Found, Reclaimed, Reformed
Themed Portfolio Exchange organized by Joey Behrens, Stefanie Dykes, Sara Hess, Jon Swindler, and Erik Waterkotte
Description
How often do we question the use and consumption of materials specifically associated with printmaking or artmaking? Found, Reclaimed, Reformed will challenge participants to create an edition that is, at the least, carbon neutral, using recycled or repurposed materials only. Using the portfolio exchange as a platform for experimentation and invention, the organizers hope to stimulate an active conversation, generate new practices/methods for sustainable creative production, and answer questions about the potential of sustainability in printmaking. Final editions must be carbon neutral using found, recycled, and/or sustainable materials. Please include a short statement on your experience and/or motivation exploring sustainable artmaking methods somewhere in your response to this call.
Are we conscious of the environmental impact of our creative productions? Many of us who use printmaking processes spend little time considering the consequences of our own material consumption-production. This portfolio seeks to confront and challenge our own material biases in relation to making prints. How can we employ materials that are recycled/upcycled, reconstituted, or discarded?
This prompt is a challenge to the perpetuated importance of artworks necessitating “archival” materials. Is the traditional standard of materials we maintain in our field necessary considering our methods of presentation and storage? Must an artwork drastically outlive its maker? Are our materials and methods of production as thoughtful as they should be in this day and age? This portfolio believes it is high-time we collectively begin to examine these questions directly through our creative practice and research.
Traditions and standards associated with editioning (and the art market) espouse the use of new materials in order to ensure the highest possible fidelity, while employing only archival materials. What happens when these practices and habits are intentionally interrupted? Can we creatively reuse/reconstitute existing materials to form new works and editions, rather than consuming raw materials? The sourcing, production, packing, and shipping of the materials we traditionally use in printmaking possess a range of environmental expenses. What if, what we did creatively/culturally could be done carbon neutrally, ecologically, and/or sustainably?
Given the specifications of the portfolio, it’s understood that the consistency of the editions will be… well… inconsistent.
About the organizers
Erik Waterkotte is an Associate Professor of Print Media at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. He is co-founder of Theurgical Studies Press which specializes in limited edition ephemera. Find out more at www.erikwaterkotte.com or www.theurgicalstudies.press
Stefanie Dykes is a co-founder of Saltgrass Printmakers. Established in 2003, Saltgrass Printmakers is a non-profit printmaking studio and gallery located in Salt Lake City, Utah. She has taught at Westminster College, Snow College and Saltgrass Printmakers. Find out more at https://airtable.com/shrm6BE7EGbOdN2b7
Joey Behrens earned her graduate degree in Printmaking at Ohio University. She is currently based in Pittsburgh, PA. Behrens strives to create work that brings the backdrop of life to the forefront in ways that cause the Everyday to bump up against Art. Find out more at www.joeybehrens.com/
Sara Hess is an artist living and working in Columbus, Ohio. Sara holds a BFA in Studio Art from the University of Georgia's Lamar Dodd School of Art where she studied painting and printmaking. She is currently an MFA candidate and Graduate Fellow at The Ohio State University. Sara has exhibited her work regionally and nationally, most recently at ATHICA in Athens, Georgia, Stove Works in Chattanooga, Tennessee and IPCNY (International Print Center New York) in Manhattan, New York. https://sara-hess.format.com/
Jon Swindler is an Associate Professor of Art and acting Associate Director of Lamar Dodd School of Art at the University of Georgia in Athens. Over the last several years he has exhibited his work in numerous solo, competitive and invitational exhibitions both nationally and internationally. Jon has also performed visiting artist workshops and lectures at various institutions, including: The Kansas City Art Institute in Kansas City, Missouri, HDK School of Design and Craft in Dals Långed Sweden and the Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists in Edmonton, AB, Canada. https://www.jonswindler.space/
Participants
Anna Kenar, Heather Leier, Amze Emmons, Vanessa Jo Bahr, Rachel Simmons, Olivia Timmons, Jennifer Scheuer, Skye Louis, Barry O’Keefe, Sherry Jankiewicz, Amber Lynn Benton, Sarah McDermott, Sukha Worob, Christian Sebastian Gutierrez
Hours
10am-5pm Monday-Friday
Reception
5-6:30pm Thursday October 13
Location
Folk Hall
University of Akron
Wearing face coverings and being up-to-date on Covid-19 vaccinations are strongly recommended at this location.