Artists, thinkers and creatives of all varieties have always responded to the critical social, cultural and political moments in their time. We find ourselves living through one of these moments. Again our creative and critical thinking communities are raising their heads and minds to meet the moment. To question, critique, analyze, and innovate through this moment of change takes place through collective action and with the care and support of each other.

“Near and Far” is an exhibition of fine art prints created for an international print exchange hosted by Morlan Gallery. Print-based artists were asked to create works centered around the theme of: “How do we sustain ourselves and others emotionally and physically?” All works seen here have been created mid-2020 when our need to connect with and support each other has become increasingly important. “Near and Far” showcases prints from a variety of printmaking media and deals with ideas related to home, isolation, place, play, monotony, longing, racial justice, vulnerability, distance, new and old habits, meditation, reading, gardening, safety, mental health, screentime, the collective unconscious, community, change, progress, separation, technology, and loved ones.

Barbara Ash

Barbara is an artist-sculptor exploring the dynamics of female experience, and identity through sculpture, print and painting, based on a houseboat next to the Bristol Channel. For the previous 10 years, her practice was based in Bangalore; participating in a range of residencies/projects and exhibiting across India before closing the era creating & managing a final farewell project; a 4 woman India to Europe touring exhibition inaugurated by Juan Cruz, the Dean of Fine Art at the Royal College of Art.

Ash has exhibited widely, she graduated with a Masters in Sculpture at the Royal College of Art, was awarded the Henry Moore Fellowship, several Artists Grants from Arts Council England, including a recipient for the Year of the Artist Award, a “Judges Favourite” (Mary Allen; ex-Secretary-General of the Art Council England) in the British Women Artist Annual 2015, and awarded the Marshwood Arts Prize selected by Tania Kovats 2019

"I feel the lockdown experience has brought forth such strong differences and divisions. Those of us in good health on the sidelines have to adjust to restrictions and financial pressures and keep our morale strong, while there are thousands, suffering, dying and mourning in their own private hell, and alternately those actively battling on the frontline toil relentlessly with emotional trauma and unsafe conditions, risking their lives to keep the population from peril. The print explores the strength of the spirit in adversity in these challenging times."

Barbara Ash --- Shadows of Frailty 2 --- variable edition linoprint on Somerset

“‘Shadows of Frailty 2’ looks at our vulnerability in the pandemic; how our feeling of safety is undermined with a common threat to survival and the heightened awareness of our own mortality. The print explores the strength of the spirit in adversity in these challenging times”

Chelsea Clarke

Chelsea Clarke is a graduate student and instructor at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, where she investigates the intersections of various media such as print, fibers, ceramics, and drawing. Her conceptual practice mirrors this multidisciplinary approach as it focuses on discrete yet intertwining identities and their effect on her daily life. She attended undergraduate at Virginia Commonwealth University where she also finished a post-Baccalaureate degree in Nonprofit Management, which she plans to use in order to found a radically accessible artist residency following the completion of her MFA.

"My work deals with the effects of mental and physical illness on my personality and relationships. Though I suspect this theme has always been present in some way, I consciously decided to develop it after beginning treatment for a chronic condition. Being in recovery has forced me to peel away at my personality in order to discover who I am going to be as I continue to move forward (or maybe sideways). During this transitional time, my practice has ended up somewhere in between fibers and printmaking, with my interest wandering towards drawing and painting. This multidisciplinary approach allows me to fully express my ideas while also being mindful and compassionate towards my body, which continues to amaze me with its resilience."

Chelsea Clarke --- Homes Askew --- screenprint

Marika Christofides

Marika Christofides is an MFA candidate at the University of Kentucky, working in print and fibers.

"Growing up, my parents owned an architectural practice — later, I spent six years in publishing before pursuing my MFA. Because of these experiences, I am interested in newness and disposability; the life cycle of things and our attachments to them. Using kitsch aesthetics in my work allows me to express existential anxieties and preoccupations with a sense of play. Currently, my work takes the form of print-based installation and sculpture."

Marika Christofides --- Infestation --- screenprint

“By design, a house is meant to keep insects out. An infestation means that the house needs to be fixed – the windows sealed, or the walls fumigated. But insects are always there, whether you’re aware of them or not. This print is about the things we are trying to keep out, of our homes or ourselves”

Arron Foster

Arron Foster received his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking and Art Education from East Carolina University in Greenville, NC and his Master of Fine Arts degree in Printmaking and Book Arts from the University of Georgia, Athens Georgia. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally and has held academic appointments at the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, and Ohio University in Athens, Ohio.

"As an artist I am concerned with how the physical landscapes is transformed into a cognitive one and how personal and public spaces intersect in the stories we tell about a place and the way we choose to represent it. The consequence of this for me as an artist has been that most of the work I do whether its printmaking, book arts, video, or installation begins with a place, a site or location that becomes a jumping off point for my imagination.

Each project or series that I undertake is arrived at through an intuitive, research-based approach to observing, studying, and documenting specific locations with the hope of creating a dialogue between myself and the viewer that provides an opportunity for shared exploration and interpretation of places. I believe that by developing a shared understanding/familiarity with the physical world, we can encourage empathy for the spaces we occupy and perhaps encourage a greater sense of stewardship and care.

Recent projects such as Another Time, Stars to burn, and while the earth remains have been highly invested in looking at specific watersheds, namely the Oconee River in Athens, GA, the Cuyahoga River in NE Ohio, and the Hocking River in Athens, Ohio as metaphors for time and change as well as sites in need of advocacy in that they have been greatly effected by over development and climate change."

Arron Foster --- By and bye --- screenprint

“As an artist, I am concerned with how the physical landscape is transformed into a cognitive one and how personal and public spaces intersect in the stories we tell about a place and the way we choose to represent it. As such, for this exchange, I created an image that reflects my belief that it is my connection to the land and the place’s which I’ve inhabited that has been most sustaining and provided me with a sense of continuity in turbulent times.”

Madison May

Madison Nicole May is an interdisciplinary artist located in Chicago, Illinois where she is in pursuit of a Master of Fine Arts Degree in Printmedia from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in Printmaking from Kendall College of Art and Design (2016). She has held the title of Gallery Assistant, Instructor, & Printshop Technician. In 2017 May opened Bend Gallery, a not-for-profit gallery in Grand Rapids, MI, which also hosted the artist collective she co-founded, Good Manufacturing Artist’s Co. Her work has been exhibited both locally and nationally in exhibitions such as Rinse/Repeat (Ann Arbor, MI), The 39th Annual Paper In Particular National Exhibition (Columbia, MO), and Four Rivers Print Biennial (Carbondale, IL). She has been a visiting artist at the Lamont Gallery in Exeter, NH and has been an artist in residence at Zea Mays Printmaking in Florence, MA.

"Over the course of my life, I’ve lived in twenty-three houses. This nearly annual relocation instilled in me a hyper observation of interpersonal dynamics, objects, and power structures within the home. Through the use of printmaking, sculpture, and collage practices primarily, my work investigates themes of domesticity, the creation of comfort, and the impact these constructs have on individuals and their relationships."

Madison May --- Tuesday --- screenprint and lithograph

Anthony Mead

Anthony Mead grew up in southwest Michigan and is currently living and working in Lexington, KY. Mead received his Master’s of Fine Arts at Arizona State University in 2019 and his Bachelor’s of Fine Arts in 2010 from Kendall College of Art and Design following studies abroad at Florence School of Fine Arts 2009. Also, in 2010, he co-founded Dinderbeck, a community artist studio, in Grand Rapids, MI. Mead has exhibited nationally and internationally, presented at museums and national conferences and taught classes at Transylvania University, the University of Kentucky, Arizona State University and Kendall College of Art and Design in the fields of Printmaking, Graphic Design and Art Foundations. Mead’s work focuses broadly on concepts revolving around custom. Most recently his work has focused on the pyro-human relationship through human origins, history, societal development, and fire identity. His interests revolve around fires transformative properties and how it may be a lens to understand ourselves, global ecological impact, and responsibility.

"Fire, a simple combination of heat, oxygen, and fuel coming together to form a relationship that ignites into a constant state of change and impacting its surroundings through its transformative properties. As they synthesize, a contextual relationship is negotiated between the fire and fuel, bringing the flames into existence and simultaneously transforming both. A transformative relationship also occurs between fire and humans as fire users, manifested through evolution and societal development as well as a balancing act of control, withdrawal, vulnerability, security, and intimacy.

For us as humans fire is the genesis for the often-felt separation between what it is to be human and what it is to be natural, oddly different and oddly the same. Our fire, taking the form of light bulbs, heaters, and even engineered materials like glass and steel, has become so isolated into its parts that we no longer see it for what it is, a contextual relationship, dependent on its parts synthesizing together to give it existence and being, the same way that we, as humans, are a series of contextual relationships dependent on the ecological structure we are part of to exist and continue to maintain our being."

Anthony Mead --- Communal hearth; for better or for worse --- woodblock and screenprint

Jessica Page

Jessica Page was born and raised in rural Michigan. In 2009 she received her BFA in photography from Kendall College of Art and Design along with earning the Studio Excellence Award for photography. After graduating she worked at LaFontsee Galleries, in Grand Rapids, MI for seven years refining her craft and aesthetic eye. Currently, Page lives and creates in Kentucky where she is working to earn her Master’s of Fine Art. She is fascinated with Familia ties, the natural world and the connectivity of memory and emotions.

"How well do we know the people around us? is it possible to get to know someone who is no longer physically part of this world? My artwork is an investigation in how we put the pieces together, assemble the evidence of others and combine it with our individual or collective memories to create the whole. I work with processes of photograph and sculpture to examine physical evidence and materials of domestic settings as a metaphor for peeling back layers of narrative and then reassembling them in order to understand individuals.

We all have someone close to us that we only know partially. Who are they and how can we deepen our relationship with them? Archeologists and Anthropologists have investigated human stories for ages using the remains of settlements, trying to gain insights and knowledge about the past. My work is an intimate, personal, archeological exercise. I investigate and work to understand what is real and what is imagined by combining various layers together to gain a deeper understanding of those who have already passed, those currently around me and myself."

Jessica Page --- Kale --- cyanotype with flocked screenprint

Jessica Peterson

Jessica Peterson is a third year MFA ceramics and print making candidate at Purdue University. She currently holds an MA in ceramics from Governors State University, University Park Illinois.

"The work I make is a combination of hand built and screen-printed ceramics. The imagery I explore is line, the human figure, and an examination of the “void” and what it is, could be, or contains. My work may offer a result of all three in one piece or each of them individually."

Jessica Peterson --- A Comfy Afternoon --- linocut and watercolor

“Being able to curl up with a good book in my comfy chair is what sustains me. Diving into another reality is sometimes what we need to be able to deal with this one.”

Szilvia Ponyiczki

Szilvia Ponyiczki is a British-Hungarian artist based in Lincolnshire. Her work addresses painting and printmaking as a means of translation, it brings together interrogations concerning identity, our personal and collective unconscious, and delves into the symbolism, messages and representation of dreams. Ponyiczki worked as an architect for fifteen years and fine art practice has always been an important factor in her life. In 2016 she began studies for an MFA degree in Nottingham.

"The main aspect of my work is the exploration of the personal and the collective unconscious through art. To gain a deeper understanding of this world I approach it through the realm of dreams; by creating figurative dreamscapes or abstract dream-carpets. My aim is to incorporate the ways of the unconscious into my art processes, to build up a parallel world. During the course of transformation a new visual language is generated, having properties of its own. This is analogous to alchemy where from the source material (material prima) the healing Philosopher’s stone is created. I believe that this artistic method mirrors the individuation process."

Szilvia Ponyiczki --- Midsummer Night ---lino print, jigsaw and multiple block technique

“‘Midsummer Night’ is a representation of my current practice. The main aspect of my work is the exploration of the personal and the collective unconscious through art. I work with the principles of dream analysis, dealing with dreamscapes, and the multiple layers of the human unconscious to capture the unknown. My aim is to incorporate the ways of the unconscious into my art processes; to build up a parallel world. I believe that this artistic method mirrors the individuation process, meaning that we all want to become more individual and at the same time more generally human.”

Kelsey Reiman

Kelsey Reiman is an artist who works in printmaking and book arts. Her work re-frames feminine narratives that are often dismissed as trivial. She is originally from Kearney, Nebraska, and received her BA in Media Arts in Sciences from Wellesley College in 2015, and her MFA from Arizona State University in 2019.

"Educated by contemporary American society to prioritize and value ideas that can be expressed verbally, those that cannot be named or communicated through words can be easily suppressed. However, we experience the world through our bodies and therefore our knowledge is not exclusively verbal or mental. Our haptic knowledge, that which is known through the physical, is stored in our hand and bodies. Visual and tactile senses are connected; when we look at an object, we know what it will feel like because we recall feeling similar objects in the past. The combination of visual and tactile senses engages our memory. Patterns are often viewed on clothing or interior wallpapers and upholstery. Therefore they have an inherent associations with the body and how one relates to space. Patterns can help define spaces, or in the case of camouflage can they can distort or transform objects and spaces.

In my work, I use pattern and haptic visuality to engage with my memories of growing up in Nebraska and learning traditional domestic crafts from my mother, grandmother, and great grandmother. I am interested in matrilineal traditions, and forms of making that are often dismissed or devalued."

Kelsey Reiman --- Untitled --- screenprint

Roberta Restaino

Roberta Restaino is originally from Italy. She earned a BFA in Visual Art and Design at the Academy of Fine Arts (Accademia di Belle Arti) in Rome and an MFA in Printmaking at the University of Colorado in Boulder where she taught Printmaking and Foundations. In Italy and Europe, she worked in Art Museums, at colleges teaching set design and creative workshops. She was a deputy director of creative events - Officine Creative. She has exhibited her work in USA, Italy, England, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Bosnia & Herzegovina, South Korea and Africa.

"My work focuses on the impact of technology on the evolutionary process. I investigates what I call the “disappearing” line between new technological processes and nature. The development of bioengineered organs, tissues, the invention of cyberspace, and the use of algorithms combine to create a virtual space demonstrate how scientific discoveries have become increasingly interconnected within human life. Our subjective perceptions inevitably shape our understanding of life. We are in a certain way changing our evolution."

Roberta Restaino --- Separazione --- dry point

“The global pandemic made me more aware that even though we function as separate entities, we are all connected and need this connection to function. I believe that “Separazione” (separation) is something that challenges us to find ways to overcome unpredictable situations that life brings to us and gives us an opportunity to grow. Nature is the great teacher that shows us multiple instances where animals lose a part of their body and that part miraculously regrow. In front of life, we cannot surrender because we cannot impede its flow. “Separazione” is a metaphor of life that continues to proceed despite inevitable circumstances.”

Emily Ritter

Emily Ritter is an anthropocene artist originally from Wichita, KS and now resides in Mesa, AZ. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art with an emphasis in Printmaking from Wichita State University in 2012. After graduating, Ritter was an Intern-in-Residence at Women’s Studio Workshop in Rosendale, NY in 2014. She received her Master's of Fine Arts in Studio Art from Arizona State University in 2018. Ritter explores the consequences of human irresponsibility and how we affect different species and environments. Her goal is to initiate a conversation about the ecological issues that affect our planet and encourage the viewer to think about their actions and role. She has exhibited her work locally and nationally.

"I explore human irresponsibility and its consequences on different species and environments. I use my consumption and waste as an example of the irresponsibility of the contemporary culture of consumption and designed obsolesce. This is conveyed by creating and combining installations, prints, and sculptural objects in a formal and narrative manner while also incorporating the materials that I consume and would then throw "away". As a person that is conscience of how consumption affects our planet, I still produce waste. My goal is to initiate a conversation about the ecological issues that plague out planet and encourage the viewer to think about their actions and role."

Emily Ritter --- Attempted Tomato --- screenprint

Eugene Sarmiento

Eugene Sarmiento is a visual artist hailing from Dallas, TX. Eugene received his BFA from the University of Texas Arlington in Printmaking and his MFA from the University of Kansas in Printmaking and Drawing. He enjoys spending time in gardens smelling the roses and drawing them, listening to Outkast in the studio, and making zines about time’s perpetual existential dread

"As Chicano artist, my work deals with the nuanced representation of the plight of working life, and the struggles of finding acceptance/purpose while highlighting melancholic beauty in lived experiences. I am fascinated by drawing as it can be an accessible process with limited materials that lead to infinite possibilities for imagery. Through the use of saturated color and imagined textures/characters prevalent in the tradition of Mexican imagery, I create motifs and iconography to reflect past experiences of life lost and capturing life’s sincerity through ideas of my own existential melancholia. I reference the works of William Blake, and the writings of the rap duo OutKast. The post punk band IDLES, Tejano group La Mafia, and many others serve as personal nostalgia markers through the years."

Eugene Sarmiento --- i’m good with it --- cardboard relief and trace monotype

“Just another day of running around the sun"

Jennifer Scheuer

Jennifer Scheuer is an Assistant Professor in the Patti & Rusty Rueff School Design, Art, and Performance at Purdue University. Scheuer holds a graduate degree from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (MFA Studio Art: Printmaking Concentration), an undergraduate degree from Minnesota State University Moorhead (BFA in Studio Art, Art History Minor), and attended the Professional Printer Training Program at the Tamarind Institute, University of New Mexico. Scheuer exhibits nationally and internationally, and has attended artist-in-residence programs in Massachusetts, Virginia, Germany, Canada, and Poland.

"I view my role as an artist as that of a researcher; exploring history, theology, and culture often from a feminist perspective. I am interested in hidden knowledge and neglected narratives that support alternative views of history that change or question the traditions of hierarchy in science and social systems; and I am interested in different forms of knowledge and ways of seeing. Through this investigation I seek to revitalize ideas that have been lost or forgotten, or do not conform to contemporary scientific culture yet may continue to hold philosophical value. Much of my work is based on the Doctrine of Signatures, a theory that the world can reveal its interconnectedness through signs or cues, such as plants can inform us how to use them because they look like our bodies. I have been interested in this theory because I believe that it is a good example of how different cultural, spiritual, and scientific views can inform how we understand/interpret what we see."

Jennifer Scheuer --- Live Pinwheel --- silkscreen

George Sfougaras

George Sfougaras was born in Greece of parents who were part of the Population Exchange between Greece and Turkey in 1922. The family came to the UK during the Greek Military Dictatorship, in the 70s.

He has taught art, developed curriculum materials, used art as a tool for change within institutions and was most recently Headteacher of a school for young people facing physical, emotional and psychiatric challenges.

His work explores issues of human migration, change and cultural inheritance using personal narratives and historical sources. He was joint winner of ‘Small Print International‘2016 and Leicester Cank Street Open 2018. Winner of ‘Ideas on Paper’ Midlands Printers Open 2016 with a pre-1922 reconstructed map of the destroyed city of Smyrna. Shortlisted for the Freedom.org ‘Depicting Human Rights’ Washington DC, in 2017, for the print ‘Songs from my Father’.

"Cultural Geography and History are significant sources of inspiration as well as broader global events at the intersection of politics, geography and religion. My current work explores lost histories with the outcomes expressed as paintings, pen and ink drawings, prints or books."

George Sfougaras --- Inheritance --- Japanese linocut on masa Japanese 86 GSM paper

“This print is partly a homage to Claire Leighton and partly inspired by the difficult period in American and global history, following the death of George Floyd. Leighton’s wood engravings are beautiful and evocative of a time when the world relied on simpler values. My print deals with the harsh realities of our recent history and the current context. The scythe is a symbol of death as well as the harvest implied in the image. The figures are two African American farmers, a father and son “drawn” from farming history of the state of Kentucky, where my prints would reside. I was interested in the idea of inheritance as a dialectic device.

‘Dialectical’ means trying to understand how two things that seem opposite could both be true. In this image two hard working men enjoy a moment of peaceful existence. Beyond this pastoral idyll, systems, histories, and dynamics drive a different reality. There are other symbols in this image and other political implications about the history of slavery which are up to the viewer to interpret."

Amy Simons

Amy Simons is currently a graduate student in printmaking at Arizona State University.

"My current research explores monoprinting on handmade paper, often incorporating textiles as physical components, inky ghosts or deep embossments. Fabric so cleverly shows us its warp and its weft. I am not wedded to a particular material or method, intaglio, serigraphy, but all printmaking leads me to papermaking. A desire to know the sheets as more than just substrates, taking ownership of the fiber, weight, form and color that best serve a final print."

Amy Simons --- Untitled --- monoprint on artist made paper with textile inclusions

“I made this piece thinking about the new ways we are finding connection during the time of covid. Considering themes of absence/presence, virtual / physical, what we’ve lost and what we hope to gain.”

Lizzy Taber

Lizzy Taber’s projects explore the relationships between art and science, with a current emphasis on marine ecology and seafloor mapping. Taber’s work has been shown at The Exploratorium, Bentley Gallery, Southern Graphics Conference International, the Sky Harbor Airport, and in other galleries across the United States. In addition she has also attended artist residencies in Croatia, Iceland, Hawaii, Schmidt Ocean Institute, Savannah and Key West. A native of South Florida, Lizzy holds an MFA from Arizona State University.

“My work intersects art and ecology with the focus of the ocean. Through the lens of personal connection, memory and science - I am interested in creating work that highlights both data and emotion.”

Lizzy Taber --- Sunrise to Sunset --- cyanotype varied edition hand colored with ink

Stephen Wiggins

Stephen Wiggins was born and raised in Lexington KY. He grew up on 7th and Dakota street in the north side of Lexington. He has his bachelor's in art studio emphasis in painting from the University of Kentucky in 2005, during his studies he took printmaking classes in lithography and silkscreen there. He joined the bluegrass printmakers cooperative in 2006 and from 2015-2018 became the president. He also holds an associate's degree in graphic design from KCTCS in 2017. He lives and works and continues to make linocuts and silkscreen prints from his home studio. He lives in St Louis Missouri with his wife.

"As a African American who is a Christian and a printmaker sometimes these identities align in my work in how I create the images I make. The images make have a strong connection to comedy and wordplay. I concentrate mainly on making people laugh and think. The world is too painful and laughter brings joy. I am showing what is beautiful about laughter and what is wonderful about life."

Stephen Wiggins --- I Can’t Breathe --- five color screenprint

“This edition of prints shows an image of a person of color wearing a mask with the words “I Can’t Breathe” which is what Eric Garner said while he was being killed by the police. It is a protest change of 2020 due to the deaths of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor. The t-shirt he is wearing says “I am a man” which is from the protest signs from the 1968 Memphis sanitation strike. The two words and phrases are to connect the past and present and how we are near to the problem but very far from the solution. It has been so long and we are still dealing with the same problems.”

David Wischer

David Wischer was born in Henderson, Kentucky. He received his B.F.A. in Graphic Design from Northern Kentucky University and his M.F.A. in Fine Art from Purdue University. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Digital and Print Media at University of Kentucky. His work has recently been exhibited at the Center for Book Arts in New York, Thunder-Sky in Cincinnati, the Four Rivers Print Biennial at Southern Illinois University, and International Print Center New York.

"My work is heavily influenced by my personal daily observations of The Absurd. Television, the internet, current events, and technology are a constant source of inspiration for me. As humans, we deal with money problems, noisy neighbors, unruly pets and all of the other things that make up our hectic and unpredictable daily lives. I use the senselessness of daily life as a foundation for a humorous dialogue with the viewer.

Through my use of digital art, printmaking, drawing, photography, and animation, I meld topical humor, social commentary, nostalgia, and parody in my work, which functions as an inside joke for a generation of young adults who grew up absorbing their knowledge through television and the internet. This encouraged me to find the humor in most situations."

David Wischer --- Cannon Fodder --- screenprint with varnish

“‘Cannon Fodder’ is a reflection on a brief experience that I had during self-quarantine. I played an online social strategy game with strangers and, after two rounds, was promptly targeted and voted out by a man in a robot costume. Someday, I will play that game again.”

Jonathan Wright

Jonathan Rashad Wright was born in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. He received his Associate degree from Southeast Arkansas College in 2009. After graduating from SEARK, he graduated from the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff with a Bachelor of Sciences in Visual Arts under the study of Henry Linton Sr. Danny Campbell, Paul Hooven, and Husny Dahlan. During this time, His artwork was juried into and chosen for a purchase award in their permeant collection at the Mosaic Templars Cultural Center's current exhibition "2015 Creativity Arkansas Exhibition" in Little Rock, Arkansas. He has been influenced by several teachers, most notably, his high school mentor, Cathy Burns. He has received his MFA in printmaking at Arizona State University. His most recent accomplishment was the 2019 juried ASU Galbut prize purchase award. He is currently an Instructor at his Alum Mater.

"As an artist, I have been exposed to various materials, but none piqued my interest like printmaking. More specifically, the technique of relief printing allowed me to discover my unique style. My technique involves hand-carving into the matrix. This element contributes a uniqueness to my prints in a sense that displays how my body reacts to each plate.

Architecture remains a primary compositional device throughout my work because designing structures with different angles, that also embody a certain abstract quality, can completely reimagine the layout of buildings; I find this fascinating. I also choose to present the vernacular architectural forms reminiscent of those from my home state of Arkansas and rural America. Black ink on black paper invites the viewer to look closely and from all angles, to better understand the imagery. This also highlights how the plight of the African American community should be regarded."

Jonathan Wright --- The homestead of Printis Meadows ---laser engraved woodcut on black stonehenge

“This image is the homestead of my great-great-great uncle Printis Meadows, hence the name. My grandmother told me about this home so I had to document it for my family history”

Melanie Yazzie

Melanie Yazzie is Professor of Art Practices and Head of Printmaking at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. Her works belong to many collections such as: the Denver Art Museum, Anchorage Museum of History & Art, the Art Museum of Missoula, the Institute of American Indian Arts, the Kennedy Museum of Art and the Rhode Island School of Design Museum. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and in countries such as, New Zealand, France, Russia, Canada, Estonia, Northern Ireland, Korea, China, United Kingdom, and Australia. She is known for organizing over 150 print exchange projects that connect communities across the world. She makes prints, sculptures and paintings. She has been represented by the Glenn Green Galleries in Santa Fe, New Mexico since 1994.

"There are many levels of my personhood. I have always been proud of who I am, a Navajo Woman. I hope that people see me. As I travel around the county to the east coast and to the west coast - I am hidden. Hidden because many people think Native Americans do not exist. They do not know we are everywhere. In this time I feel many things that are hidden are coming to the surface. I hope it helps people see those of us that are so often hidden."

Melanie Yazzie --- Finding Our Way --- relief, screenprint and sewn element

“We are in this time of change and we are all trying to find our way forward. We are like the small animals dependent on our strengths and how well we can work together to get through these times.”