Beyond the Norm: An International Juried Print Exhibition

http://galleries.illinoisstate.edu/exhibitions/

Beyond the Norm: An International Juried Print Exhibition is a print exhibition organized by N.E.W being showcased in University Galleries at ISU, with three other exhibitions, as well as for other locations (McLean County Arts Center, Jan Brandt Gallery, and Transpace Gallery). It featured over 50 artist from North America personally selected by juror Susan Tallman (critic, author, and art historian at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago). The exhibition includes contemporary printmaking like lithography, intaglio, screen, woodcut, and even video. The exhibition begins as soon as you enter the gallery and wraps all the way around the right side of the building. The prints are all placed in rows while others are hanging above of others. Most of the prints were eye level or a little above eye level. 

Having worked with different types of print making before attending this exhibition I was already interested. I liked seeing all the different types of print and how different but similar each piece was. There were a few in particular that really caught my eye. 

Kristen Powers Nowlin
Designed to Endure : Quick(en) Opportunity
Woodcut
2014

Designed to Endure: Quick(en) Opportunity by Kristen Powers Nowlin at first is a woodcut print of a Detroit street corner but after some research I learned that it is much deeper than that. Most of Kristen's art has to do with race, stereotypes, and the relationships groups of people have with each other. "For the past twenty years, my work has dealt with issues of race and gender... The work challenges the way American culture perceives and judges groups of people, as well as the way groups of people interact with one another. While some pieces intentionally and consciously use stereotypes as a critique of their absurdity, others explore the issues through personal narratives "(kristinnowlin.com/). Kristen's work clearly represents that in every way possible. Designed to Endure: Quick(en) Opportunity seems to be a relation between the "hierarchy" of wealth in Detroit. As I take a closer look at the woodcut it is a representation of the split in community and race. There are small hints like in the bottom right where you can see a cracked/old side walk while on the other side there is a very clean and new side walk (separation of race: Black bottom right while whites are on the top left). There are also bigger showcases of this concept. The police car right next to the run down building compared to the luxury black car waiting outside of the luxury building for the many people grouped outside waiting to be taken somewhere. This piece highlights exactly what Kristen has been doing for the past twenty years. 

Frances AshforthPyrocumulus, Carbon BlackMonotype2014

Pyrocumulus, Carbon Black by Frances Ashforth is a black and white monotype is a print of a pyrocumulus cloud. A pyrocumulous cloud is a cloud formed from intense heating of air (volcanic eruptions, forest fires). Ashforth grew up in New Hampshire on his grandparent's farm, which, he says, "allowed me to cultivate my view and fascination with the horizon line and its relationship between land, water & sky" (http://francesbashforth.com/information/about/). This explains why he made a print of the horizon and how he did it. I can't help but notice how everything in the print seems to blend together. He also talks about how the world moves at an extreme pace and maybe the extreme weather he portrays in this piece reflects that. 

Dana Tosic
Artifact #4
Serigraph
2016

Artifact #4 by Dana Tosic is a Serigraph print of what seems to be an abstract image of hands holding/pulling on something. Dana's work always seems to reflect everyday tasks and the time associated with them as well as in between them. Which is what I believe this piece to be as well. I can't seem to put my hand on exactly what it is suppose to represent but the piece caught my eye and I could look at it for days trying to figure out what exactly it is about. 

Beyond the Norm: An International Juried Print Exhibition was a great exhibition. I enjoyed every piece there, but these three in particular was what caught my eye. Even though each piece was different and came from the hands of a different artist with a different background they all seem to have similar quality in some way other than the medium, but I can't seem to put my finger on it.