Contemporary Spotlight: New Acquisitions from the Brandywine Workshop
Acquired by Telfair Museums in 2021, these works speak to printmaking’s legacy as a medium that has historically prompted dialogue around major, often contentious, socio-political issues. Several of the topics addressed, such as gender inequities and the legacies of American slavery, have continued to accrue significance and urgency. Other works celebrate the expressive range of printmaking, from abstraction to figuration, and convey intensely personal and vibrant aesthetic visions. These prints mix traditional and modern approaches to art history, printmaking, color, subject matter, and narrative. In the words of Emma Amos (1937–2020), one of the artists, the works on view “dislodge, question, tweak prejudices, roles, and notions related to art.” They challenge us to broaden our conception of who makes art, who poses for it, and how it comes into being.
This exhibition was organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Erin Dunn, curator of modern and contemporary art, and Anne-Solène Bayan, assistant curator.
Unless otherwise noted, all works are museum purchases in recognition of Courtney McNeil’s tenure as Telfair’s chief curator and director of curatorial affairs, from 2018 to 2021.
Contemporary Spotlight: New Acquisitions from the Brandywine Workshop
The Brandywine Workshop, a nonprofit arts organization established in 1972, was founded on the belief in the democratic nature of printmaking—a low-cost, accessible, and highly reproducible art form—and its power to nurture the careers of underrepresented artists. This vision would also inform Brandywine’s residency program, a venue for emerging and established artists with varied artistic practices to explore the art of printmaking in close partnership with master printers. A site of radical experimentation, cross-cultural exchange, and true collaboration, the workshop has since fostered the creative talents of nearly 300 artists from across the country and beyond. This exhibition spotlights the works of 13 of those artists.
Acquired by Telfair Museums in 2021, these works speak to printmaking’s legacy as a medium that has historically prompted dialogue around major, often contentious, socio-political issues. Several of the topics addressed, such as gender inequities and the legacies of American slavery, have continued to accrue significance and urgency. Other works celebrate the expressive range of printmaking, from abstraction to figuration, and convey intensely personal and vibrant aesthetic visions. These prints mix traditional and modern approaches to art history, printmaking, color, subject matter, and narrative. In the words of Emma Amos (1937–2020), one of the artists, the works on view “dislodge, question, tweak prejudices, roles, and notions related to art.” They challenge us to broaden our conception of who makes art, who poses for it, and how it comes into being.
This exhibition was organized by Telfair Museums and curated by Erin Dunn, curator of modern and contemporary art, and Anne-Solène Bayan, assistant curator.
Unless otherwise noted, all works are museum purchases in recognition of Courtney McNeil’s tenure as Telfair’s chief curator and director of curatorial affairs, from 2018 to 2021.
WHAT IS LITHOGRAPHY?
Lithography is a form of printmaking centered around one basic chemical fact: oil and water do not mix. The word lithography comes from the Greek lithos (stone) and graph (writing or drawing). Traditional lithography involves creating a design with an oil-based drawing utensil on a flat stone or metal plate. The surface is dampened and treated with several chemicals so that when an oil-based ink is applied to the wet surface, the drawing is ink-receptive and the non-drawing area is ink-repellant. At the same time, the area around the drawing is water-repellant while the non-drawing area is water-receptive. The final print is a mirror image of the original drawing.
OFFSET LITHOGRAPHY AND THE BRANDYWINE WORKSHOP
In offset lithography, the image is first transferred to an intermediate surface—a rubber “blanket” cylinder—and then onto paper. The image is reversed twice so the final print is oriented just as the artist drew on the original plate. More generally, this process is an industry standard for books, magazines, newspapers, posters, and more.
The Brandywine Workshop provides a unique environment for qualified artists from historically underrepresented communities to explore offset lithography, a medium that requires highly specialized knowledge and access to costly machines. Artists in residence typically collaborate on every step of the printmaking process with a master printer to achieve their vision. The trust and creativity fostered by these partnerships are critical to the final result.
Each print is a product of intention and precision. The piece may start off as an idea, sketch, or concept. From there artists must consider each stage of printing, from the first impression to the final image. Artists and printers toggle with layers, colors, and orders to create the final print. Photographs can also be transferred to the plates for printing, as you will see in several pieces. Other media (e.g. fabric) can be added later. The unique possibilities of offset printing, such as a high degree of control over color, may inform the work produced. As you view the colorful works in this exhibition, think of each color or layer as its own separate pass under the rollers. Only one color or layer is printed at a time.