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Exhibits showcase printmaking art

Chunwoo Nam. We are Here II, 2011. Lithograph, 15 x 22 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

  • iconPrint

  • Kevin B. O'Callahan (American 1902-1977). Out from Under, 1940. Wood engraving, 9 x 11 inches. Private collection.

  • Harold Cohen. Manscape II, 2006. Collagraph, 16 x 10 inches. Courtesy of the artist.

By SANDRA Q. FIRMIN
Published: February 23, 2012

Traditional, experimental and innovative printed art by three Buffalo-affiliated artists will be the subject of concurrent exhibitions on view from March 3 through May 27 at the UB Anderson Gallery, One Martha Jackson Place in Buffalo. The artists are the late Kevin B. O’Callahan; Harold Cohen, former dean of the School of Architecture and Planning; and Chunwoo Nam, a master printer.

Each exhibition has been individually curated and spotlights the importance of printmaking in the Anderson Gallery collection. Titled “Print Review: Three Exhibition and Collaborative Education Programs,” the show opens with a reception on March 3 from 6 to 8 p.m. Exhibitions and programs are free and open to the public.

Following are details on each show:

A founding member of the Buffalo Print Club in 1931, Kevin B. O’Callahan was a nationally respected printmaker throughout the 1930s and 1940s. In drawings, wood engravings and lithographs, O’Callahan explored the bold shapes, large scales and powerful energy of Buffalo’s busy industrial system on the waterfront before and during the war years. He also employed unique principles of composition that revealed the intricate designs of industrial geometry around the shipyards of Maine, as well as the dramatic contrast of deep shadows and bright light reflecting off the water. This exhibition is curated by James H. Bunn, UB professor emeritus of English, who will lead a walk-through of the show on March 18 from 2 to 3 p.m. at the Anderson Gallery.

Harold Cohen came to printmaking only after his tenure as dean of UB’s School of Architecture and Planning. Indeed, printmaking offered a summation of many of his interests: processes demanding both scientific and artistic thinking, while involving mastery of traditional techniques coupled with innovation. The complexity of printmaking that some find discouraging became the perfect sanctuary for Cohen’s energy, passion for lifelong learning, love of design and his search for expressing the human condition. The prints—selected by guest curator and artist, Hyeyoung Shin, alumnus and research scholar in the Department of Visual Studies—demonstrate Cohen’s constant experimentation with process and expression. A separate studio visit with Cohen will be held March 10 from 2 to 3 p.m. Reservations are required and space is limited for this particular event. Call 645-0571 or email mjmoran@buffalo.edu.

Chunwoo Nam is recognized as a master printer in Korea and by the American Tamarind Institute. For Nam, the complex and tedious printmaking processes provide crucial time for reflection and experimentation to achieve expressiveness. Mindful of the toxicity of the chemical processes, he has experimented with and provided demonstrations of the benefits of etching with a non-toxic copper sulfate. He has recently created alternative ways for presenting printed art within installations, which now include performance. Nam’s environmental installation, “Their Globalization,” speaks to the human consequences of our global economy. Curating this exhibition is Sandra H. Olsen, director of UB Art Galleries. In addition, Nam will conduct a workshop at the Anderson Gallery on March 4 from 1 to 3 p.m.

The UB Anderson Gallery is home to more than 800 prints in its collection of 1,200 works of modern art that was donated to UB in 2000 by David Anderson, son of Martha Jackson. Recognized as one of the most influential art dealers who contributed to the shaping of the post-World War II American art scene, Jackson was one of the first dealers to provide separate gallery space for printed art by modern artists.

Gallery hours are Wednesdays through Saturdays, 11 a.m.-5 p.m.; Sundays, 1-5 p.m.

As part of the public education program accompanying the print show, “Illustrated Books with Prints from the Poetry Collection, University Libraries,” will be on view March 3 through May 27 at the Western New York Book Arts Center, 468 Washington St., Buffalo, and has been organized by Michael Basinski, UB Poetry Collection curator. In addition, Hyeyoung Shin will conduct a workshop there on “Bookbinding: Pop-Up Books II” on April 7.

For more information call 716-645-0568 or visit here.