Printmaking exposes diverse nature of artists

By Kat Brady
STAFF WRITER

True to its ambiguous name, If, And, Or … is more than the average art exhibition. The product of a semester-long collaboration between 19 art students, faculty and alumni, the exhibition, which opened in the Rainbow Gallery Sept. 18, showcased not only the diverse nature of printmaking, but that of the artists themselves.

Photos by Kat Brady

Organized by Deb Fischer, associate professor of art, the exchange began merely as a proposal to her five advanced printmaking students. Her proposal required each of her students to create 20 replicas of an original print, with the only parameters of the project being the 8” x 10” paper they were to be done on.

“The concept of an exchange portfolio is not new,” Fischer said.  “The versatility of printmaking allows such a project to take place. Artists in printmaking programs, schools and organizations across the country and abroad continue to create portfolios such as these every year.”

Throughout the spring semester, Fischer’s advanced printmaking class was intricately involved in carrying out this project. Students as a group were given the responsibility of organizing the exchange, including writing and sending official invites, designing post cards, arranging the opening reception and naming the show itself.

“Since our professor decided she wanted to do an invitational exchange with professors, students and other printmakers, we decided to come up with a theme that was open enough to be interpreted in any way,” said Danni Burnatowski, a senior printmaking student. “If, And, Or ... is what the class voted on.”

The prints themselves reflect the diversity of the artists at Brockport. According to Fischer, a variety of methods were used to create the pieces including woodcuts, intanglo, a copper plate process, digital imaging, solar plate imaging, screen-printing and photocopy transfers.

“A lot of the people who we invited had actually never done printmaking before, so it was like a learning experience to team up with someone who knows printmaking and let us teach them,” Burnatowski said. “It was cool to get people from other mediums doing something they don’t normally do and you get a good range of artwork from people who bring a new perspective.” The variety of work did not go without notice by those attending the reception Tuesday. Some walked from one end of the gallery to the other, while others were drawn right to specific pieces. Particularly notable pieces include Duncan Chase’s untitled etching featuring a somber-looking turkey, which only upon further inspection is revealed to be composed entirely of scrawled words such as “butter,” “Thanksgiving” and “Drain Fat.”

Lori Mill’s “Tether” is a solar plate print, which depicts a yellow bird with black and blue wings flying upward with a string tied to the words “if,” “and,” and “but.” The dramatic woodcut piece “Lotus Garden” by Eun Young Leem illustrates a deeply textured black and white paradise of intricately carved flowers and leaves.

“A Decision Must Be Made,” a screen print created by Rachael Hetzel, shows the thought process of a semi-transparent woman silhouetted on peach wallpaper as she debates between several ’50s style hats.

“They’re all great in their own way,” said sophomore Adriana Sarra. “The show is really well organized and each piece has a unique appeal.”

The Printmaking Exchange exhibit will be on display in the Tower Rainbow Gallery through Oct. 5. Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and Sunday from 1 to 4 p.m.