Calendar for a cause

The Mesa Contemporary Arts Center (across the railroad from my grad school, Arizona State University) has once again put together a fundraising calendar with original, limited edition prints. I was honored to be selected by Kathryn Maxwell, as one of the 29 artists from across the country to create a print for the benefit calendar. Each calendar has 12 prints, each by a different artist. This limited edition calendar, with only 65 available for purchase, is a great way to begin your own art collection or give as a unique holiday gift.(The calendars are available at MCA for the bargain price of $200 with all proceeds helping the MCA continue its excellent programming in the visual arts. ) Here are some of my favs. picked from the calendar:
Jana Harper, Cloud Grammer
John Armstrong, Bikini Mtn.
Kathryn Maxwell, No More Salt

Book (R)evolution

I feel like I'm still reeling from the Pyramid Atlantic Book Arts Fair last weekend. It's hard to believe that it's over, after spending the last 9 months working on it. I'm very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such a creative and organized committee.
Highlights:

Beth Schaible, our former Letterpress Associate, joined us as an exhibitor.
Tate Foley put together a site-specific interactive installation in the Pyramid Vault, and Annie Albagli and Joshua Goode's Paradise Lost was an impressive installation in the Atrium of the Civic Building.

Out in front of the fair, Drive-By-Press was doing their thing. And at Pyramid, we held demonstrations including flip book making with Carla Nicolas.
We also showed some great films including Typeface, Proceed and Be Bold, and Who Does She think She is?
Here are more images of the event. Stay tuned for more information on the next Pyramid Book Arts Fair, scheduled for the fall of 2012.

Chuck Close shares his magic tricks

So, I have been hearing from everyone how fantastic, how (f**king, to quote a friend) amazing, how surprising, etc. the Chuck Close exhibition at the Corcoran Gallery of Art is, and so yesterday I finally went to go see what all the who-ha was about.
My colleagues weren't gushing or exaggerating one bit-it really is pretty amazing. The title of the exhibtion, Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration, is a fitting title. I can't tell you how many times I've stared at the pulp stenciled piece of his daughter, Georgia, 1984, (above left) and tried to figure out how it was made.
In addition to seeing the large metal stencil that was used in its creation, I got to see all of 13 of the stencils used in the layered pulp portait he made of Roy Lichtenstein, the etched plates used in the Phillip Glass prints, and the carved blocks used for printing Emma. I appreciated how the blocks, stencils and plates were hung right alongside the prints. Chuck Close describes this exhibition as 'breaking the cardinal rule that was learned in magician school, that is, showing your audience how you did the trick'.
No tricks about it, go see this show. It has been extended until September 26th!

Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration from Corcoran Gallery of Art on Vimeo.

From Paper to Print

I just returned from teaching a 5 day workshop called 'Paper to Print' at Women's Studio Workshop. Like the name of it implies, it was a hybrid papermaking and printmaking class. The first couple of days we pulp painted on rag, abaca, and flax papers. Later on in the week, we used those pulp painted papers for backgrounds for pronto plate lithographs and xerox transfers. My students were great and brought so much to the class! Some highlights:

The blender bike that Barb brought

Sumptuous food

and our amazing tech Terez, who is pictured here washing some freshly cooked iris.

Here are some more pictures of the workshop.

Artist of the week

Due to working at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, I'm lucky to have gotten to know and forged friendships with some amazing artists over the past four years.
Irene Chan is one of these people. We actually met for the first time over two years ago when we were both in an exhibition at Montpelier Art Center, and we carpooled to the opening. Time past, and we lost touch, but have recently reconnected. We try to meet up once a month and talk about art, go see plays, or just hang out and drink tea. Irene's pieces are smart, sometimes humorous, well crafted, and very provocative.
One of her particularly powerful pieces to me is a piece called YELLOWSKIN BRACELET.

It is a sculptural artist book to be worn on arm, and it tells the story of someone seeing a bright yellow bracelet and thinking it was the exact same color as her skin. Check out the video

Here is another in-progress piece that I'm particularly fond of:

LOOKJUSTLIKE BOOK
she will flip a flexagon book of Asian portraits that people say she “looks just like …”

To see more of Irene's work, go here

With a little help from my friends...

Lynette Spencer (new friend, papermaker/bookbinder) and I road-tripped up to Rosendale, NY last week to install my exhibition. We hammered it out in record time, leaving time to play around in New Paltz, have dinner with Ann and Tanya, and snoop around Hudson Valley Materials Exchange, before we had to head back to hot Washington, DC.
Thanks Lynette, you're the best!

Above--Lynette is hanging my paper branches over the stairwell. Just looking at this picture makes me uneasy.

Transmutations in Paper by Gretchen Schermerhorn
Women's Studio Workshop, Rosendale, NY
July 2-August 2, 2010


Here are some more pictures of the installation

Below are some pictures from the summer session class, Explorations in Eastern and Western Papermaking, I recently taught at the Corcoran College of Art + Design.
All of my students are a part of the new Masters program there in the Art of the Book. It's a pretty intense and impressive curriculum that includes a combination of Letterpress Printing, Binding, Paper Making, Typography, Graphic Design, Digital Media, Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Sculpture, Writing, and Photography.
Great students and a fun class.

Transmutation

I'm really interested in materials that are composed of one thing, but when manipulated, read or look like something else.
On that note, I've been working on a series of paper pillows for an exhibition at Women's Studio Workshop in July and August.
Here are some images of the pillows drying and shrinking in the sun.

Friend and paper artist, Lynette, taking a nap.

More Paper Bling

A couple of posts back, I mentioned my big crush I currently have on paper jewelry/adornment.
Well, I made this brooch especially for my good friend Kieu.
She is a book artist, so I thought she might appreciate the accordion fold in this piece.

On the back I attached a couple of magnets, so that she can wear it without it piercing her clothes.
As you can see from this not so good picture (hey, it's harder to do than it looks), it can be worn horizontally or vertically.
Happy Birthday Kieu!

Movers and Makers

Got back last night, but I'm still reeling from an exciting short trip to Richmond, VA. On Saturday, I taught a printmaking workshop at the Visual Art Center of Richmond, which was lots of fun,
but the highlight of the trip was staying the night at Alain and Aimee Joyaux's place in Petersburg, VA. I say 'place' because it is not exactly your typical house.
The couple bought a pre-Civil War warehouse that was on the verge of collapse in the downtown Petersburg area. With lots of love, sweat equity, and artistic vision, it has been transformed into an amazing space.
Here are some photos that I took, but you can also read a nice article about their home in Richmond Magazine

Their place is the second one down

What a living room! Aimee told me that the big square cut out of the ceiling was originally used to haul heavy items upstairs. They used it to pull the bathtub up.

A view of Aimee's amazing studio. I could see why she would never want to leave.

Aimee with her latest work-will be on display at Quirk Gallery soon.

Ruby, the art dog, and my one night bed mate.

Don't Mess with Texas

Growing up in Texas, I never noticed how much pride people had for their state. I thought getting a tattoo of one's state on an arm or ankle was a common thing. I thought big malls, big hair and big personalities were just the way it was.
Now, I know my mom would chime in right now, if she heard me saying this, and tell me "that is not what everyone does, or how everyone lives and is in Texas!", and this is true, but it is a contrast to what I know and observe here.
So, I'm going to visit my parents and my sister's family for a week, and if you have any requests (a cowboy hat, a Dallas Cowboy jersey, or some longhorns, for example) give me a shout out in the comments below, and I'll do my best.

Next weekend (June 4-6) we will be headed down to Richmond, VA.
Eric has a jewelry trunk show at Quirk (pictured left) on Saturday and
I will be giving an artist lecture on Friday and teaching a collaborative printmaking class on Saturday at the Visual Arts Center. Please come if you can!
Here is the full scoop.

Papel de Bling

Thoughts of adorning one's body with paper has wondered back into my head. Although I put the idea down for a while, it makes sense that it has come back to me because I love the idea of combining paper with body ornamentation/modification. There is something playful and low-pressure when I start working in paper, maybe because it is easily accessible and low tech. Furthermore, there is something really fascinating to me regarding the ephemerality of it-how when paper is placed on the body, it changes when the body sweats, it becomes embedded with smells, and it stretches and tears.
above: Marcus Tomlinson, Stills from the film „Pen to Paper“, UK 2003. ©Marcus Tomlinson












above: Michael Cepress, Collars for the Modern Gentleman, USA 2006, commissioned by ATOPOS, created using the “Yellow Pages”. Photo: Michelle Moore ©ATOPOS collection, Athens

So for the next couple of months, I'm going to dive more into researching and making paper jewelry. Last night, I made this paper ring, inspired by a pattern I found online by Sarah Kate Burgess. I have to say, although it is not very practical, I love it.

Going (to) Elsewhere

Last weekend Landria, Phoebe and I took a road trip to Elsewhere Collaborative, in Greensboro, NC.

Simply put: artists from all over and from different disciplines come to Elsewhere, a former thrift store, to make art inspired by the objects that are a part of the living museum.

Thoroughly put: Elsewherians discover new objects that reflect Sylvia’s (the original owner of the thrift store) fascinating mind and life, and whose placement and preservation reference the eccentric process by which the objects of her collection were ordered. This mass of objects tells a cultural narrative about material excess, consumption, and overproduction. The re-ordering of things and the curation of collections speaks to the potential to re-imagine collaborative creativity and the role of place and presence in telling a community’s story. The salience with which visitors and artists alike share in the immersive experience of this unique site, speaks not to an idea but to a shared narrative written in attics and basements across the country.

No matter how you put it, this place is pretty amazing! If you love Pee-Wee's playhouse, a collaborative art environment, and working in a multi-disciplinary and an organic way, I would highly recommend applying for a residency!

Yay for Progress!

With a lot of help from interns and volunteers, the public art piece dedicated to legendary Maryland figures is almost ready for its big reveal!
Today we worked on installing it on the side of Pyramid Atlantic Art Center's Building.














Even though the hammer drill was a bit scary, James nearly fell off the ladder, and we forgot a couple of things (including how to spell forgotten), there was great satisfaction and lots of high-fives at the end of the day.

Upcoming Workshops and Events

I will be teaching some workshops, and have some visiting artist engagements in the next couple of months.
Please feel free to email me directly if you have any questions about a particular workshop-gretchen@gretchenschermerhorn.com
Please pass along to anyone who you think might be interested, and hope to see you!

Pulp Printing
April 11th, 10am-4pm
Pyramid Atlantic Art Center
Silver Spring, MD
(301) 608-9101
Registration and more information

Gocco Printing
April 19th, 11am-1pm
Strathmore Mansion
Rockville, MD
(301) 581-5109
Registration and more information

Hand Papermaking
April 24th, 10:30-1:30
Strathmore Mansion
Rockville, MD
(301) 581-5109
Registration and more information

Beth and I are going to Kars, Turkey to teach a Papermaking workshop!
May 10th-14th
Sponsored by the Anatolian Artisans organization.
I'm sure we will make a special blog just for this trip, so stay posted!

Eastern and Western Hand Papermaking
Summer Session, May 24th-June 25th
Corcoran College of Art and Design

Visiting Artist lecture and Workshop
June 4th-6th
Visual Art Center of Richmond
Richmond, VA
More information to come

From Paper to Print
July 19th-24th
Women's Studio Workshop
Rosendale, NY
845.658.9133
For more information and to register

Can You Own a Sound?

My favorite album sophomore year in college was De La Soul's 3 Feet High and Rising, and my favorite single on that album was definitely A Roller Skating Jam Named "Saturdays". But it wasn't until I had listened to the song a couple of times, that I recognized that among others, Saturday in the Park, by Chicago and Could you be Loved, by Bob Marley, had be sampled into it. Besides being one of the greatest records of the last quarter century, 3 Feet High was a turning point for sampling laws.

That's just a little background on where I was really going---last night I watched COPYRIGHT CRIMINALS on PBS. As an artist who helps others others produce their own work, I found this film to be so interesting. It addressed questions of ownership, the role of the producer, the artist, and the publisher. The main question the movie asks is--can you own a sound? As hip-hop rose from the streets to become a multibillion-dollar industry, artists started reusing parts of previously recorded music for their songs. But when record company lawyers got involved everything changed. The movie examines the creative and commercial value of musical sampling, including the related debates over artistic expression, copyright law and money.
Check it out, it's so good and hurts so bad (Little Anthony & The Imperials) at the same time.
Watch the trailer

Paper Capers

I'm not just saying this because I've been snowed in for two days and uninterested in the Superbowl....
You should watch this video. It provides a really fascinating look at how rag paper was made in the day at Crane's Bay State Mill. If you like paper, make paper, or just have a fancy for the 1920s, then check it out.


Many Thanks to Peter Hopkins for the original post, and for transferring the film to disk.

Snow Jesus

I'm pretty sure as a joke, our friends Jessica Calderwood and Amin Lahlou gave us a Jesus statuette.



Starting yesterday morning and ending today around 3pm, I took a photo of him every hour.You might notice that there is jump in the amount of snow in a couple of the photos. That is because it snowed all through the night, and when it was all said and done, we got about 32" of it. I've never seen anything like this! Here are a some more photos.
Maybe I'll bind the jesus photos into a flip-book.
Good times being snowed in!

What ho, life?

So I've been slacking in my posting. What have I been up to for the last two months?




Playing Honoria Glossop in Lumina Studio Theatre' s production of What Ho, Jeeves!
The lovely and talented Linda Parker took the photos above.





















Exhibition at McLean Project for the Arts, which opened on January 21 and runs until March 6.

Toodle-pip for now!