About the Exhibition
From the Juror
The invitation to review entries for a print competition is an invitation to connect with the new: What's in the air? What subjects are capturing the imagination of artists, what new technologies are migrating from industry or science into the printmaking workshop? Are artists today bringing fresh relevance to the classic techniques of etching, for example, lithography, or woodblock printing? Can new techniques in digital printing open up unexplored opportunities for the artist in creating a work of art?
The exhibition offers answers to the questions posed above; it also serves as compelling evidence of the invention, energy and ambition that artists continue to bring to the medium of printmaking. A range of techniques is included in the works selected here, from classic etching, mezzotint, woodcut, silkscreen and lithography, to digital and photogravure, mediums are seamlessly mixed. Editioned prints, monotypes, artists' books--all are plentiful. The variety is dazzling, and representative of the multitude of styles, subjects and techniques in the work submitted.
Of the 368 submissions received, many enticed with their visual beauty, originality of vision or technical virtuosity. Of these, fity-eight prints stood out for their balance between competent, often innovative, handling of demanding printmaking techniques, and integrity of vision. These were the guidelines for selection, and were met in the exhibition assembled here. Congratulations to all!
– Anne Coffin, Juror
From the Director
Creative Arts Workshop is pleased to present Boundless: New Works in Contemporary Printmaking, a national exhibition with Anne Coffin, founder and Executive Director of International Print Center New York, serving as juror. She has selected a fascinating exhibition of prints that demonstrates the variety of techniques and styles of artists working in the medium today.
The response to this exhibition was strong, with over 350 submissions received from almost 150 artists from across the United States and Canada. We extend our thanks to Ms. Coffin for all the time and attention she has given to create this wonderful exhibition.
We thank all the artists who submitted work; it is from their art and innovative points of view that this exhibition has emerged. Ms. Coffin selected fifty-eight prints from forty-five artists to be included in Boundless.
Members of the Gallery Committee, especially Chair Diane Svigals and Communications Director Lesley Holford, also deserve our gratitude. Their hard work behind the scenes helps make a show like this a success and enriches the artistic experiences available to the New Haven community.
– Susan Smith, Executive Director, Creative Arts Workshop