FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rachel Sitkin Marks, 215-735-6090 x4
or rsmarks@printcenter.org
The Print Center Announces Centennial Celebration
Marks Its Centennial with Special Citywide Events from September – December 2015
PHILADELPHIA, PA—(June 10, 2015)—To mark 100 years dedicated to the growth and understanding of photography and printmaking as vital contemporary arts, The Print Center announces the Centennial Celebration: The Print Center 100. The citywide celebration, which will take place from September through December 2015, incorporates 100 elements that highlight the legacy and future of the organization.
As part of The Print Center 100, Cuban-American artist and University of Pennsylvania Senior Lecturer in Photography Gabriel Martinez will mount a solo exhibition featuring newly commissioned works, including an immersive film projection installation. Additional elements of the celebration will include exhibitions, public art events, commissions, lectures, a content-laden website including an historical timeline and oral histories, Centennial publications, a Gala and a Street Party. A complete list of The Print Center 100 will be announced in July.
The Print Center 100 will honor the organization’s accomplishments over the last 100 years and its long-standing relationships with fellow leading arts and culture organizations throughout the city – with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, The Fabric Workshop & Museum, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, the Free Library of Philadelphia and the University of the Arts, among many others. The celebration will explore the unique attributes of print-its immediacy and accessibility-that make it one of today’s most important visual mediums.
For The Print Center, the Centennial is an opportunity to highlight its distinguished legacy which reaches far beyond Philadelphia to national and international photography and print communities; collaborate with many of our cultural colleagues to present new exhibitions and events; commission new projects; and inaugurate a sensational second century of inspiring photography and printmaking.
The Centennial year opened with the receipt of a two-year, $100,000 grant from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Rachel Bers, Program Director for the Warhol Foundation said, “The Foundation is thrilled to support an organization that, at 100 years old, is able to make vital and relevant contributions to contemporary art discourse.” Centennial support continues with a recent $400,000 gift from Julie Jensen Bryan and Robert Bryan permanently naming the Jensen Bryan Curatorial Chair.
Since its founding, The Print Center has created opportunities for artists to create and exhibit their work, investigated new processes and supported the printed image in all its forms. It has earned a distinguished reputation for organizing engaging exhibitions and programs that highlight established and emerging local, national and international contemporary artists. Throughout its history The Print Center has presented the work of the most compelling printmakers and photographers of their day including: Mary Cassatt, Pablo Picasso, Dox Thrash, Jasper Johns, Ansel Adams, Art Spiegelman, Red Grooms, Walker Evans, Roy Lichtenstein, Imogen Cunningham, Ben Shahn and more recently Edna Andrade, John Coplans, Kara Walker, Kerry James Marshall, Nancy Spero, Leon Golub, Ann Hamilton, Abelardo Morell, Kiki Smith and Doug + Mike Starn.
In recent years, the Artists-in-Schools Program has brought valuable arts education to over 5,000 underserved Philadelphia high school students and the Gallery Store offers the largest selection of contemporary prints and photographs available for sale in Philadelphia. The Print Center is also an essential community arts advocacy organization that annually serves more than 1,200 members and 36,000 participants in exhibitions and programming. Its core mission: to encourage the growth and understanding of photography and printmaking as vital contemporary arts through exhibitions, publications and educational programs, reflects an organization that remains a dynamic and culturally significant contributor to the arts in Philadelphia and beyond.
General Information
The Print Center is located at:
1614 Latimer Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103
p: 215-735-6090
printcenter.org/100
facebook.com/printcenterphilly
@ThePrintCenter
#PrintCenter100
Free and open to the Public 11:00 AM - 6:00 PM, Tuesday through Saturday
Click here to download a PDF
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rachel Sitkin Marks, 215-735-6090 x4
or rsmarks@printcenter.org
The Print Center Announces A Transformational Centennial Gift
Permanently Naming the Jensen Bryan Curatorial Chair
PHILADELPHIA, PA—(June 1, 2015)—The Print Center is pleased to announce the permanent naming of the Jensen Bryan Curatorial Chair with the receipt of a $400,000 gift from Julie Jensen Bryan and Robert Bryan. This gift creates the first permanently named position at The Print Center and provides an unprecedented level of financial strength for the organization; the chair had previously been funded on a five-year basis by the Bryans, who have a record of dedication to The Print Center. It is a transformational gift, leading The Print Center into its second century poised to deliver outstanding exhibitions and programs of exceptional quality and merit.
This is the lead gift to The Print Center in its Centennial year. Board President Hester Stinnett, Vice Dean of Tyler School of Art, Temple University said, “Julie has always been a pioneer in her work and her philanthropy, always leading the way. For The Print Center, this gift is such an honor and will assure our stability and ongoing curatorial excellence. We are very grateful to the Bryans for their generosity and commitment.”
Julie Jensen Bryan has supported The Print Center in a multitude of ways for more than forty years, including as an artist, a Board member, a collector and an event host. She and her husband, Robert Bryan, have been generous donors to The Print Center; helping it fulfill its mission of supporting printmaking and photography as vital contemporary arts.
"The Print Center has always been near to my heart,” said Julie. “It is a unique and wonderful organization with a spectacular and rich legacy. I am delighted to support their excellent work and to spur a second century of outstanding achievement.” The Bryans’ gift kicks off The Print Center’s Centennial year with great excitement and is generating additional contributions, further bolstering The Print Center’s ability to achieve its goal of becoming an international voice in print.
As a photographer, Julie is well-known for her spare and elegant architectural images; her photos have been shown internationally, and she is noted for her iconic portraits of Maggie Kuhn, the founder of the Gray Panthers. She began her career as a medical researcher at the University of Pennsylvania, where photography was used as an analytic tool, and developed her artistic skills through studies with Arnold Newman and Mary Ellen Mark. In 1976 she dedicated herself to photography and studied in New York with Lisette Model and was involved with Aperture. In the 1980s, she joined The Print Center’s Board of Governors and has remained a dedicated member and active supporter of the organization ever since. She has also actively serves on the Women’s Board at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Board of the Community Clothes Charity.
Robert Bryan studied architecture at Stanford University and at the Technical University of Stuttgart and taught design studios in Stuttgart and at RPI. He has lived and practiced architecture in a number of European cities and across the US. Major projects he has been involved with include the German Pavilion at EXPO 67 (Montreal, Canada) and the King’s Offices complex in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, both in association with with Rolf Gutbrod and Pritzker Prize winner Frei Otto. He has taught and lectured to numerous university and architectural groups and has served on design review juries in London and at the University of Pennsylvania. In Philadelphia, Robert has served on the Board of the Philadelphia Society for the Preservation of Landmarks and on the Board of the Associates of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. He has also served on the Design Committee of the Society Hill Towers for many years.
Since 1915, The Print Center has supported the dissemination, study, production and collection of works by local, national and international photographers and printmakers and encourages the growth and understanding of photography and printmaking as vital contemporary arts through exhibitions, publications and educational programs. From its idiosyncratic historic carriage house at 1614 Latimer Street, over the last 100 years, The Print Center has earned a distinguished reputation for producing engaging exhibitions and compelling programs that highlight established and emerging contemporary art. The Artists-in-Schools Program has brought valuable arts education to over 5,000 underserved Philadelphia high school students and the Gallery Store offers the largest selection of contemporary prints and photographs available for sale in Philadelphia.
The Print Center 100 will be a citywide celebration of the Centennial, which will take place from September through December 2015. A full list of activities, including exhibitions at The Print Center and at many partner venues, will be announced in July 2015. For more information: www.printcenter.org/100.
Click here to download a PDF
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rachel Sitkin Marks, 215-735-6090 x4
or rsmarks@printcenter.org
The Philadelphia Art Book Fair 2015
A Huge Success
The 2015 Philadelphia Art Book Fair, held on Friday, April 24 and Saturday, April 25 at The Annex on Filbert in Center City Philadelphia, was by all accounts a huge success, welcoming more than 1,300 visitors! Co-presented by The Print Center, the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center and produced by Fluxus, the Philadelphia Art Book Fair is the only event of its kind in the area and brought together art and photo book collectors from all over the East Coast. Free and open to the public, the Fair featured a range of exhibitors from small and large photography and art book publishers, individual artists, printshops and institutions who brought a wide selection of publications from ‘zines to single edition artist books. The 50+ exhibitors from 4 countries and 10 states who participated, included representatives from Aperture Foundation, New York, NY; Half Letter Press, Chicago, IL; Haus am Gern, Biel, Switzerland; Institute of Contemporary Art, Philadelphia, PA; Kayrock Editions, Brooklyn, NY; MACK Books, United Kingdom; and the Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY and in partnership with the Lithuanian Embassy, Washington, DC and Culture Menu, Vilnius, LT, The Print Center presented an extensive collection of Lithuanian photography and contemporary art books for visitors to enjoy.
Displays were complemented by a full schedule of lectures and book signings by artists and bookmakers, culminating in the keynote lecture delivered to a packed house by renowned photographer Emmet Gowin. The PHL Art Book Fair received excellent press coverage in traditional and social media outlets around the region, and the general enthusiasm surrounding the event was infectious. Exhibitors were delighted and expressed eagerness to come back again next year!
Decor brand West Elm furnished a beautiful lounge and reading room, Menagerie Coffee hosted a cafe, and food trucks Poi Dog, Mobile Awesome and Heart provided food.
The 2015 PHL Art Book Fair was generously supported by Preit, Century 21, Broad Street Movers, Bridgeset Sound, Instinct Graphics, Menagerie Coffee, Shades of Paper, Yards Brewing and West Elm.
“I loved being a part of the Philadelphia Art Book Fair--was impressed with the high quality of everyone's work--and really impressed to meet people who had traveled from the west coast and Minnesota and Chicago to show their work. This is my world--but I met many new people and presses.” — Esther K. Smith of Purgatory Pie Press
“The Philadelphia Art Book Fair was the perfect venue for us to debut our publishing imprint. The fair was intimate yet bustling each day. We are already looking forward to next year!” — TIS books
“The incredible effort and organization put into the fair was apparent the moment I stepped foot in the hall space. I had an incredible time talking to everyone I met that weekend, audience, organizers and vendors included, and getting to know their work. The work felt fresh and interesting and everyone I met was genuine and engaged. I felt honored to be a part of it.” — Marianne Dages of Huldra Press
Planning is underway for next year’s event – we look forward to a bringing an even larger representation of Art Books to Philadelphia in 2016.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Rachel Sitkin Marks, 215-735-6090 x4
or rsmarks@printcenter.org
Michael Mazur : The Inferno of Dante
April 17 – July 11, 2015
Thursday, April 16: Gallery Talk by the artist and John Caperton: 5:30pm;
Opening Reception: 6:00-8:00pm
PHILADELPHIA: The Print Center continues its Centennial year with Michael Mazur: The Inferno of Dante, which brings together over twenty etchings from the artist's masterful portfolio of prints. Mazur's work has been highlighted in over a dozen exhibitions at The Print Center, including a solo exhibition of his work in 1965.
Mazur (1935-2009) is recognized as one of America's most distinguished printmakers, and his practice was marked by invention and experimentation. He studied at Amherst College and the Yale School of Art and Architecture. His work has been widely exhibited internationally in over 150 solo and group exhibitions, including a traveling retrospective organized by the Boston Museum of Fine Arts in 2000. It is held in numerous public collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY, NY; Museum of Modern Art, NY, NY; Whitney Museum of American Art, NY, NY; Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art, Philadelphia, PA; and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia, PA. Mazur received awards from the Tiffany Foundation, The National Institute of Arts and Letters, the Guggenheim Foundation and a Distinguished Career award from the Southern Graphics Council. A catalogue raisonne' of his work was published in 2000.
In 1998-99, Mazur created a suite of 41 etchings accompanied by text by Robert Pinsky, which extended and deepened his lifelong exploration of Dante's poem. The poet and critic Lloyd Schwartz has called these works "one of the most graphic embodiments of tragic vision by any artist-Aristotelian pity and terror-a devastating visualization of Dante's words that is finally also (and must be) beyond words."
These powerful works have served as the source of inspiration for a new work by renowned American composer Michael Hersch commissioned by Network for New Music. The resulting work, a breath upwards will be presented as part of a concert on April 19, 2015 at Curtis Institute of Music followed by a panel discussion with the composers and The Print Center's curator. In addition, the collaboration has also inspired the creation of six new works by Curtis composition students, created in response to artworks at The Print Center to be performed at Curtis on April 17, 2105.
Michael Mazur: The Inferno of Dante will be on view April 17 - July 11, 2015, from 11:00am-6:00pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays. An opening reception will be held Thursday, April 16, from 6:00-8:00pm, with a gallery talk by the Curator at 5:30pm. Admission is free and open to the public.
Keith Sharp: Double Take and Ken Wood: Scripta Volant (Written Words Fly)
April 17 – July 11, 2015
Thursday, April 16: Gallery Talk by the artist and John Caperton: 5:30pm;
Opening Reception: 6:00-8:00pm
PHILADELPHIA: The Print Center announces two solo exhibitions: Keith Sharp: Double Take and Ken Wood: Scripta Volant (Written Words Fly). The Print Center is pleased to continue its Centennial with two solo exhibitions awarded from its 89th Annual International Competition. Keith Sharp (Media, PA) and Ken Wood (St. Louis, MO) were selected by jurors Dan Byers, Senior Curator, The Institute of Contemporary Art/Boston, and independent curator Tina Kukielski.
Keith Sharp: Double Take brings together recent photographs from two series by the artist. In Fabrications, Sharp prints photographic scenes of nature onto cotton or silk, which he then installs as curtains in an interior and re-photographs. The resulting images create uncanny juxtapositions between the interior spaces and the landscape imagery which appears on the curtains.
In the series, Seeing Through, Sharp digitally reworks and layers images to make objects seem transparent. In these photographs, it seems as if the skies and trees, normally understood as around and behind buildings, cars, fences and walls, go right through those objects. As Sharp describes the work, "a surrealist at heart, I attempt to create mysterious and subtle images that cause the viewer to do a double take. I transform the ordinary world around me to create images that play tricks with our perception."
Sharp has had solo exhibitions at Silver Eye Center for Photography, Pittsburgh, PA; The Arts Club of Washington, Washington, DC; Delaware Center for the Contemporary Arts, Wilmington, DE; Philadelphia International Airport, Philadelphia, PA; US Botanical Gardens, Washington, DC; and FotoFest, Houston, TX. His work has been included in recent group shows at Woodmere Art Museum, Philadelphia, PA; Delaware Art Museum, Wilmington, DE; and the Robin Rice Gallery, New York, NY. His work is held in public collections including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, TX; Allentown Art Museum, Allentown, PA; Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DC; and State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, PA.
Ken Wood: Scripta Volant (Written Words Fly) includes six recent relief prints from his series Written Words Fly. The prints are large gestural abstractions composed of undulating lines that travel across the paper. The works are created through a complex and multi-staged process. Beginning with small gouache studies, Wood enlarges the images using an overhead projector and traces them onto clear plastic printing plates. He recreates the small strokes of the gouache studies on the plates using large brushes he crafts himself. He then cuts out the large meandering lines, uses those cut-outs as a matrix, inks them and prints them in relief. He prints multiple layers of marks on top of each other, creating varying degrees of opacity. The artist has said this process creates "overlap, gestures collide or move in concert with each other, while colors mix and morph into new colors."
Wood's prints and paintings have been exhibited in St Louis, MO at The Contemporary Art Museum, The Millstone Gallery at COCA, Philip Slein Gallery, Good Citizen and Art St Louis. His work has also been included in recent exhibitions in Kansas City, MO; Indianapolis, IN; Austin, TX; and Miami, FL. He has taught at the Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI; Temple University's program in Rome, Italy; and Washington University, St Louis, MO. He is Associate Professor of Printmaking at St. Louis Community College - Meramec.
Keith Sharp: Double Take and Ken Wood: Scripta Volant (Written Words Fly) will be on view April 17 - July 11, 2015, from 11:00am-6:00pm, Tuesdays-Saturdays. An opening reception will be held Thursday, April 16, from 6:00-8:00pm, with a gallery talk by the artist and Curator at 5:30pm. Admission is free and open to the public.
The Print Center celebrates a century of inspiring printmaking and photography and encourages the growth and understanding of photography and printmaking as vital contemporary arts through exhibitions, publications and educational programs. The Print Center has an international voice and a strong sense of local purpose. Free and open to the public, it presents changing exhibitions which highlight established and emerging, local, national, and international contemporary artists. It mounts one of the oldest art competitions in the country, now in its 89th year and the Gallery Store offers the largest selection of contemporary prints and photographs available for sale in Philadelphia.
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