Claiming the Meme: Memes, Ephemera, and their shared subversive qualities in Print Media

Panel co-chaired by Jonathan McFadden and David Wischer

Description

This panel will discuss the history of print ephemera from the use of printmaking by activist groups including Die Weiße Rose in 1940’s Germany,  Mai 68 student protestors to der rote armee fraktion and their use of pamplets, posters and ephemera as a means of disiminating subversive narratives that challenge authoritative governments. As the panel progresses to contemporary examples of subversive ephemera we will discuss the influence of memes on the discourse and aesthetics of  imagery being used to question authority and practices of both governments and businesses. For example, Blake Boston’s photograph on myspace became the catalyst for the Scumbag Steve meme which then morphed into the Scumbag Steve Jobs meme that was used by creators to criticize the treatment of employees, marketing practices, and privacy at Apple. 

While memes may seem like a disconnect from traditional printmaking in the larger context of Print Media they become a continuation of the appropriation and manipulation of imagery historically used by printmakers.

About the co-chairs

Jonathan McFadden holds a MFA in printmaking from Edinburgh College of Art, United Kingdom (2009), BFA in Printmaking (2006), and BA in French (2006) from Texas State University and has studied at the L’Université de Picardie in Amiens, France. His work has been exhibited at the National Gallery of Scotland, Royal Scottish Academy, University of Texas- San Antonio, University of Wisconsin- Madison, Zayed University, National School of Art, Bucharest, Julio Valdez Project Space, Northwestern University and many other national and international venues including over 100 group exhibitions. From 2010-11 Jonathan was a Jerome Fellow at Highpoint Center For Printmaking in Minneapolis. He has also undertaken residencies at the Prairie Center for the Arts, Cove Park, 55 LTD, Anchor Graphics, Endless Editions, Edition/ Basel, and Atelier Presse Papier. Currently, Jonathan is an Associate Professor of Print Media at the University of Kentucky.

David Wischer received his B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Northern Kentucky University and his M.F.A. in Fine Art from Purdue University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Digital and Print Media at University of Kentucky, where he teaches Printmaking and Graphic Design. His work has been exhibited at the Center for Book Arts in New York, the Four Rivers Print Biennial at Southern Illinois University, and International Print Center New York.

Panelists

Marika Christofides, Visiting Assistant Professor, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, Oklahoma

Marika Christofides holds an MFA from the University of Kentucky and a BA in Philosophy from Carleton College. 

Her artworks draw on the material histories of mid century feminine-coded print ephemera: greeting cards, sewing packets, and recipe books - which she uses to create digital collages. Through a process of repetitive mirroring, images of objects like flowers and aprons acquire an otherworldly quality and become removed from their original context. She translates these collages into print and installation works that explore feminist-philosophical questions through the lens of science fiction world-building. She taught as Instructor of Record at the University of Kentucky from 2019-2022, and worked as an associate acquisitions editor at the University of Illinois Press from 2013-2019. Her work has most recently been exhibited at The Parachute Factory (Lexington, KY), Skylab Gallery (Columbus, OH), the Sechrest Art Gallery at High Point University (High Point, NC), and Artist Image Resource (Pittsburgh, PA). 

Nathan Pietrykowski, Instructor in Art, Delta State University, Cleveland, Mississippi

Nathan Pietrykowski is a print media artist and teacher. He received his MFA from Louisiana State University and a BS from the University of Southern Indiana. Currently he is an Instructor in Art at Delta State University in Mississippi. His work has exhibited internationally and nationally in over 100 venues including Highpoint Center of Printmaking in Minneapolis, Big Medium Gallery in Austin, Carnation Contemporary in Portland, Site: Brooklyn, and Manhattan Graphics Center in New York City.

Alex Lukas, Assistant Professor of Print and PublicationUniversity of California, Santa Barbara

Alex Lukas was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and raised in nearby Cambridge. With a wide range of influences, Lukas’ practice is focused on the intersections of place and human activity, narrative, history, and invention. His fieldwork, research, and production reframes the monumental and the incidental through intricate publication series, sculptures, drawings, prints, videos, and audio collages. Lukas’ work has been exhibited nationally and internationally, and is included in the collections of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the Kadist Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Art Library, the New York Public Library, and the Library of the Museum of Modern Art. Lukas has been awarded residencies at The Bemis Center for the Arts, the Ucross Foundation, The Center for Land Use Interpretation, The Fountainhead, and the John Michael Kohler Arts Center’s Arts/Industry program, amongst others. He is an Assistant Professor of Expanded Print and Publication in the Department of Art at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and organizer of CA53776V2.gallery, an experimental exhibition platform on the dashboard of a 2007 Ford Ranger.

Time

2-3:30pm Friday

Location

Kent State University School of Art

Center for Visual Arts (CVA)

Room 165

Wearing face coverings and being up-to-date on Covid-19 vaccinations are strongly recommended at this location.