Info on the "Print Fantastic"

David Avery Michael Barnes Tom Baker Janet Ballweg Sean Caulfield Andrew Decaen Bill Fick Matt Egan Michael Ehlbeck James Ehlers David Faber John W. Ford Donald Furst Ron Garrett	Oscar Jay Gillespie Victoria Goro-Rapoport Beth Grabowski Nichole Hand Yuri Hiratsuka David Johnson Sarojini Jha Johnson Wayne Kimball Stan Kaplan Faren Kunc Katherine McGuinn Natalia Moroz David Morrison Loy McWhirter	Julie Niskanen Roy Nydorf Judith O’Rourke Brain Paulsen Endi Poskovic Rosalyn Richards Merrill Shatzman Geo Sipp Mark Sisson Francisco Souto Evan Summer Cerese Vaden Carol Wax Judy Youngblood


Curator's Statemant
In early 2008 the printmaking show, Printed, Contemporary Prints & Books by North Carolina Artists, was hosted by the Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art in Greensboro, NC, and was curated by fellow printmaker and friend, Bill Fick. The show was a huge success and it confirmed the power, excitement, and interest in original printmaking. Shortly afterward Mark E. Brown, the executive director of the Theatre Art Galleries in High Point, NC, approached me about possibly curating a national printmaking show. I agreed by proposing a curator’s dream: to select artists whose works I personally liked, with no restriction of theme and no requirement that the show be a “survey of printmaking”, where the emphasis is to show all types and techniques being done today in the world of printmaking from old to cutting edge. As the reality of this “dream project” began to materialize, I began to realize what a tremendous responsibility I had placed on myself. How on earth do I have the audacity to present my own personal tastes to the community and assume they will be equally liked? It would certainly be fair to title this show Curator’s Choice. As I struggled with this assumption I concluded two things. First, I can and must rely on my knowledge gained over the years as an artist, printmaker, and one who has looked at many prints. And secondly, most of the printmakers chosen, by their own effort and expertise, have established themselves as extra-ordinary by virtue of their many, many years as printmakers and exhibitors in countless shows. So I feel more comfortable saying the show stand on their laurels, rather than just my tastes. As I previously said, most of the artists invited to participate in the Print Fantastic have already established themselves as accomplished and fantastic in the print world. But please be aware that those invited are just a small portion of great printmakers that abound throughout the United States, North America, and the World. To show several prints of each artist, space limited the gallery to show only 45 printmakers. I also confess I chose artists I knew and whose work I have seen in person plus even a few artists whose work I have followed through numerous color print catalogs. So again, my contact with artists must be considered a small portion of the many other wonderful printmakers practicing this craft. Association with printmaking organizations like the Southern Graphics Council and the Mid America Print Council have had a tremendous impact on my career as a printmaker by constantly exposing me to other printmakers and their prints. Most of the artists selected have associations with these organizations as well. I am excited for the High Point community to be able to see original prints featuring some of the best printmakers in the country and want to thank all the artists for agreeing to exhibit. This is indeed a rare opportunity for our area and I hope all who see the show will be rewarded and fulfilled by the incredible quality and skill these artists display. John D. Gall