"Impressed: The Art of Print," an exhibition featuring 27 artists from Vashon and Oaxaca, Mexico, aims to foster an appreciation for contemporary fine art printmaking.

Vashon Island boasts a vibrant community of print artists who share their passion for the intricate imagery achievable only through the unique combination of ink, paper, and pressure in printmaking. Many artists in this show have an affiliation with or are former members of Quartermaster Press, the Vashon co-op founded by artist Valerie Willson in 1993. 

Oaxaca is recognized as one of the great printmaking centers of the world, in part because of the influence of maestros Shinzaburo Takeda and Juan Alcazar. Many of the artists in this show studied with Takeda at the Universidad Autónoma Benito Juarez de Oaxaca (UABJO) and others worked under Alcazar. Many of these artists were also part of the Asambleas de Artistas Revolucionarios de Oaxaca (AASARO), a collective dedicated to social justice.

Vashon artist and printmaker Laurie D. Brown curated the Oaxacan pieces for this show. Having first arrived in Oaxaca in 1995, Brown has worked in numerous studios there, fostering deep connections with its printmaking community and continues to visit and create there each year.

Show opens Friday, Nov. 1, with a First Friday reception from 5-8 p.m., and runs through December 1 (Gallery hours: Wed-Sun, 12-5 p.m.)

ART TALK - The Art of Print in Oaxaca and on Vashon
Join us Sunday, Nov. 17, 2 pm with art historian and Mexican art expert Deborah Caplow and Vashon print artist Brian Fisher, who will speak about the print process and the artists currently showing.

Deborah Caplow is the author of the first book in English about the esteemed Mexican printmaker Leopoldo Méndez, Leopoldo Méndez: Revolutionary Art and the Mexican Print.  She is currently researching the graphic art of Oaxaca and will speak about many of the exhibiting Oaxacan artists that she knows personally. Print artist Brian Fisher will conduct an informal conversation with tools and examples about some of the many approaches to contemporary and traditional printmaking. 

This exhibition is made possible with the generous support of our gallery sponsor, Beth de Groen and this month's exhibition sponsor, Columbia Institute for Water Policy.