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Celebrating Print Media at the Museum

 

In concert with the current exhibition “Une histroire gravée”, the Laurentian Contemporary Art Museum celebrated the art of print making with a Symposium on March 1^st.  Despite the stormy weather, many artists braved the hazardous driving conditions to attend. 

Presenters were artists and art teachers whose art practice includes from traditional etching, lithography, and silk-screening to digital and photographic techniques.  Print workshops, Atelier de l’Île in Val David, Atelier “Circulaire” in Montreal, Atelier “Presse-Papier” of Three Rivers, were represented, and an art dealer provided the marketing aspect. 

The afternoon session started with Bonnie Baxter, a multimedia artist whose art practice encompasses various methods from the traditional etching to the new digital print-making.  Bonnie Baxter has been making art in Val David since 1969.  Her Atelier du Scarabée in Val David is dedicated to the art of print-making.  Bonnie Baxter has taught at Concordia University print media program since 1984.  She is a recipient of numerous awards and exhibited her work in group and solo shows, in more than 70 venues in North America and Europe, Turkey, India and Taiwan.   Her 2007 exhibit “Rewind”, curated by Andrée Matte, at the Musée d’art contemporain des Laurentides is presently traveling in the United States, and is scheduled to go to the Museum of Graphic Arts, Istanbul, Turkey in 2009.  This month Bonnie Baxter was invited to participate in an international colloquium at the Georgetown University.  She will talk about the limits and non-limits in the evolution of her work. 

During her presentation, Bonnie Baxter shared her art with an impressive array of images projected on screen.  She went through the evolution of her creations with her early traditional black on white etchings, to colourful woodcuts, screen prints, digital prints from her “Poppy” and “Baphomet” series, and a series inspired by the school book characters Dick and Jane, which served as the vehicle to progressively show various life experiences including recent travels.  Her presentation concluded with a video entitled “Surreal” depicting herself burning her own artwork as a step to renewal.

François Morelli, an art teacher from Concordia University, gave the last presentation, a unique stamping project.  He began his by saying that the first printing method was applying pigment to the hand for stamping marks on cave walls.

This symposium has shown that print media has come a long way.  It also revealed the need for talks about art.  It would benefit the Laurentian artists’ community as well as the general public.  The museum team should be commended for initiating and organizing such an event.

 

Images in Photography and Prints at the Museum

 

The Museum opened the New Year with a three-part exhibition combining photographs and the History of Print making in the Laurentians.

 

The first two parts are photographs made by two television personalities.  Television reporter, Christiane Charette, who shows deformed faces of famous people in photographs she created during a sabbatical year.  The news man Jean René Dufort (A.k.a. Infoman) presents photos with a satirical and critical twist.

 

The third part of the exhibition, tells the story of the dynamic Laurentian print making community with etchings made by accomplished Quebec artists, and highlighting the three Laurentian Print workshops: Atelier de l’Île and Atelier du Scarabée of Val David, and the Centre de l’image et de l’estampe de Mirabel.  The exhibit includes many different techniques of making art on paper.

 

The interesting collection features an array of artists such as Jean Paul Riopelle, René Derouin, Kittie Bruneau, Paul Vanier-Beaulieu, Claude Vermette, Bonnie Baxter, Gilles Boisvert, Louise Bloom and many others, who took part in making this history.  Each of the print workshops was represented by a few of their members.  There are also young art students, such as: Jasmin Gunn, Roger Nelson and Kevin Proulx of the Mirabel Print Workshop, who continue making print history in the Laurentians. 

 

During this exhibit, the museum in collaboration with Atelier de l’Île of Val David, will presented a seminar to demystify the various techniques of print making on Saturday, March 1^st.  Print making is no longer limited to etching, lithography, aquatint or silkscreen.  There is a multitude of techniques currently used for creating images on paper in print workshops.  Specialties have evolved to encompass new materials as well as electronic devices.

 

The exhibit continued until March 30^th at the Musée d’art contemporain des Laurentides.  Open Tuesday to Sunday from 12 noon to 5 p.m., at 101, place du Curé Labelle à Saint-Jérôme. 450-432-7171,  www.museelaurentides.ca. 

 

This site was last updated 09/12/08  

Copyright © 2006 Ilania Abileah. All rights reserved.