The Dalton Gallery at Agnes Scott College partnered with the Atlanta Printmakers Studio to bring together 15 artists for an exhibition on view in Spring 2021.
It is undeniable that 2020 was an unprecedented year, the effects of which we cannot yet understand. The pandemic and the resulting economic chaos have been stressful, devastating, unnerving, and exhausting. As the number of cases in the US briefly appeared to go down, focus shifted to police brutality and oppression of Black bodies with the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police coming so quickly after the murders of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. This centuries-old persecution brought millions of people out into the streets, insisting on change to the models that have supported America (and the rest of the world) for far too long. Under these conditions, it may be difficult to create, but, more than ever, we need to hear from artists. We need to see their reflections and expose new ways of engaging this world being unveiled before us.
Press Here: Atlanta Printmakers Process 2020 is an exhibition of works that act as catalysts for conversations to help us grow, learn, empathize, change the way we see the world, but most importantly for conversations to help us connect to each other. This exhibition called on artists from the Atlanta Printmakers Studio—women, printmakers, artist who use textile in particular as a medium—to help us grapple with what has happened, to explore the impact of isolation, to examine the unseen virus that has caused so much damage, and to set intentions of hope of what is to come.
Printmaking is an artistic practice that can be used to express one’s self, but it can also be used to disseminate information and ideas quickly, broadly, and inexpensively. Press Here is paired with Fashion Statements: Identity and East African Printed Textiles, an exhibition of kangas, which are worn as a form of personal expression or to voice one’s political affiliation. They can be used to commemorate current events and holidays and to share key messages about the pandemic. Pairing visual material from Africa with the work of local artists adds vibrancy, but also fulfills a key mission of Agnes Scott College to connect to Atlanta and the global community.
Press was on view from January 28, 2021 to April 23, 2021 by appointment only.
