Los Angeles Printmaking Society Showcases Print Masterpieces at CSUN Art Galleries
Los Angeles, CA (PRWEB) October 10, 2013 -- The Los Angeles Printmaking Society 21st National Exhibition opening reception takes place at CSUN Art Galleries on Oct 26th, 2013 from 5pm to 9pm. The exhibit runs from Oct. 26th until December 14th and features an exclusive collection of 56 prints created by 52 artists chosen from a pool of 1,423 submissions from nearly 500 participants.
Event juror Jack Rutberg, a renowned art dealer with 30 years of experience in the art market, selected an additional 7 outstanding prints created by local presses in the Greater Los Angeles area. Attendees on opening night will be treated to a special letterpress demonstration by Mark Barbour, the director of the International Printing Museum. Several associated events will also take place after the opening; a gallery tour takes place on Oct. 28th at 10am, a panel discussion entitled "Printmaking in the 21st Century" follows on November 9th from 2pm to 4pm as well as 2 monoprint workshops on Nov. 9th and 10th. All events are free and open to the public aside from the Monothon, which requires pre-registration along with a nominal admission fee. A satellite exhibition of prints not selected for the national will run from Oct 22nd to November 15th at Saddle Back College in Mission Viejo.
LAPS Exhibition chair Poli Marichal believes the national event serves to showcase works that combine time-honored methods with contemporary techniques: "In the long run, the digital advances in the visual arts, rather than dampen, have spurred a new wave of interdisciplinary artists who are rediscovering old techniques and incorporating them with new media. Their work pushes the envelope while paying homepage to rich traditions. Undoubtedly printmaking as a major art form still delivers a striking punch. The craft involved in making a print and the beauty of the finished work is unrivaled by less demanding techniques."
Marichal proudly notes that the 56 prints on display come from some of the best artists in the United States and Canada. Every year, the LAPS honors one of the artists for his or her contribution to the printmaking community. This year's distinguished honoree will be June Wayne, the late founder/director of the Tamarind Lithography Workshop now known as the Tamarind Institute in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The Institute began in Hollywood, CA and later became a division of the College of Fine Arts at the University of New Mexico. Wayne's strong ties to the LA art scene make this a fitting tribute to her many talents and activism.
The LAPS believes CSUN serves as the ideal venue because of the thriving creative scene on campus. Members of the millennial generation are turning to printmaking and other 20th century inspired projects as a way of connecting digital art to the physical world. PrintFirm online marketing director and CSUN alumni Katherine Tattersfield incorporates print into her abstract photography. "I'm very excited to see college students interested in ink," she said. "I wish I'd discovered this creative outlet when I was in school. There's nothing like seeing your digital artwork on a printed piece; it's as though ink and paper bring your imagination to life." Tattersfield intends to capture the magic of the exhibition on the PrintFirm company blog. She's especially enthusiastic about the letterpress demonstration, a craft that's often incorporated into commercial printing as well as fine arts.
About The Los Angeles Printmaking Society
The Los Angeles Printmaking Society (LAPS) is a national non-profit organization devoted to printmaking. LAPS encourages printmakers, supports students interested in print media, educates the public about graphic arts, and promotes printmaking as an art form.
About PrintFirm.com
Printfirm, Inc., trusted leaders in online printing, mailing, and design since 1996.
Katherine Tattersfield, Printfirm, INC, http://printfirm.com, 866-668-5152, [email protected]
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