Printa Kucha features a special presentation format in which each presenter is allowed 20 images that are each shown for 20 seconds—giving 6 minutes, 40 seconds, of fame before the next presenter is up. This format keeps presentations concise and the interest level high while giving more presenters the chance to show their work.
All Printa Kucha presentations will take place from 7:30-9p on March 18 at the Casa Loma Ballroom, 3354 Iowa Ave., as part of the Friday evening events on Cherokee Street.
Download a pdf featuring bios of conference participants
Wunderkammer Awesomelodge
Presenters: Adele Henderson and Anne Muntges
This presentation will center on the Wunderkammer (Cabinet of Curiosities) as a concept. Wunderkummer relates to the conference theme of Equilibrium because the artists are responding to one another. The format will be analogous to that of a salon-style group show, in which work is presented in groupings and united by ideas or images that coexist in one space. In essence, the presenters will build a virtual exhibition where artists meet to create a new space and meaning. Artistic sensibilities will build off one other to create the final outcome.
Understanding the Relationship between Two Images
Presenter: Tate Foley
Viewers read works of art by determining the relationships between images. Printed matter brings these relationships to light: Whether it be two images existing within the matrix, or seemingly disparate images existing on either side of a page gutter, viewers are asked to discern why images coexist on a single plane. The relationship between images is the key to understanding content, narrative, and concept.
Each slide in this presentation will feature two images split down the middle of the screen. Viewers will be asked to determine, in 20 seconds, the relationship between the two images and the significance of that relationship. Very specific and intriguing concepts can be addressed by giving the viewer clues and allowing them to fill in bits of information, allowing for a subjective reading of content.
Desktop Mountaintop: Sculptural Prints
Presenter: Jason Urban
Jason Urban's most recent work focuses on a deconstruction of iconic images representing momentous and monumental elements in the natural world—sunsets, sunrises, and mountaintops. Taking the form of sculptural printworks, his work underscores an ambiguous relationship between three-dimensional objects and two-dimensional images. By adhering digital output to wood and cardboard units, Urban creates piles and stacks that reveal pictures when viewed in their entirety. His influences range from camouflage and op-art to minimalist sculpture and games of skill (like Jenga, Tetris, and pick-up sticks). Urban uses traditional (even clichéd) motifs, such as sunsets and mountaintops, and reinterprets them through a series of digital filters to present them in a new context.
Human Haiku - Digital Prints
Presenter: Sharron Pollack
Human Haiku is a series of digital prints by Sharron Pollack that explores aspects of our humanness. The inspiration for the project came when Pollack saw an individual who looked profoundly hurt. Afterward, the word "HURT" kept reeling in her head, as did words like "HEAL" and "HEART." Eventually, 17 one-syllable "H" words formed the linguistic basis for the Human Haiku series, which exemplifies a range of what it means to be human. The concept of finding equilibrium in one's life lies at the core of the project, with "HATE," "HUG," "HARM," and "HELP" all included in the series. Whereas the conceptual format for this series evolved from language, the visual structure in most of the prints involves a diptych. In many of the pieces, two horizontal images are structured by an "H" shape that is formed vaguely in the negative space. Not only is this series a testament to humankind, but it also references Leonardo da Vinci's substantial, sensitive, and investigative anatomical drawings, which have influenced artists since the Renaissance.
Atlanta Printmakers Studio: A Community Printshop
Presenter: Stephanie Smith
Atlanta Printmakers Studio (APS) was founded in 2005 to promote the fine art of printmaking by offering access to a well-equipped studio and diverse educational programs that foster the development of printmaking as a vibrant and progressive art form. Founders Stephanie Smith, Andrea Emmons, and Kathy Garrou had noticed the southeastern region did not have an existing resource to support that goal; by reaching out to the community of artists in the area, they brought together artists, educators, and arts administrators to support their grassroots efforts to build a printshop for the community.
In November 2006, the studio opened for printmaking. In addition to supporting artists working independently in the studio, APS offers classes, workshops, exhibitions, internships, an Emerging Artist in Residence program, the Sterne Educational Scholarship, and a continuing calendar of outreach events that serve the local community. The studio has received support from the Fulton County Arts Council, the Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs, Georgia Council for the Arts, and the Sara Giles Moore Foundation.
Dialogical Practices in Contemporary Art
Presenter: Nathaniel Stern
Artists no longer simply make images, they also make discourse—they ask us not only to "look," but also to "look again," to reexamine. Art should always be dialogical: in dialogue with history, with other art and artists, with current events, with politics and pop culture, and more. Nathaniel Stern is a strong proponent of this dialogue, as proved by his own artistic practice; in his words: "I believe in chit-chat, in discourse, in studio critique, in humanity. I believe in art karma, in goin' around and comin' around, in sending curators to other people's studios and sharing my tricks and my code and myself. Teaching is a part of my practice and a part of my work; writing is a part of my practice and a part of my work. Collaboration is always implicit in what I do, and often explicit toward the end of a given piece."
One Night Only & Crap Forever: The Enduring Impact of Print Ephemera from the 1960s-1970s on Contemporary Art
Presenter: Michael Krueger
What did we learn from the "throw it together—the message is more important than the medium" aesthetic? Whether it was intended to or not, the slapped together underground publications, rock posters, and protest signage, among other works, have influenced the aesthetic of contemporary print artists.
It turns out the immediacy of the print becomes the aesthetic—all of the crappy qualities of a hastily made print made have meaning. When you look back at prints made in the moment to announce a protest meeting or get the word out about a groovy rock band, the ring of nostalgia tings sharply with imperfections revealed, and the cut corners sing with a pure "in the moment" resonance.
Through the use of examples of 1960s and '70s cast-off ephemera and contemporary art, Michael Krueger will make connections with the past and touch on the present use of printmaking as a down-and-dirty medium that, at least on one level, embraces "crappiness." Examples of contemporary art will include William Powhida, Cammi Climaco, Sam Durant, Glen Baldridge, Joseph Hart, Andrew Kuo, and Zachary Buchner, among others.
Fresh Bread: Take, Break, & Eat
Presenter: Kim Wardenberg
Fresh Bread: Take, Break, & Eat is an ongoing collaboration of edible prints on flatbread that began in January 2010 as the focus of Kim Wardenberg's BFA thesis in printmaking at the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. Her presentation will contextualize the project by discussing its background and development, and by linking it to contemporary precedents.
Around the World in 80 Lithographic Graining Sinks
Presenter: Beauvais Lyons
Over the past three years, Beauvais Lyons has developed a Flickr site that presents a photographic album titled "Graining Sinks of the World." The collection now includes more than 100 sinks from North America, Europe, Africa, Australia, China, Japan, India, and the Middle East. Some of these images were photographed by Lyons, but many were sent by colleagues who wanted to have their graining sink included in the image collection. Lyons' slide presentation will feature 80 different graining sinks from around the world. For more information, visit the Flickr site for the project.
Etching with Electricity
Presenter: Jason Scuilla
Anyone can etch copper plates safely and effectively with electricity. Kansas State University printmaking professor Jason Scuilla will explain how to set up an inexpensive electrical power supply, mix a proper copper sulphate solution, and craft an easily made cathode grid and spatula. Through a series of slides, attendees will be taken through the process of hardware construction, plate development, and finished prints. A master intaglio printer trained in traditional etching in the United States and Italy, Scuilla will offer a concise explanation of what elements are necessary to achieve results comparable to traditional copper plate etching. During the presentation, he will also compare prints he created both traditionally and electrically and discuss the formulation of the Shü-La ground, which he developed to obtain superior electrolytic etching results.
It Came from the Print Shop (Presented in 3D)
Presenter: Brian Stuparyk
3D images are hot right now. This nostalgic and kitschy technological staple of B horror movies and comic books has begun reappearing in our movie theatres and living rooms. Modern 3D is created by polarization, yet most of us remember those ubiquitous red-blue cardboard frames of the past. Their very presence evokes a sense of nostalgia that can lend both aesthetic and conceptual layers to any print process, provided the images have been properly prepared for 3D viewing. This presentation will detail how to make 2D images into anaglyphic (red-cyan) 3D separations through the use of custom diagrams and examples of anaglyphic screenprints. Brian Stuparyk will begin this presentation with a brief description of "space" and strategies of its representation, and then pass out a limited number of 3D viewing glasses. Through 3D diagrams, he will describe how anaglyphs work, followed by a discussion of ink considerations and troubleshooting. The presentation will conclude with samples of 3D prints.