Ollie McSweeny, Contributing Writer
Printmaking: Community & Expression features the work of four artists; Sam Keefe, Violette O’Hara, Ella Reynolds, and Madison Budek. They worked together in the Advanced Printmaking course to produce the first student-propositioned gallery exhibition on campus since Covid-19. Their work will be in the Project Open Space Gallery in the Fine Arts building from March 3rd through April 4th. The reception for this exhibition occurred on March 5th from 5pm to 7pm.
The overall message of their combined pieces is that printmaking is a collaborative and community-based process. The artists draw inspiration from each other and share ideas in the class, exchanging tips on techniques and artistic suggestions. These four students created their own community in Advanced Printmaking and wanted to share the results of this established community in an exhibition. The featured prints were made over the course of two years in both the Advanced Printmaking and Concepts in Printmaking courses taught by Rhea Nowak.
This exhibition features original works alongside a collaborative piece. There are also three educational prints detailing the procedures of surface printing, relief printing, and intaglio printing. Most of the prints contain both real and fictional creatures with an emphasis on aquatic life. The various groups of fish on multiple prints reflects the overall feeling and theme of community.
Sam’s pieces express deep feelings and ideas that he can’t verbalize in his day-to-day life, and he hopes his work evokes similar feelings in people alongside their own interpretations. Most of his work was made using etching, as it is his preferred printmaking form.
Violette’s work uses dragons to explore themes of isolation, feeling trapped and ostracized, and freedom in self-expression. She uses a variety of techniques in her exhibited work but is partial to linoleum relief printing.
Ella’s work doesn’t have a particular message. Instead, it shows their growth in technique, talent, and ability through experimenting with different compositions and colors. They prefer to use linoleum and collagraph techniques.
Madison’s pieces represent themes of climate change, global warming, and the destructive effect humans have on the environment. She favors linoleum relief alongside Violette and Ella.
There is a two-page print that describes the exhibition in the artists’ words which reads, “Printmaking: Community and Expression is a four-person exhibition selected from the Gallery’s semesterly Project Open Call featuring work by Madison Budek, Sam Keefe, Violette O’Hara, and Ella Reynolds. The artists came together in Advanced Printmaking and Concepts in Printmaking courses and worked closely in the studio experimenting with a variety of print mediums, utilizing their unique skills, while learning from each other’s strengths.
As you walk through the Gallery, you are taken on a journey, traveling from peaceful waters and flourishing sea life to rivers of blood, dragons with billowing flames, and odd twisted figures. The artist’s personal experiences inspire their art, but the body of the work is linked through their medium and shared space and time. Whether harnessing turbulent emotions, using art as social commentary, or exploring the beauty of the natural world, they are connected by their mutual passion for their craft and their creative ability.
The show also includes an educational component, offering explanations of the various print methods and demonstrating the work and planning behind the process, thereby shining a light on an often overshadowed medium. Throughout the exhibition, the vital nature of community is apparent. Whether it’s the relationship between an artist and inspiration, a student and teacher, a collaborative group, or artist and viewer, art is inseparable from the aspect of community.”
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