"Motley Multiples" Curated by Dennis McNett
Posted on August 05 2023
Paradigm Gallery + Studio is pleased to present Motley Multiples, a group exhibition curated by Dennis McNett featuring artwork by Marwin Begaye, Samantha Mendoza, Annalise Gratovich, Jun Lee, Cassie Normandy White, James Rose, Raj Bunnag, Johanna Mueller, Reinaldo Gil Zambrano, Kathryn Polk, Vanessa Jo Bahr, Dylan Goldberger, and Violeta Juárez. The exhibition will be on view on the first floor of the Paradigm Arts Building (12 N. 3rd Street) from September 1 – October 1, 2023, with a public opening reception on Friday, September 1st from 6:00-8:00pm.
From the curator: Motley Multiples showcases the work of a diverse selection of contemporary printmakers hailing from across the US, Venezuela, and Mexico.
Printmaking as an art form has magnetic inspirational power; attracting a unique crowd united in their obsession by the intoxicating smell of an inky slab, the undeniable allure of an ornate, antiquarian printing press still operated by a hand-crank, and the seductive tactility of a freshly torn stack of handmade, deckled edge paper.
The artists selected for this exhibition are all artists that excel at their craft; artists who fully harness the collaborative and transformative potential of this community-oriented art form. This is a display of masterfully cut woodblocks, expertly drawn lithographic stones, and meticulously worked copper plates printed in exquisite and unique multiples. In this modern world of quick digital ephemera and slapdash AI, witness for yourself the rich, tactile superiority of these handcrafted works on paper.
About the Curator // Dennis McNett (aka Wolfbat) is a professional artist and printmaker who has been creating prints for over 30 years. He founded Wolfbat Studios in 2007 as a nomadic DIY workspace encompassing a fully functional printmaking studio, wood shop, and puppet/sculpture shop that has held space in NYC, Houston, Philadelphia, Richmond, Austin, and now Luray, VA.
Dennis earned his MFA in Printmaking in 2004 from Pratt Institute and taught graduate and advanced printmaking courses there for nearly a decade after graduating. He has taught dozens of print-centric workshops at universities, art centers, and museums worldwide. He worked as a master printer for Brand-X Editions in New York City for 4 years creating works for artists such as Chuck Close, Helen Frankenthaler, and Robert Longo that were displayed in notable places like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Pace Gallery NYC. He has participated in print exhibitions, conferences, and fairs internationally and remains an active participant in the print community.
About the Artists
Vanessa Jo Bahr // Originally from Chicago, Illinois, Vanessa received her BFA from Regis University in Denver, Colorado, along with a minor in education and teaching license. She recently completed her MFA and arts administration certificate from Ohio University's printmaking program. In 2022, she founded the community printmaking studio - Scavenger Studios, in Ashland, Oregon where she leads a variety of workshops, classes and open studios.
Marwin Begaye // An internationally exhibited artist, Marwin Begaye examines the issues of cultural identity through the intersection of American Indian and popular cultures. His ongoing research investigates the technical processes related to printmaking and construction of mixed-media art. He has received numerous awards as an Artist in Residence and through juried exhibitions, often negotiating the cultivation of his own skills and opening doors for his students. His work has been featured in numerous publications and he maintains an active exhibition schedule, featured in exhibitions in New Zealand, England, Argentina, Paraguay, Italy, Siberia and Estonia. He is in private, museum collections and the United States Library of Congress, Prints and Photograph Division.
Dylan Goldberger // Dylan Goldberger is a Brooklyn based printmaker and illustrator known for his ability to blend traditional relief printmaking, screen printing, and digital drawing. He loves creating detailed compositions with captivating animal characters. The scenes are infused with humor and social commentary, often pointing out the absurdities in human life or depicting the nuances of subcultures like skateboarding or classic country music. Dylan’s art has been shown in galleries and museums worldwide including New York City, Los Angeles, Brussels, and Tokyo. In addition to his printmaking practice, Dylan runs his own illustration studio where he has collaborated with top brands creating everything from skateboard graphics to magazine covers.
Annalise Gratovivich // Annalise Gratovich is a print-centric artist living and working in Austin, Texas. She specializes in large-scale woodcuts, etchings, and collage. Annalise’s work investigates her identity as the second-generation daughter of a Ukrainian war refugee living in the American South, and more recently, her experience with chronic illness and disability. Her print and collage work is largely figurative and surrealistic. It draws information from her heritage and contemplation of longing and belonging, displacement, and diaspora. Her imagery explores personhood, identity, loss, and the natural world where roots- both figurative and literal- are planted. Annalise sits on the Board of PrintAustin and works in the Prints&Drawings Department of the Blanton Museum. Her studio is housed at Canopy Austin and her upcoming exhibitions are with the Plains Art Museum in Fargo, ND, Flatbed Press in Austin, TX, and Hecho Gallery in Santa Fe, NM. As far as being a print-centric artist.
Violeta Juárez // Violeta Juárez is a Graphic Communication Designer from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and has a Masters in Visual Arts with a specialty in Engraving in Postgraduate Arts and Design FAD-UNAM, Academic stay and research at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Burin workshop at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Incursion in various workshops such as: free Artistic Screen Printing and Engraving workshops at Academia de San Carlos UNAM, Lithography workshop at La Ceiba Gráfica A.C., Veta Gráfica Workshop, Rhino Image Production and Graphics Workshop (TIR), and National Workshop of the University of the Arts of Aguascalientes.
She has participated in various Engraving Fairs nationally and internationally, such as La Guelaguetza Gráfica ‘19, the Salón de Mini Estampa ‘18, the Meeting of Free and Independent Graphics in Guadalajara, the National and International Engraving Fair in Aguascalientes in various editions, Tianguis C.A.C.A.O. of the UNAM in Oaxaca, Mexican Women Exhibition Mexico - UK, in Newcastle England, as well as cultural reviews in the magazine “Nolyx Anitnegra” of the Society of Xylon engravers of Argentina and publication of images in magazines and newspaper supplements such as “La Soldadera” from Zacatecas, related to culture and art in Mexico.
Jun Lee // Jun Lee (Washington, DC) is a printmaker who works in large format woodcut utilizing animals as metaphors to convey competition in our daily lives. She is the owner of JUN LEE PRINTS and a current Printmaking Associate at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center (MD). Lee is a DC Art Bank Grant recipient, awarded by the Government of DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She has completed numerous artist residencies and her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Lee received her MFA in Print Media 2007 from Cranbrook Academy of Art (MI) and her BFA in Illustration 2002, and a Post Baccalaureate in Printmaking 2004 from the Minneapolis College of Art & Design (MN).
Samantha Mendoza // Samantha Mendoza was born in the San Joaquin Valley in Central California. Her journey into printmaking began at College of the Sequoias in 2010, under friend and mentor Richard Peterson. She graduated with her BFA in Printmaking at the Kansas City Art Institute in 2015, followed by her M.F.A. at Northern Illinois University in 2019. With influences such as Dark Romanticism and Magic Realism, the work emphasizes an ornamental aesthetic that fixates on storytelling crafted from rumination and aspiration.
Samantha is a member of Grafik House, a collective print shop based in downtown Saint Louis, and teaches printmaking and drawing at Webster University.
Johanna Mueller // Johanna Mueller is a printmaker, artist and entrepreneur, born and raised in Denver, CO, now residing in Greeley, CO where she co-owns and operates Wonderhand Studios, printmaking studio and gallery. She earned a BFA in printmaking from The Metropolitan University of Denver and an MFA in printmaking from George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. She has had the opportunity to speak to students about her work, the business of art, as well as demonstrate engraving methods at institutions including: The University of Denver, Vanderbilt University, Bowling Green State University, Bethel College, Texas A&M University of Corpus Christi, and many more. She has been the recipient of the Laila Twigg Smith Artist Residency Program at the Donkey Mill Arts Center, in Kona, HI, the Brush Creek Artist Residency in Saratoga, WY, Jentel Artist Residency in Banner, WY and was an Artist in Residence at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass, CO.
Cassie Normandy White // Cassie Normandy White is an artist and educator from central Texas. She earned a BFA in Studio Art from Texas State University in 2013 and an MFA in Printmaking from Tulane University in 2018. She is currently an Assistant Professor of Art Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. She has exhibited in numerous national and international exhibitions including Canada, Finland, and Iran, and is included in many public and private collections, including the US Library of Congress.
Kathryn Polk // Kathryn Polk (b.1952 in Memphis, Tennessee) studied painting at the Memphis Academy of Art (1970) and Memphis State University (1970-1973).
In 2002, she began working with traditional stone lithography. Polk’s southern heritage and strict religious upbringing serve as a backdrop to her work.
Her lithographs can be found in permanent print collections throughout the world in China, NewZealand, South Korea, Wales, France and Argentina as well as in museums and university collections throughoutthe United States.
She and her printmaker husband Andrew Polk are co-owners of L VIS Press, a print studio with the primary focus of stone and plate lithography techniques. L VIS Press has recently relocated from Tucson, Arizona to a rural area near Bloomington, Indiana.
James Rose // James Rose is a professor emeritus of drawing and printmaking at Kutztown University as of2023. He received a Master of Fine Arts degree in printmaking from Tyler School of Art, Philadelphia, PA (1992). James Rose completed his undergraduate degree in painting and printmaking at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA (1990). He also attended the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture (1996 & 2021). His prints and drawings have been exhibited in numerous exhibitions nationally. James has received two Fellowships in the Visual Arts from the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. His work is in the permanent collections of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (print/ drawing collection), the African American Historical and Cultural Museum, the Philadelphia Free Library, and the Allentown Museum.
Reinaldo Gil Zambrano // Reinaldo Gil Zambrano is an award-winning printmaking artist based in Spokane, WA from Caracas, Venezuela. Reinaldo is currently an assistant professor of Printmaking at Gonzaga University as well as an artist member at the Saranac Art Projects, Co-founder of the Spokane Print & Publishing Center, and Spanish host for Hello Print Friends Podcast (the number #1 Printmaking Podcast).
Raj Bunnag is an Thai American artist living and working in Durham, North Carolina. He received his BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art in 2012 with an emphasis in Printmaking and his MFA at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2022. He currently is the Curator of Exhibitions at CAM Raleigh and is a Speedball Art Products demo artist.Bunnag’s artistic practice examines systematic racism inherent to the foundations of the US, its institutions, and its domestic/global policies, through themes in the lineage of print. His current work focuses on systemic violence that is often carried out by white communities throughout this nation’s history. The dangers of collective white rage and the purge that follows have continuously shaped this nation. In his more personal work, Bunnag is reexamining his own experiences about the ideas and baggage that come with self-identity as the son of immigrants and what it means to be a non-white body existing in white spaces. He has shown work nationally and internationally, as well as received numerous awards for his relief printed work.
About Paradigm Gallery // Paradigm Gallery + Studio® was established in 2010 by co-founders and curators, Jason Chen and Sara McCorriston. The gallery exhibits meaningful, process-intense contemporary artwork by emerging and mid-career artists from around the world. In 2022, Paradigm announced the opening of its new 5-story, 7,000 sq. ft. home, The Paradigm Arts Building, in Old City, Philadelphia. Now open to the public, the building boasts multiple floors of exhibition space, integrated in-house design and printmaking, a dedicated events floor, and art advisory offices. With this, Chen and McCorriston expanded their vision for the greater Philadelphia arts community. The gallery is at the heart of this vision, anchoring Paradigm’s overall mission of increasing access to the commercial art world, supporting artists and advancing their careers, and collaborating with like-minded partners to build a more equitable, sustainable arts economy for all.
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