19 Printmakers from the Contemporary Print Collective created unique printmaking works on paper around the theme: UNITY. These works and selected works from the CPC members previous paintings, prints, and artistic expressions will be on display at the Anderson Arts Center for their Annual Holiday Show from December 6th through January 10th.
Please join us for the opening on Dec 6th, 2019 at 6:30 pm
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ABOUT THE EXCHANGE
By nature, printmaking encourages cooperative interaction. It is an art that requires the use of unwieldy and expensive equipment in the creation of multiple images from one matrix (a plate or block or stone from which the image is pulled); and because of this, printmakers like to come together to share in the costs and work collaboratively. We like to gather and exchange ideas about different technical challenges. The fact that printmakers like to work with other printmakers, plus the fact that we create multiples, has led to the practice of print exchanges.
In a print exchange, a limited number of printmakers will convene, usually decide on a theme and print dimensions for the exchange, and then each member of the group will create a matrix with an image that he or she will print in a limited edition to be traded among all the members of the group. At the end of the process, each member ends up with a portfolio containing works by every other member.
The Collective had been exploring different options for organizing a show of its members’ prints for some time. Although prints have inherent commonalities, such as being pulled off a matrix and usually coming in multiples, every artist uses the medium in unique and random ways. We decided that having an exchange would not only be fun, but would make for a coherent show. Given that the year 2020 feels momentous, one of the members suggested it as a theme for the exchange, as well as, the dimensions (in centimeters) for our images. We liked the idea, discussed the various interpretations of 20:20, and voted on adding the word “Unity” to it as a thematic prompt. This is how 20:20/Unity came to be.