Exhibition

2nd Biennial, International Footprint Exhibition 2010

Juror/Curator: Anne Coffin, Founder and Director, International Print Center New York

Juror’s Statement:

The invitation to jury the Second Biennial Footprint International Print Competition and Exhibition and the Center for Contemporary Printmaking represented a rare opportunity for me to spend a day totally immersed in the processes of printmaking. More than 400 prints from artists across the country and around the world- in fact from 24 countries- were arranged for viewing on trestle tables in a sunny studio upstairs in the charming carriage house that is home to CCP. Presses and papermaking studios were nearby, with prints drying on racks in varying stages of completion and CCP’s artistic director and master printer Anthony Kirk close at hand.

With virtually every medium of printmaking included- from classical etchings, mezzotints, lithographs, solar etchings, and photogravure- the submissions reflected the intense experimentation and inclination to combine techniques that typify the practice of printmaking today. The range of subject matter was dazzling, all executed within CCP’s prescribed 12-by-12-inch parameters. While some of the work was made in community-and university-affiliated workshops, a larger portion came from artists working alone in their studios, exploring new ideas and techniques.

The process of sorting and selecting is never easy, and in this case it was made more difficult by the strength of the submissions. The prints that stood out for me projected energy, a coherent vision, a sense of the artists’s commitment to an idea, perhaps a fresh view of the world. looked for technical, aesthetic and conceptual excellence- with the goal of rewarding the outstanding, encouraging the new, and offering the viewing public an engaging exhibition, reflective of the breadth and quality of the submissions. Congratulations to all!