The exhibit that will hang in the Underground Gallery of the Harrison Center through February, 2020 is one that is near and dear to my own heart. The 67th Street Printmakers is a group of artists that formed as a result of its members studying and teaching together at the Indianapolis Art Center. I am proud and excited to be a member of this group as it gives me exposure to some of the finest print artists I know of. Some members of the group started out as beginners many years ago at the Art Center, and today regularly show and sell their artwork.

The name of the show is “Multiple Originals.” This term refers to the nature of the art form since most print processes give the artist the advantage of being able to create and sell a number of original pieces from a single plate. (Incidentally, I wrote a whole blog post about this called, “Printmaking 101” which was published March 16, 2018, and which can be found right here on the Harrison Center’s site.) Additionally, “Multiple Originals” describes the members of this group and their offerings, since each one of them is a true original and all specialize in or gravitate to various print media and methods. Actually, this fact is what makes this show so interesting.

Printmaking is, with a few exceptions, a very labor intensive and painstaking way to create a work of art. An artist may spend days or weeks working on a plate before ever preparing the paper, press, etc., and producing a single image. As I saunter through the Underground and gaze at the work hanging there, I can’t help but to be amazed at what I know has gone into the creation of even the simplest image. Some of the methods used, such as Melissa Hauger’s lithographs or Jody Bruns’s engravings, are practically lost arts. It is through the curiosity and tenacity of the artists, and the direction and encouragement of teachers like Patrick Flaherty, Kalleen Chillicothe and Dan Fifer, that these methods are being utilized to create such unique and captivating images. Opportunities to study and understand more about the processes of printmaking are abundant via the internet, or, better yet, by taking a class at the IAC or any number of other venues in the city.