The work received a Purchase Award.
This year's juror was Jenny Schmid of bikini press international and the University of Minnesota. She selected 52 works representing 50 artists for the exhibition.
A hands-on printmaking activity will be available in Stewart Center Gallery for visiting classes and groups. As a printmaker himself, Martin said he looks forward to sharing the process with people of all ages.
"The printmaking activity has been popular with classes for years," he said. "Using wood blocks and water-based ink, visiting groups can experiment with basic printmaking processes and create their own small artworks."
Every Thursday night from 5:30 to 7:30 pm the printmaking activity will be available to visitors in the gallery.
Athens, Ohio artist Carrie Lingscheit work “Momento No. 867” is an etching, mezzotint, drypoint, that is 8.75 inches by 6 inches. The work earned a Juror and Purchase awards.
On continued display in the Purdue Memorial Union is “Robert L. Ringel Gallery: Selections from the Permanent Collection,” which celebrates the recent installation of a Deborah Butterfield sculpture titled “Silver Bow” near Yue-Kong Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts. The 1,700-pound, life size horse sculpture was commissioned specifically for Purdue and funded by the Florence H. Lonsford Endowment, which is restricted to purchasing artwork. The Ringel Gallery exhibit features a variety of equine imagery from the Galleries' collection and will be on display through May 28. The Butterfield sculpture will be the centerpiece of a Campus Art Tour presented by Purdue Galleries during the upcoming Springfest celebration on campus.
The Stewart Center Gallery and the Robert L. Ringel Gallery -- both managed by Purdue Galleries -- are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Saturday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Thursdays; and 1-5 p.m. on Sundays. All exhibits organized by Purdue Galleries are free and open to the public
For class and group visits, contact Mary Ann Anderson at Purdue Galleries at 765-496-7899. For more information, visit https://www.purdue.edu/galleries
Contact: Craig Martin, 765-494-3061, cdmartin@purdue.edu