For Immediate Release August 9, 2022
Media Contact:
Kate Taylor Davis
202-321-2878
ktdavis@pyramid-atlantic.org
LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER
National Juried Exhibition of Works on and of Paper
(Hyattsville, MD) LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER features 2D and 3D works on, in, and of paper. The exhibition showcases diverse practices and concepts in paper arts including trends and advances in the art of hand papermaking, politics of paper/papermaking, and explorations of the materiality of paper itself.
LOOKS GOOD ON PAPER opens Friday, August 19th and runs through October 2, 2022 in Pyramid’s Helen C. Frederick Gallery. An Artist Reception will be held opening night from 6 – 8 pm. RSVPS are requested for social distancing. The event and exhibition are free and open to the public. The exhibition will be viewable online and without reservation starting Saturday, August 20th. Gallery hours are Wed–Thu, 10–8 pm; Fri–Sat, 10–6 pm; and Sunday 12–5pm. Masks are required in the gallery. Pyramid is located at 4318 Gallatin Street, Hyattsville Maryland 20781. For more information and an RSVP link, visit pyramidatlantic.org or call 301-608-9101.
The jurors—Cindy Cheng, Artist and MICA Professor; Kelly Taylor Mitchell, Artist and Educator; and Gretchen Schermerhorn, Pyramid’s Artistic Director— Pyramid’s Artistic Director—faced quite the challenge in reviewing and making selections from the 588 pieces submitted for consideration. In the end, they selected a group of 40 dynamic pieces from artists across the United States. Each Juror will also make a “pick” of their favorite piece in the exhibition, which will receive a ribbon (made of paper, of course!) and a cash award. These picks will be announced August 19th at the artist reception.
The wide-ranging works will show paper pushed to the limits: stretched, manipulated, recycled, cast, or otherwise transformed so conceptually and visibly, it becomes something else altogether. “I think the scale of the works will be surprising to visitors. We often think of paper in its 8.5″ x 11″ size, but that notion is very much challenged by accumulation, transformation, or repetition in pieces such as in Xuewu Zheng’s “Zen Wall” of cast bricks,” remarks Schermerhorn. “It’s exciting to see how something as common as paper can be used to discuss current political events or philosophical conundrums, such as the piece by Kristen Tordello-Williams, “For Flags,” that explores the history of labor in a common American work garment.”
The selected artists represent an array of approaches in art making, from traditional to experimental. Some are very fresh-on-the-scene of paper arts and some are accomplished, master-level artists with CVs that read like novels. Exhibiting Artists: Cathy Abbott (VA), Hannah O’Hare Bennett (WI), Nathaniel J. Bice (CA), Anne Burton (NE), Susan Casey (PA), Arden Cone (SC), IBe’ Bulinda Crawley (DC), Stephanie Damoff (NY), Priya Dave (MA), Mary Early (DC), Elaine Elledge (PA), Amze Emmons (PA), Andrea Sherrill Evans (MD), Lanie Gannon (TN), Reni Gower (VA), Melissa Harshman (GA), David Joo (VA), Nilou Kazemzadeh (MD), June Linowitz (MD), Christine Medley (PA), Emmett Merrill (MO), Samantha Modder (MO), Hannah Moog (VA), Phuong Nguyen (VA), Kimberly Obee (NH), Anela Oh (TN), Katie O’Keefe (MD), Mariceliz Pagán-Gómez (IA), Ransome (NY), Nicole Salimbene (MD), Katie Schutte (WI), Megan Singleton (MO), Briana Stanley (CA), Barbara Straussberg (PA), Kristen Tordella-Williams (MS), Jocmarys Viruet (PR), Isabella Whitfield (VA), Frances Vye Wilson (DC), Amy Yoshitsu (CA), and Xuewu Zheng (NY).
This exhibition is made possible in part through a gift from The Nora Roberts Foundation and support from Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, Department of Parks and Recreation, Prince George’s County.
ABOUT PYRAMID ATLANTIC ART CENTER
Founded in 1981, Pyramid Atlantic is a nonprofit contemporary art center fostering the creative disciplines of papermaking, printmaking, and book arts within a collaborative community. We equip, educate, and exhibit in our historic Hyattsville home. Our vision is to create an artistic hub in Hyattsville that inspires and enables local, national, and international artists to create and innovate in our core disciplines; elevates the local arts and small business scene; and enhances the quality of life for artists and neighbors. We value artistic excellence, infrastructure for artists, hands-on experiences, and collaboration.
###
Pictured LUDIE by Lanie Gannon, hand cut paper board and acrylic paint. Additional images available upon request.