Katelyn Amendolara-Russo, executive director of Medici Museum of Art in Howland, talks about the work of Charles Beneke, one of 14 Ohio artists featured in “Sequence,” a printmaking exhibition organized by the Ohio Arts Council.
Staff photo / Andy Gray
HOWLAND — Printmaking isn’t limited to images transferred to paper or fabric and hung on a wall.
The variety in printmaking can be seen in “Sequence,” which opens Sunday at Medici Museum of Art.
“There is some beautiful work in the show,” Katelyn Amendolara-Russo, executive director of Medici, said.
The show originally was created for the Ohio Art Council’s Riffe Gallery in Columbus and curated by Christine D’Epiro Abbott.
Abbott studied printmaking at Glasgow School of Art in Scotland. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Columbus College of Art and Design and her master’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis. In 2021 she received the OAC’s Individual Excellence Award.
It features the work of 14 Ohio-based artists — Charles Beneke, Eliana Calle-Saari, Neil Daigle Orians, Arron Foster, J. Leigh Garcia, Terence Hammonds, David Leach, Ross Mazzupappa, Ellen Jean Price, Danielle Rante, Bobby Rosenstock, Art Werger, Rebekah Anne Wilhelm and Tara Yarzard.
The show includes traditional framed prints, but it also features massive pieces that mimic wallpaper, a large installation of panels hung from the ceiling of the gallery, works printed on ceramics and a room with patterns printed on mirrors, where the viewer’s reflection becomes a part of the image.
In her curator’s statement Abbott wrote, “‘Sequence’ showcases artists who use printmaking methods as their primary mode of expression, both as a visual tool and a vehicle for ideas. The artists’ common affinity for this particular mode of making presents and insightful lens for surveying contemporary fine art while animating historic techniques with clarity, innovation and personal vision. The exhibition asks, ‘How are Ohio-based artists using printmaking to produce surprising and compelling artworks.’”
Amendolara-Russo said she and Medici curator Alex Jesko enjoyed figuring out the best ways to showcase the individual pieces.
For Calle-Saari’s multi-component installation, Jesko hung the large printed panels complemented with colorful butterflies from the ceiling using fishing line
“I think that’s the best aspect of being behind the scenes,” Amendolara-Russo said. “You have a more intimate, closer experience with the piece when you’re installing it.”
Even the framed prints experiment with different ideas.
Charles Beneke of Akron created a series of nine prints containing words or phrases — from “Breathe” and “Let It Go” to “Eat Donuts” — with each letter printed on top of the other.
“I love this piece,” Amendolara-Russo said. “I like the positive message and how they’re layered, the color and how heavy the ink is applied.”
All of the work in the exhibition is available for purchase.
“If you’re starting an art collection, this is a great show to get started in collecting prints,” she said.
“Sequence” will be on display through Oct. 5 at Medici, which will host a closing reception from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that day.
Have an interesting story? Contact Andy Gray by email at agray@tribtoday.com. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @TribToday.
