February 22, 2006
Galleries spring exhibits highlight printmaking, bookmarks
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University Galleries will present a pair of exhibits dealing with small-scale printmaking – a biennial competition of small prints and fine art bookmarks with artist books – in two exhibits that will be on display from March 6 to April 23.
|
Also included will be an opportunity for visitors to create their own bookmarks in the gallery and display and exchange them with other visitors.
The Galleries' biennial "Sixty Square Inches" competitive exhibition of small-scale contemporary printmaking will take place in the Robert L. Ringel Gallery at the Purdue Memorial Union. This year's exhibit will provide the 15th review of North American graphic artists working in an intimate format. Works in the exhibit are limited to 60 square inches in image size.
"These small works are surprisingly dense and involving, presenting the viewer with an opportunity to experience the artwork on a very personal scale," said Galleries director Craig Martin.
Former Purdue faculty member and printmaker Robert Browning Reed initiated the exhibit in 1977.
|
"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 167 artworks from the biennial for the collection. These acquisitions fuel the ongoing educational outreach program and participatory exhibits."
Peter Olson, from the Northern Illinois University Art Museum, is this year's juror.
"It was an honor to be asked to serve as juror, and it was a privilege to hang out in a darkened room and look at pictures for two days," he said. "The real beneficiaries will be the gallery-goers, who will get to experience firsthand the talents and imaginations of artists from across North America who have managed to take a tiny piece of aesthetic real estate and make it come alive."
The Stewart Center Gallery will feature "Bookmarks I, II, III." In conjunction with the "Sixty Square Inches" exhibit, this exhibit will feature fine art prints in the form of bookmarks and unique artist books. "Bookmarks" is a three-part project from the Center for Fine Print Research at the University of the West of England designed to encourage people to appreciate artwork in the book format and to visit artists' book venues and libraries.
A hands-on printmaking activity will be available in Stewart Center Gallery for visiting classes and groups. Visitors will be encouraged to create bookmarks to display with the exhibit and to exchange them with others.
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 the blocks and water-based ink or other art materials provided in the gallery, we hope visitors will create their own art bookmarks, pick one up from someone else and leave some for others. It should make for an interesting exchange of small artworks."
From 5-7 p.m. March 9, the Galleries will present receptions in both the Robert L. Ringel and Stewart Center galleries.
The Robert L. Ringel Gallery and Stewart Center Gallery are open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and Friday and Saturday; from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday; and from 1-5 p.m. on Sunday. For class or group visits, contact Mary Ann Anderson at (765) 496-7899. All Purdue Galleries exhibitions and events are free and open to the public.
Writer: Kim Medaris, (765) 494-6998, kmedaris@purdue.edu
Source: Craig Martin, (765) 494-3061, cdmartin@cla.purdue.edu
Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu
PHOTO CAPTION:
"Fish," an etching by Sarojini Jha Johnson of Muncie, Ind., will be on display in the Purdue Memorial Union's Robert L. Ringel Gallery as part of "Sixty Square Inches: 15th Biennial North American Small Print Competition." (Photo provided by Purdue University Galleries)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2006/galleries-fish.jpg
PHOTO CAPTION:
Bookmarks by Mark Curtis, Andrew Gossett and Tana Kellner will be among those on display March 6 through April 23 in the Stewart Center Gallery as part of "Bookmarks I, II, III." (Photo provided by Purdue University Galleries)
A publication-quality photo is available at https://www.purdue.edu/uns/images/+2006/galleries-bookmarks.jpg
To the News Service home page