Exhibit to feature members of Southern Graphics Council May 1-June 7
Release Date: 4/23/2008. Expired: 6/7/2008
Printmaking was one of the very first replication technologies and is now poised, as it integrates digital media and expands its conceptual borders, to occupy a pivotal position in contemporary art and culture.
In 1972 Boyd Saunders from the University of South Carolina invited every printmaker that he knew in the South to meet at the annual convention of the Southeastern College Art Conference with the intention of forming a printmakers’ organization. The group that assembled in New Orleans, La., wrote and approved by-laws and in 1973 the Southeastern Graphics Council was officially chartered by the State of South Carolina as a non-profit organization. Since that date the council has continued to grow and transform into the largest print organization in North America – now the Southern Graphics Council.
The Southern Graphics Council will be featured in an extensive exhibit in the Visual Arts Gallery and the North Wing Gallery at The Renaissance Center May 1-June 7. An opening reception will be 6-7:30 p.m. Friday, May 2.
With more than 500 members, the Southern Graphics Council fosters dialogue about prints and encourages print education throughout the country. This traveling exhibition brings together 25 members of the organization, showcasing 34 images representing a variety of printmaking processes.
Reflected in this exhibit are the long traditions of printmaking and drawing, not just in process but also seen in the range of ideas and images.
Printmaking and drawing, always considered to be two of the “high arts” and original forms of image production (particularly mass production), are deeply rooted in the arts and often seen as the starting point for all other major art forms. They are also mediums that are now challenged by a lack of use in the larger scope, as much of their function has been replaced in the digital age.
“What this has caused though is a freedom of imagery for artists still working with the media,” said Armon Means, curator at The Renaissance Center. “Concept exploration, alternative process, diverse imagery; all are now seen as artists renew printmaking and drawing in contemporary art. Under the guidance of organizations such as the Southern Graphics Council these media and artists aid in the advancement of the public appreciation, interest and professional standing of all those involved. This exhibition is truly a unique opportunity for our viewers to do the same.”
Boyd Saunders served as the first council president 1972-74. Bernie Solomon hosted the first annual workshop conference in 1974 at his home institution of Georgia Southern College. In 1978 the organization became the Southern Graphics Council and the first printmaker emeritus, Elizabeth Verner O'Neil, was selected.
Since 1977 Dr. Tom Dewey II and curator Dr. Esther Sparks at the University of Mississippi have maintained an archive for the Southern Graphics Council. Prints from the collection are now accessible online and the University of Mississippi Museums stores and oversees the print collection and archives on behalf of the Southern Graphics Council.
To learn more about the Southern Graphics Council, visit www.southerngraphics.org.
For more information on the Southern Graphics Council exhibit at The Renaissance Center May 1-June 7, contact Means at (615) 740-5545 or armon.means@rcenter.org.
Galleries at The Renaissance Center are open 9 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday-Saturday and admission is free.
The Renaissance Center is a fine arts education and performing arts center at 855 Highway 46 South in Dickson, just 35 miles west of Nashville on Interstate 40 at exit 172. For more information, call (615) 740-5600 or visit www.rcenter.org.
Visit the Visual Arts Gallery page for more about the gallery.