Past Exhibits
Michael K. Julian
November 1 - December 7, 2019
"My artwork is an attempt at clarity, immutability, the manufacture of a cohesive document, clear and concise proof of having been here. They are meditative, supportive, affirmation. While considered a form of non-objective abstraction, they feel as real to me as anything else I can remember from my life. They are as real as the people drifting in and out, as real as the places I’ve passed through and the multitude of events I have experienced. Without making them, my existence would be compromised."
—Michael K. Julian
Michael K. Julian is the new Associate Professor of Art & Design for UW-Milwaukee’s College of General Studies at Waukesha. He spent the previous 13 years as a full-time instructor and faculty in the Department of Art at UW-Rock County. He has also been a lecturer in Art & Design for the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee, Waukesha County Technical College (WI), and UW - Washington County.
He received a MFA in Painting from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee in 2004, a MA in Painting from Minnesota State University - Mankato in 2000, and his BFA at the School of Design at Iowa State University - Ames in 1994.
His artwork has been exhibited and collected in Chicago, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, NYC, and Washington D.C. and has received numerous awards. In 2005 he was a recipient of the Mary L. Nohl Fellowship for Emerging Artists.
Michael K. Julian grew up in the northern Chicago suburb of Libertyville, Illinois, the fifth of six children in a family of engineers. He currently resides in Shorewood, Wisconsin with his wife, Jill, and son, Robin. If he isn’t working or making art, there is a good chance he is running around on a tennis court somewhere.
His love of pattern and order developed as a counterpoint to his continuous state of confusion in a seemingly indifferent world.
View Exhibition Artist List of Work
Andrew Musil
November 5 – December 7, 2018
The aluminum pots that were manufactured in the Manitowoc Mirro factories now serve as containers for this narrative: from the company’s success to the effects of the deindustrialization of the rust belt. In this exhibition, composites of images from the company’s past, recent images of the complex, and photographs from my pot collection, are used to express this signification.
Andrew Musil attended UW Manitowoc studying photography and printmaking before transferring to University of Wisconsin, La Crosse where he earned his BS in Printmaking in 2014, and then went on to get his MFA in the Photography and Integrated Media Program at Ohio University in 2018. His projects explore relationships of technologies and their users and impacts of innovations. His practice combines contemporary media with antiquated photographic and printmaking processes. He has exhibited works in museums and galleries nationally.
Stuart Howland - Last Works
October 3 - November 2, 2018
Stuart’s long term interest in Bosch went beyond the usual and often facile fascinations with the seemingly surreal aspects (surrealism was not a “thing” in the 16th century) of Bosch’s paintings to a deeper level. Bosch’s works, seemingly chaotic, are actually carefully crafted tableaus of morality made for a church and culture in the midst of a fraught reformation.
Looking closer, as Stuart did, one sees that nothing is random. The imagery in Bosch is inspired by the Book of Revelations, reformation rhetoric, nature, and a strong moral compass. Stuart’s takeaway, fueled by his serious study, his visits to see Bosch’s work first hand, and numerous discussions and with friends, resulted in his having a deep understanding of Bosch’s process. It is this understanding that shapes and informs these final works. They are not in any way homage to Bosch, or re-hashing of his themes, but rather very original work based on Stuart’s determining how to pull together all of what he cherished in life into his work. I don’t believe that Stuart intended these collages as a legacy. He was not about dying, and neither is this work – in fact it is the opposite.
RESPONSE
September 1-30, 2018
Opening Reception​: September 7, 5:00 - 7:00 p.m.
We suggest that the real “hidden” history of printmaking is that it is NOT a solely university-based curriculum, peripheral to the broader art world, but is a vital global voice against oppressive structures. Our guild is built on a simple concept, as we band together, greater opportunities are available to each of us. Large changes can be made from small beginnings and the beginning is now.
On Instagram @voxpopuliprintcollective
Contact Barry at bcarlsen@wisc.edu or Rachael at rachael.griffin@wisc.edu for more information and how to join.
Throwing Lines
April 2 - May 6, 2018
A portfolio of prints made for the 2017 Southern Graphics Council International annual conference.
This portfolio celebrates prints that embrace and highlight the tension between the hand-wrought and the mechanical, the artisanal and the digital, the historic technique and the innovative hybrid. Modern technology can mask the hand and the do-it-yourself sensibility that, for many years characterized the fine art print. The artists/printmakers included in “Throwing Lines” both honor the hand and challenge the medium with new technologies, to celebrate the mark and its possibilities.
Throwing Lines features nineteen, 15”x 22” prints, using the printmaking methods and materials chosen by the participating artists. In each print the hand “thrown” line/mark plays a pivotal role in the resolution of the image. Throwing Lines is an edition of 22 and is presented in an archival portfolio with a colophon created by the organizers, hand typeset and printed at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum.
Throwing Lines was collaboratively organized and curated by Berel Lutsky and Katie Ries.
The “Line Throwers” are:
Rosalyn Richards, Jason Terry, Berel Lutsky, Lise Drost, Hannah Sanders, Katie Ries, Ben Rinehart, Guen Montgomery, Melissa Wagner-Lawler, Kelsey Stephenson, Freda Sue, John Driesbach, Sue Medaris, Beth Grabowski, Mike Sonnichsen, Veronica Ceci, Karla Hachenmiller, Eileen Wallace, Tatiana Potts
Brandon Bauer - The Euromissiles Crises Series
February, 9, 2018
Here is a link to a video about the work: https://vimeo.com/106388042
Brandon Bauer will be on campus to talk about his work, and the installation on March 14.
Throwing Lines
May 2017
Frank Zetzman
April 2017
Lynn Zetzman - "This Is One Woman's Work"
March 2017
At UW Eau Claire in the mid 1970’s while I was pursuing a double major in Studio Arts and Art History a professor told us that “the best art was personal but touched the universal.” At that time I reflected on what made me “me” and my love of fabrics/textile techniques was near the top of the list. I made a conscious commitment in the ‘70’s to work with fiber materials. Women have historically been textile producers creating in both home and industrial environments across cultures. I did not want to break a glass ceiling I wanted to embrace and honor this history of making--creating work with fiber techniques as a valid expression of what it means to be human. This is not to negate the poor conditions textile workers have and to some degree still labor under—I acknowledge this—but for me in my studio it is joyful work. I am most at peace with the world when I have a needle and fiber in my hands—so for myself I consider this a form of prayer as well as art. I feel I am exuding peace through process.
Traditional tech education for youth in America may be a thing of the past. Today “tech” is almost exclusively computer/engineering based in secondary schools. Grandparents and parents rarely teach their children to make patterns/construct objects today. It is not that I am anti-industrial (that would be foolish) but I do have affinities with the nineteenth century founders of the Arts & Crafts movement. When one cannot make I feel one is impoverished to a degree. My students are thrilled when I teach them to use tools whether it is a hammer and saw or a needle and thread. The DIY movement at first related to the Arts and Crafts movement but more recently associated with current alternative/indie rock music scenes (internationally) blooms with an attitude to take back that impoverishment and move forward empowered by making. Conceptual inspiration/motivation does not have to suffer—it may be enhanced by craft process. Craft is not a limitation or dirty word in my book.
Over the past few years I have chosen to cheerlead for ceramic art with my fabric creations. Art is not a competitive experience for me. It is a celebration. When an artist wins a prize or sells a piece I feel it is good for all artists. I want to build community through creating.
I intentionally make big marks or big stitches to loudly announce the process/materials. Georgia O’Keefe once said she made her flower paintings bigger than life to call attention to them. That if she had made them life sized no one would have given them a second glance. Folk Art and Pop Art are also obvious influences on my work. It has to do with being in and of a culture. “Borrowed landscape” or including found textiles that promote my intention is a concept I learned during 3 stints teaching in Japan from gardeners. I am listening to an inner voice open to the gifts of my environment—hopefully giving back a gift. It is my pleasure if the audience smiles.
24 Hours of Art
February 11 - March 2, 2017
Hamilton Stories: An Oral History
August 1 - October 3, 2016
Hamilton Stories: An Oral History, a six-event speaker series at Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum, commemorated the occupational heritage and process of making wood type. Founded in Two Rivers, Wisconsin in 1880, the Hamilton Manufacturing Company became the largest manufacturer of wood type in the United States. As a local employer and an enduring legacy, Hamilton established a culture of quality, pride and innovation that influenced the community to this day.
Hamilton Stories was established to preserve the stories of six former Hamilton employees who worked in the company’s wood type cutting area. Each event featured one guest speaker who shared his or her personal experience at the company. The speakers guided audience members through the process of creating wood type and shared what it was like to work at the Hamilton plant. Beginning with harvesting wood, cutting letterforms on a pantograph and finally trimming finished pieces each person shared his or her unique story. These commemorative posters were designed for the events and printed at the museum by event attendees.
For details on this six-series event, please visit www.woodtype.org/visit/hamiltonstories.
These posters are available for purchase at the museum store located at 1816 10th Street, Two Rivers, WI 54241 or online at www.woodtype.org/store
Gregory Martens - Seeing the World
April 11- May 10, 2016
Gallery Talk by Greg Martens: April 21 at 1:15 p.m.
Gregory met Sharon, the love of his life, in college; they dropped out, got married, and raised a family of three. After many years as a salesman on the road, Martens became a cobbler in Wauwatosa WI where his whole family helped fix the shoes in their busy little shop. After ten years as a cobbler, at age 46, Martens was suddenly stricken with a very aggressive case of Bone Marrow Cancer. Many surgeries ensued, marrow transplants, months in the hospital, financial ruin, and great loss; but he recovered from the cancer and went into remission.
Physically unable able to fix shoes, Martens went back to finish college in the Art Department at UW-Milwaukee. The harder he worked as an artist the more he recovered. He finished his BFA and stayed on to finish grad school and received his MFA in 2012. Now he spends his time working in his studio workshop called Hip Joint Press, and teaches Printmaking at UW-Milwaukee. Gregory and Sharon have three adult children and one granddaughter, and live in Wauwatosa WI.
Erin LaBonte and Emilie Lindeman - Nesting
March 7 - April 8, 2016
“The poems in this series mediate on the way a new mother and son interact in the space of their home. Some of the poems respond directly to Erin’s photos; others are more grounded in the very intense, emotionally powerful experiences of early motherhood,” Lindemann said. There will be a reception for the artists and a poetry reading at 6:00 p.m., Wednesday, March 30.
Jesse Sauer - Confluence
February 5 - March 4, 2016
Jesse Sauer explores the division between the realms of memory and experience through photographic investigations of the landscape. Born and raised on the western shores of Lake Michigan, Sauer was exposed to wind and waves, fields and woods, snow and cloud-laden skies from early childhood. Elements of that locale worked their way into the photographer’s psyche, and viewers today are invited to experience the unique effects of those unforgettable places. Sauer’s art and practice was strongly influenced not only by his environment, but also by his work with Magnum photographers Mark Power and Jacob Aue Sobol, with whom he served as both Photographic Assistant and Digital Asset Manager.
The photographer’s work has been shown in multiple venues, including Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts in Brookfield, WI and Hide House Creative, Gallerie M and Live Artists Studios in Milwaukee.
Sauer attended UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus and was a recipient of the Vinton Art Scholarship. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. He currently lives and works in Milwaukee, where the dynamics of east side life continue to inspire his photographic journey.
Student Work from Fall Semester
December 10, 2015 - February 4, 2016
Thanks to the generosity of UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus Student Government the Founders Hall Gallery will be having new, energy efficient lighting installed. Thus, the opening of the exhibition of student work from the Fall Semester will be postponed until the installation of the new lighting is complete. We hope to have the work up by the first week of January. There will be a reception to honor the student artists and the new lighting at noon on Thursday, January 28.
Chris Fritton - Itinerant Printer & Collaborators
November 9 - December 3, 2015
www.itinerantprinter.com
www.igg.me/at/itinerantprinter
www.facebook.com/itinerantprinter
www.instagram.com/itinerantprinter
First, the bad news :( - Chris Fritton needed to cancel his workshop on November 4 at UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus. Now, the good news :) - We did the workshop for UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus, and St. Norbert College students without him!! So...we are not showing Chris Fritton - Itinerant Printer & Collaborators ... Just the Collaborators!!
On November 4, ably led by Professors Lutsky, Reis and Kupinsky (all skilled printmakers in their own right, but not itinerant) , students from UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus, and St. Norbert's College met in UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus printmaking studio for an extended afternoon of experimental printmaking using UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus 24" x 36" show card press, a selection of wood and metal type, left-over wood blocks, stencils and rubber stamps. For most of them it was their first experience with the medium.
"A good time was had by all, and the work, .... is on the wall!!"
Laurie Talbot Hall - "Reeling" ; an Installation
October 8 - November 6, 2015
Reception: October 8, 4:30 - 6:00 p.m.
The vulture soared in the up drafts above me. Then another vulture came, and another and another. Within five minutes, five vultures were floating on the wind above me. They began to circle, then reversed direction. They traded positions across the circle as if dancing an arranged dance. I was astounded and mesmerized, watching in fascination for what seemed a really long time. Abruptly, one left the group. One at a time, the others followed, flying east over the river, out of sight, until only one was left directly over me. She came lower. I could hear the sound her wings made as she moved the air. The vulture came so close that we made eye contact. When she flew away, I felt a profound sense of well-being.
The world is not always a rational place. There is magic everywhere. The mysteries that surround us are both ordinary and profound. This piece celebrates the material world and our urge to step outside physical reality, to bridge our skeptical, temporal existence with the mystery of being alive.
-Laurie Talbot Hall
Hall studied at the University of Iowa where she completed a Ph.D. in Psychology in 1986 and an MFA in Photography in 1995 while she was the Brigg’s Scholar in the Department of Art and a University Fine Arts Council Grantee. She was awarded an American Photography Institute Fellowship at New York University. Hall taught Psychology and Photography at the University of Iowa and taught Creativity at the University of New Mexico, Taos. She served on the National Board of Directors of the Women’s Caucus for Art as Chair of the International Committee. She represented the Women’s Caucus as a delegate to the United Nations Nongovernmental Organizations Conference in New York from 2004 to 2007. She has been a guest lecturer at many universities and national conferences, speaking on psychology, gender, art and feminism. Hall has exhibited widely and is represented in permanent collections across the country including the Denver Museum of Art, Magic Silver Permanent Collections in Kentucky and Iowa, Iowa Women’s Archives, Women in Photography National Archives in Arcadia California, and the Getty Research Institute.
Hall will be speaking to the Art 161 - Intro-to-Photography class on the morning of October 8th, 9:25 a.m. in F 149 anyone interested may join us. She also participated as a printmaker in ReallyBIGPRINTS!! at UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus in July of 2014.
Rudy Rotter - Collage
September 2 - October 3, 2015
Gallery Talk: September, 21, 12:00 p.m.
This is the fifth in a series of exhibits of Rudy Rotter’s art work in the Founders Hall Gallery at UW Manitowoc. The work chosen for this one all have collage as the main technique and reflect Rotter’s well cultivated sense of whimsy and willingness to address archetypal forms in uncommon ways Collage, the technique of combining and altering found objects, is most successful when the artist is able to transform the found object. Using its form and altering it to create something new that at the same time acknowledges where it came from. It is often a playful medium, allowing the artist to engage in visual puns, collage can also be thoughtful, and challenging. Rotter’s collage work addresses all of these possibilities. Look carefully, some of the transformations are obvious, others are more subtle. Flowers become fish, plastic waste from a molding machine becomes a poodle, faces peer out of a landscape…. Take your time….
This work is primarily from his later years. In the 1980’s arthritis moved Rotter from carving traditional materials of wood and stone to assemblage, constructing pieces from the “leftovers” of commercial operations and industrial production. This shift in materials was also Rotter’s path to a more post-modern sensibility. Rotter’s emphasis moved from his interest in “likeness” and exploring many of the great themes of modernism to more personal work. Exploring ideas, flights of fantasy, visual puns non-western motifs, and even the occasional irony. Almost endless repetitions and variation were enabled by the ready availability of “non-precious” materials which could be worked quickly. Drawing,,which was primarily a preparatory function for Rotter came to the forefront; on almost any substrate, with almost anything that would make a mark. This in turn, led to the creation of a large quantity of work which, almost magically, both complements and escapes the gravitas and tradition of wood and stone. Most of these pieces have their own charm, and some are truly remarkable and beg more attention. As a body of work they reveal an insight into family, history, anthropologies, pets, current events, the mainstream art world, and the sacred.
Rudy Rotter (1913-2001) was born in Milwaukee and was a dentist and an artist in Manitowoc WI until his retirement in 1975, when he turned full time to making art. While mostly “self-taught” it is difficult to categorize his practice as “naive”. He studied relentlessly, and was fully aware and knowledgeable about art and it’s traditions. He also was aware of the changes afoot in art world which began in earnest in the 1970’s. This awareness can be seen to be a major factor in his later work. Rotter worked steadily and prolifically until his death in 2001. His work can be found in galleries in Milwaukee, New York and recently San Francisco. The John Michael Kohler Art Center and the Rahr-West Museum of Art both have his work in their collections. He was featured as part of the Perspective Series at the Kohler in 1997 in Rudy Rotter: Mahogany to Mink, and his work continues to be shown and appreciated both regionally and nationally.
Student Work from Spring Semester
May 19-July 4, 2015
Katie Ries - "Land Boots"
April 6 - May 8, 2015
Workshops in the Gallery for "Land Boots"
#1 Land Boots
April 14, 5:00 p.m., Founders Hall Gallery
Join the artist, Katie Ries, learning more about the project and in making your own paper boot prototypes. No cost to attend and all materials will be provided. Please sign up beforehand by emailing berel.lutsky@uwc.edu. Limit 12 people.
#2 Land Boots
April 22, 5:00 p.m., Founders Hall Gallery
Join artists Jill and James Iverson, of Manitowoc's own Erik James Leatherwerks, to explore the possibilities of working with leather. The Iversons are a husband and wife team with decades of experience in leather design and crafting. Learn about the difference between full grain leather and the many imposters which hide under the names "authentic" or "genuine" leather. For the first six people who sign up this will be a hands on workshop. More people may attend to learn by observing. All tools will be supplied. Old clothes are a good idea, just in case. Hands on work will be limited to people 12 yrs of age or older. Please sign up beforehand by emailing berel.lutsky@uwc.edu.
Pete Railand - "When the Fires and Dreams are One ....."
March 6 - April 3, 2015
Prints from "24 Hours of Art - 2015"
February 21 - March 6, 2015
Matthew Bindert
January 30 - February 20, 2015
Matthew’s work is intended to promote social awareness, question popular culture, and inspire viewers to travel overseas and expand their influences. His work has been included in the Minnesota National Print Biennial, The Minnesota Museum of American Art’s Biennial, and was selected for the International Print Center New York’s New Prints Program “selected by Kiki Smith.” He has received many prestigious awards, completed an artist residency at Highpoint Center for Printmaking in Minneapolis, and earned a Master of Fine Arts from UW-Madison in Printmaking.
I was raised in a family that fostered many children from broken and abusive homes, and exposed very early in life to a world that gave me a heightened sense of awareness. I became more aware of the inequality, injustice, and harsh realities of life during my travel and volunteer work overseas and in my everyday experiences. I derive intense emotion from these observations and experiences; this emotion is evident in the aggressive and intense carving of my woodcut’s that range in scales of three by four feet to four by twelve feet. The resulting images are both representational and abstracted while revolving around the interconnected issues engendered by globalization; issues such as poverty, war, consumerism, exploitation, and the conservation of nature and culture. I view woodblock printing as a means to a direct connection and collaboration with nature by working with such a natural medium. My work is intended to promote social awareness, question popular culture, and inspire viewers to travel overseas and expand their influences. I strongly believe that it’s important for people to try to understand other cultures and environments so that they can better understand the diverse and changing communities around them.
This body of work revolves around issues engendered by the dramatic impact that globalization and consumerism has had on our culture and environment. It is an expressive and conceptual response to globalizations dual nature of being a force for good and extreme destruction at the same time. The work represents the complex social, religious, economic, environmental, and political interdependence of the world today. I believe that issues like poverty, war, exploitation, and the conservation of the environment and culture need to be addressed with an interconnected approach to finding solutions. DNA charting, textiles, and modern corporate structures are just some elements I have drawn from these areas of influence that inspired the abstract patterns that I use as symbols. I incorporate woodblock printing, serigraphy, and painting in the process of creating mixed media works on canvas that are predominately four by eight feet in scale. It is a repetitious and intuitive process that involves an enormous amount of carving, printing, and painting.
Student Work from Fall Semester
December 19 - January 30, 2014
Work from the fall studio classes will be on display in the gallery and in the south hallway of Founders Hall.
image on the poster is by Carolyn Huske
"Radial Parking Lot"
Don Krumpos -Wondertoonel Artificialis and other memorabilia
I attempt to enter a new period of suspension of disbelief as I envision an imaginary world that is only perceived by those with strong enough powers of observation. In this age of distraction and pervasiveness of images, my work is an elegy to lament the loss of “being able to go back”.
Rudy Rotter - "Family"
October 6 - November 6, 2014
Selected Work From Really BIG PRINTS!!
September 2 - October 3, 2014
Steamroller Printing at UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus - 53 Artists came to print!! July 21 - 25, 2014
See the Really Big Prints page for more information
A selection from the prints made this summer will be in the gallery and the hallway leading to the green house. All of the prints displayed are available for "adoption" for details contact Prof. Lutsky. All of the prints created during the outdoor printmaking event held at UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus were exhibited at the Rahr-West Art Museum in August. They will be at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum beginning on Sept. 5 through the Wayzgoose event in early November with a closing reception on November 22.
Check out the documentary on the Really Big Prints!! event.
The Meeting
April 18 - May 12, 2014
"Admission is free, pay at the door"
"Pull up a chair, and sit on the floor"
An installation of work from Art 112 - 3D Design
Chairs, Masks and Hands, all made in response to projects assigned by Brian Carlson to his in Art 112 - 3D Design class, are arranged around an altered book (another assignment,) to set the stage for a very important meeting. The subject of which may very well be the very future of liberal arts education. The chairs may all be occupied - please sit carefully, raise your hand to speak, and be sure to talk amongst yourselves.
Mrs. Pemmett's Steampunk Emporium
March 3 - April 4, 2014
In 2012 I discovered Steam Punk, a sort of Neo-Victorian Sci-Fi. As a genre it mixed several of my favorite things, Victorian aesthetic, gadgetry, and the flexibility to use many mediums to create interesting objects from everyday things. It also interests me because of its capacity for rebelling against those everyday objects that are made cheaply and sold by the millions. It celebrates the way everyday items USED to be made, like clocks that actually tick, steam engines that moved us into new eras and dirigibles as legitimate forms of transportation. It romanticizes the 19th century and creates a world that would have been had the technology of today been steam powered.
The goal of this show is to make the viewer an intimate part of the art. Studies have shown the people look at a piece of artwork for approximately 7 seconds before moving on to the next piece. This is rather annoying when you have put your heart and soul into a creation and perhaps spent months making it. Most art exhibits don’t allow touching, but this show encourages it and makes the viewer part of the work. There’s a spinning Kraken, a viewer that shows a movie designed to hypnotize, a bird that bounces, and scientific items re-thought as well as other interactive work. There are also objects that are just to look at and some photography.
Many of the ideas for this work were inspired by simple children’s toys and scientific gadgets. Things like Ferro-Fluid (an automotive lubricant), magnets. and springs take on different uses within the artwork. And old clocks remade into more modern works are a great way to rejuvenate these beautifully made objects and give them a new life. It is recommended that you find out their worth, before you remake them.
Joan Sonnier-Emmett
(Mrs. Pemmett)
Prints from "24 Hours of Art"
February 8 - March 2, 2014
High School Student prints from the 24 Hours of Printmaking workshop held at UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus. See the prints and some of the "action" on YouTube
Brian Carlson "Aparecido!"
November 8 - December 12, 2013
Visit Brian Carlson's Aparecido website.
Between the years 1976 and 1983 approximately 30,000 Argentinian citizens were abducted, taken to secret detention centers, tortured and murdered in a systematic campaign of genocide. The military junta then in power, performed this action with impunity, brazenly arresting whomever they chose and imprisoning them without trial or Habeus Corpus. Prisoners were sadistically tortured as a form of terror, and finally the attempt was made to disappear them, either by burial after execution in mass graves or by dropping them, drugged but alive, from planes into the sea. No one was safe. Tortured victims often named anyone they could think of to stop the pain. Arrests became almost arbitrary, thereby enhancing the terror. Ironically, cynically, the action was billed as a "War Against Terror."
"My memorial is a commitment to paint portraits of any of the victims of whom I can obtain a photograph. Online, about 1200 photos are accessible on the Wall of Memory site in Argentina. As awareness grows of this project, survivors are contacting me with photos asking me to include their brother, their lover, their friend who was disappeared in the installation. I am honored to do so.
My intention in creating Aparecidos, is first to honor the beautiful people who's human rights were trampled with complete disdain, who's final months or days in life were spent in unimaginable levels of suffering and terror, and who were subjected to a state wide campaign to "disappear" them entirely. Referred to in Argentina as the "Desparecidos," the Disappeared, in titling my work "Aparecidos," I hope to symbolically reappear them, and to help with the effort to re-member them. Secondly, as a long time educator in the arts, I intend the work to be educational...to disseminate information about Argentina's specific genocide but to call attention to current genocidal campaigns as well. Finally I hope that "Aparecidos" is a warning. The dynamic that occurred in Argentina was not isolated. It has happened before and has happened since. Understanding the dynamic, in all the guises it may appear, is vital toward the goal of "Nunca Mas," (never more), heralded by contemporary Argentines."
The exhibit in the gallery features Carlson's latest set of portraits, a large group portait of a "disappeared" family, a projected animation, and explanatory texts. Aparecidos! will be discussed by Carlson, and Prof. Berel Lutsky at the UW-Green Bay, Manitowoc Campus Faculty Colluquium on Friday, Nov. 22 at 3:30 in H102.
Art21 Season 8
Advance screening with a short Q/A afterward!
September 21, October 12, November 9, and December 7 at 6:30 p.m., Room H216
All 4 screenings are open to the public, and free of charge.
The series provides unparalleled access to the most innovative artists of our time, revealing how artists engage the culture around them and how art allows viewers to see the world in new ways. Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actress Claire Danes will join the Peabody Award-winning documentary television series “Art in the Twenty-First Century” as its broadcast host for the series’ eighth season. “Growing up in a family where art was a part of everyday life, my parents taught me to question the world around me,” said Danes. “Artists today influence how we see the world, how we express ourselves, and how art can transform society.” For the first time in the show’s history, the episodes are not organized around an artistic theme.
Instead the 16-featured artists are grouped by their unique and revealing relationships to the places where they live: Chicago, Los Angeles, Mexico City, and Vancouver. The artists share universal experiences through their life stories and creative works: resistance, pleasure, mortality, and the hope for a better tomorrow. “Art is increasingly being defined and described in relationship to a sense of place. In our time of hyper-interconnectivity, where you choose to live and work matters like never before,” said ART21 Executive Director Tina Kukielski. The new season showcases the geography, architecture, society, culture, and heritage of each location. Each episode highlights aspects of contemporary life that viewers everywhere experience. “Using the sounds, colors, and energy of the city as a landscape that artists respond to and interact with, the films expand beyond the studio to explore each artist’s engagement with their communities and the world around them,” said ART21 Executive Producer Eve Moros Ortega.
Season 8 reveals how artists today simultaneously draw inspiration from and influence their immediate surroundings, while engaging far-flung communities from all over the world—Amsterdam, Aspen, Basel, Bloomfield Hills, Bregenz, Brussels, Chiapas, Cuernavaca, Denver, Detroit, Istanbul, La Porte, Lisbon, London, Milan, New York City, Okanagan, Pasadena, Philadelphia, Puebla, San Francisco, Sinaloa, and Toronto. Through their work, artists participate in global conversations about the pressing issues of our time: from terrorism to environmental crises to the struggle for civil rights.