Curator’s Conversations

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courtesy of Derrick Adams and Tandem Press

"Self Portrait on Float," by Derrick Adams, at the Chazen as part of the "Pressing Innovation" exhibit, Feb. 14-May 15, 2022.

press release: Join James Wehn, Van Vleck Curator of Works on Paper, in conversation with the exhibition Pressing Innovation: Printing Fine Art in the Upper Midwest. Through close looking, James will share insights about contemporary prints and discuss selected works in detail.

About the Exhibition

Pressing Innovation explores the history and work of fine-art printing presses in the Upper Midwest, focusing on each press’s distinct mission and contribution to printmaking in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Five presses are featured:

Landfall Press, founded 1970 in Chicago

Vermillion Editions, founded 1977 in Minneapolis

Island Press, founded 1978 in St. Louis

Tandem Press, founded 1987 in Madison, WI

Highpoint Center for Printmaking, founded 2001 in Minneapolis

Pressing Innovation emphasizes the distinctiveness of each institution; but also traces connections—namely, a network of teachers and master printers—that link the presses in varied ways. Together, this group of presses fits within a much broader history of American printmaking during the last 50 years, and education and research consistently provide the foundation for their origins. This exhibition is the first to synthesize a combined history of fine art presses specific to the Upper Midwest region. The exhibition coincides with the 2022 SGC International conference hosted by UW–Madison.

A wide range of works created by a diverse community of artists—many of whom traveled from the East and West Coasts (centers for the American art trade) to make prints—are represented. The exhibition offers museum visitors and SGCI conference participants alike the opportunity to see and study outstanding examples of printmaking, including recent works that have not yet been widely exhibited or published in scholarly catalogues.

Chazen Museum of Art's Covid-19 Policy: Effective August 5th, all students, employees, and visitors to campus are required to wear masks when inside campus buildings, including the Chazen Museum of Art. This mask mandate is in effect until Saturday, March 12.

Registration is limited to 20 participants.