Art: Printmaking Takes Us on an “Art Loop”

By Sharon Fujimoto-Johnson
The Japanese have a word game called shiritori, in which players must come up with a word that begins with the last syllable of the previous word: “neko” > “kotatsu” > “tsuru,” and so on. I think the English equivalent is called a “word loop,” which is a cousin of the word association game. (I say, “sweet potato,” you say, “potato chip,” I say, “chip-n-dip,” and so on). In any case, in these word games like these, one rides the magical loop of mental associations. Here’s an “art loop” of sorts, beginning at an Adventist college near you
(well, if you’re in Southern California, to be exact):

“€œWomen in Printmaking€”
March 1 – April 5, 2007

Opening reception: March 5, 2007

Brandstater Gallery in the Visual Arts
Center, La Sierra University
Open Monday-Thursday 10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m., and Sunday 2-5:00 p.m., closed Friday, Sabbath, and University
holidays. The exhibit celebrates the 30-year anniversary of Women in the Arts
Movement and is curated by the Riverside Art Museum. Closing reception: April 5,
2007. Info: 951-785-2959. 
 
Printmaking is also on exhibit in New York
City: “Artistic Collaborations: 50 Years at Universal Limited Art Editions,” at
the Museum of Modern Art, January 17 – May 21, 2007. As featured in the New York Times article
“Even in the Digital Age, a Strong Case
for Printmaking” (registration necessary, or log in from
“bugmenot.com.”)
 
And in New South Wales, Australia:
Still on exhibit at the Museum of
Contemporary art, New South Wales, Australia is “Multiplicity,” a printmaking
exhibit that aims to tell an alternate history of prints and multiples over the
past 40 years. October 18, 2006 – March 25,
2007
 
Speaking of Australia…“Where the Rivers Meet: New Writing from Australia,”
the current issue of MANOA, the journal of the
University of Hawaii, is an outstanding collection of fiction, essays,
poetry, and photography representing a complex society in which diverse groups
seek belonging and the preservation of community.
 
Speaking of belonging…
The “outsider art” of Mexican artist
Martin Ramirez is garnering
interest:
Article: “Mystery Train: Martin Ramirez,
outsider,” New Yorker 1/29/2007
Review: “Outsider In,” New York Times,
January 26, 207
 
And finally, speaking of community and art
and you…
Futurefarmers is an organization that seeks
to bring people together to create new work that cultivates consciousness.
Project for Public Spaces is dedicated to
creating and sustaining public places that build communities.