(Above: Dendrostalkers still (2), by Julia Oldham)
Edited by Randi Bjornstad
A new show titled Beyond the Print, has opened at the Maude Kerns Art Center and will be on display through May 2. It features work by five local artists: Mika Aono, Tallmadge Doyle, Sarah Grew, Julia Oldham, and Libby Wadsworth.
The title of the exhibit reflects the fact that these artists strive to take their art literally “beyond the print” through innovative use of artistic materials as well as expanded printmaking techniques.
This work also has reflects their “common concern for and engagement with a world facing ecological collapse caused by climate change,” according to information provided by the art center, but also to express hope for the future as they “highlight the resiliency of nature and engage the viewer in a conversation about contemporary challenges.”
The artists will be at the Maude Kerns Art Center at 1910 E. 15th Ave. from 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, April 19, for a public discussion of their work, which is summarized in the following descriptions provided by the center:
Mika Aono moves into the realm of the conceptual with her piece, “Marks You Carry,” a print left on your mind, what she calls a “collaborative project with accidental participants.” The setting includes a desk lamp, brown noise, a sketchbook, and a Sharpie, along with instruction provided by Aono. She invites visitors to record their thoughts as they contemplate Aono’s project, to essentially create a “print” in their minds of the experience. Aono plans to publish the words collected from gallery visitors in a zine format.
Bioluminescent Life Form V, by Talmadge Doyle
Tallmadge Doyle combines printmaking with drawing and painting, creating multi-layered images that blur the line between various mediums. She displays pieces from a series titled “Celestial Oceans,” merging images of microscopic ocean life forms with depictions of star formations of the solar system. Using this invented imagery, Doyle hopes to educate and inspire the viewer to consider pressing environmental issues related to climate change.
Measles Virus, by Sarah Grew
Sarah Grew intertwines art history, philosophy, natural science, and digital technology in her art practice, creating photographic installations that use historic printing techniques to address contemporary issues, particularly climate change. Grew creates several installations for “Beyond the Print,” including a piece titled Hanging by a Thread – 12 Endangered Wildflower Species of the PNW, which consists of 12 hanging slips of glass, each printed with an image of an endangered species.
Julia Oldham works in a range of media, including printmaking, animation, and digital media to create images that highlight the uneasy collision of nature and technology in a world on the precipice of environmental collapse. For “Beyond the Print,” she exhibits three prints as well as two short films, including Dendrostalkers, a fictionalized account of two sisters who attempt to film trees that have evolved into higher beings (“Dendrotropes”) to avoid clear cutting and the disastrous effects of climate change.
in conversation 6, by Libby Wadsworth
Libby Wadsworth couples the visual and verbal through her photography/ letterpress printing projects that focus on what she sees as “intimate, often overlooked encounters” between the natural and the built environment. Wadsworth photographs urban trees and their root formations within the context of human-built structures. She pairs images and texts, using the language of romance to describe these encounters, and revealing how both the natural and the built environment are altered as they adapt to one another.
Beyond the Print at the Maude Kerns Art Center
When: Through May 2, 2025
Where: 1910 E. 15th Ave. (corner of East 15th and Villard), Eugene
Special event: Artist talk, 2-3 p.m. on Saturday, April 19
Regular gallery hours: 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 4 p.m. on Saturday during exhibits
Information: 541-345-1571 or online at mkartcenter.org
Above: Segment of a Cycle, an example of one of Mika Aoko’s previous environmentally oriented installations, includes found objects: rusty pipe, red thread, and handmade paper embedded with native seeks. Her portion of the current Maude Kerns Art Center show is an interactive display that involves visitors in the creative process.
