Campus Connection

Traditional to experimental prints at UWL gallery

Prints from the traditional format to the present will fill the UW-La Crosse University Art Gallery during October. “What a Relief: Traditional to Experimental Printmaking at Tandem Press” opens with a talk by J. Myszka Lewis, Curator of Tandem Press, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5, in the gallery located in 100 Center for the Arts, 333 N. 16th St. Admission is free. [caption id="attachment_49851" align="alignright" width="239"] Lesley Dill is known for combining language with the human form in a variety of mediums including painting, sculpture, photography, printmaking and performance art. She draws from both her travels abroad and her profound interest in spirituality and the world’s faith traditions. Dill has been inspired and influenced by the poetry of Emily Dickinson, Franz Kafka and Salvador Espriu and words often find physical form within her work. In Dill’s woodcut series, “Light Thrill Swoon Truth Flame, 2016” includes text, muslin and hand-dyed horse hair.[/caption] Tandem Press studio leads experimentation and new developments in the field of printmaking. Since 1987, its artists have pushed the boundaries of printmaking, exploring new materials and techniques, while producing highly ambitious projects. The exhibition of prints made since 2001 showcases the collaborations between master printers and established artists, including Suzanne Caporael, Robert Cottingham, Lesley Dill, Jim Dine, Sam Gilliam, José Lerma, David Lynch, Judy Pfaff and Alison Saar. Tandem Press, a self-supporting professional print studio founded in 1987, is affiliated with UW-Madison Department of Art in the School of Education. It allows undergraduate and graduate students to collaborate with curators and master printers to create and promote artwork by internationally renowned artists. Tandem is one of only four professional presses connected to a U.S. university. The exhibition presents a range of prints that highlight the synergy of ideas and technical exploration that fuels contemporary printmaking. The tradition of printmaking in fine art may be centuries old, but this exhibition illustrates how contemporary printmaking is about pushing ideas and techniques to create art in the present. Prints created at Tandem Press hang in museums and corporations throughout the U.S. Among sites: the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum in New York, the Art institute of Chicago, and the national Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. The show runs through Sunday, Oct. 22. Regular gallery hours are noon-8 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays; noon-5 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; by appointment; and during events in nearby Toland Theatre. For more information, contact the UWL Department of Art at 608.785.8230 or www.uwlax.edu/art If you go— What: “What a Relief: Traditional to Experimental Printmaking at Tandem Press” Who: Tandem Press studio artists When: Oct. 5-22 Where: University Art Gallery, Center for the Arts, 333 N. 16th St. Admission: Free Extra: Exhibit opens with a gallery talk by J. Myszka Lewis, Curator of Tandem Press, at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 5