Collectively Pressed
Opening reception Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5-7 p.m. with a curator talk at 6 p.m.
A new exhibition at Holyoke Community College’s Taber Art Gallery explores the connection between printmaking and civic engagement from the 1960s to the present.
“Collectively Pressed,” open Nov. 2 through Dec. 17, presents works by Emory Douglas, a graphic artist and member of the Black Panther Party in the 1960s; the Guerrilla Girls, a group of anonymous women artists dedicated to fighting sexism and racism; the See Red Women’s Workshop, a feminist silkscreen collective from England; and Tré Seals, founder of Vocal Type, a foundry that creates fonts inspired by minority cultures and protest movements.
“At its core, the printed image is about democratic communication, making this show a fitting nod to the recent U.S. semiquincentennial – the signing of the Declaration of Independence,” said Rachel Rushing, director of the Taber Art Gallery. “The artists in this exhibition are icons in the world of art and culture for their dedication to use art to shed light on injustice and openly criticize power structures built and designed to exploit people. When I feel despondent, and I’m tempted to think my work doesn’t matter in the face of overwhelming suffering and fear, these are the artists I look up to.”
The show also features the work of HCC printmaking students.
The gallery will host an opening reception Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5-7 p.m. with a curator talk by Rushing at 6 p.m.
The Taber Art Gallery, located off the lobby of the HCC Library on the second floor of the HCC Donahue Building, is free and open to the public Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. during regular school sessions.
