“SHY RABBIT Print National”

A National Juried Exhibition

Juror: Michael D. Barnes

Associate Professor, Head of Printmaking Program,

Northern Illinois University, School of Art

      

August 29 - October 10, 2009

    

    

Works by:

Juror’s Statement

It was a great pleasure and honor to be invited by Denise and Michael Coffee to jury the inaugural Shy Rabbit Print National, of which I hope their will be many more to come.  It was a treat to review the most recent work produced by a cross section of the self-published artists working in the national printmaking community today.  Furthermore, it was intimidating to say the least, to be required to edit from such an outstanding pool of applicants.

As represented in this exhibition, the medium of printmaking is an ever-evolving and broadening discipline, which manages for the most part to withstand the fads of the daily changing trends of the art world, while yet embracing new technology and the ever expanding definitions of “print media”.  While the practice of creating traditional matrices, historically designed for printing multiple impressions / editions, has broadened to encompass a grander spectrum of conceptual intentions, I am pleased to see the number of artists who continue to find pride in mastering an exceptionally high level of skill in the traditional techniques that have seen decreased popularity in the larger scheme of things in recent years, such as engraving and stone lithography.  It is gratified to observe artists finding value in retaining such traditions, while utilizing these tools to new conceptual ends. 

There was much diversity in the subject matter and approaches to image making in the work submitted, from abstract to beautifully rendered realism. Emerging through this diversity was a thread of graphic imagists who posses much skill in presenting intriguing and often intense and dramatic narratives that follow well within the traditions of artists such as Goya, Damier, and Kollwitz, to name just a few, but depart with a contemporary voice and vision.  It is to these types of images that I am particularly drawn – works that tell a story with a strong graphic image.  It is something that I find as a unique thread in contemporary prints, particularly those by the self-published artists, which may very well be an attribute of the strong community that this medium possesses.  While I have much love for the medium of printmaking and am always very fond of masterfully constructed images, it is the works with a strong concept and narrative that I keep coming back to.  I hope that the work included in this exhibition will have the same effect on those who view it.

Tom Baker, NJ

Daniel Britton, AZ

Deborah Bryan, TN

Adrian Chin, PA

Deborah Cornell, MA

Andrew DeCaen, TX

James Ehlers, KS

Brandon Gardner, AL

Christie Ginanni, CO

Jon Goebel, SC

Karla Hackenmiller, OH

Nicole Hand, KY

Rachel E. Heberling, OH

Dusty Herbig, NY

Yuji Hiratsuka, OR

Ivy King, CO

Philip Laber, MO

Nichole Maury, MI

Mike McMann, WI

David Moyer, PA

Kelly Nelson, VA

Kathryn Polk, AZ

Matt Rebholz, TX

Amy Schmierbach, KS

Jason Shoemaker, TN

Jason Stamper, MO

Stephanie Standish, IN

Mike Stephens, TX

Juergen Strunck, TX

Brad Widness, MN

Melinda Yale, NY