Current Exhibition
Imagined Texts: Exploring Community
February 03 to March 03, 2010
Participant print; 2008; paper lithograph and letterpress text on rag paper; Courtesy of the Imagined Texts Project
Imagined Texts: Exploring Community - is a special project designed and implemented by the Alberta Printmakers’ Society, the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society and the Calgary Chapter of the Canadian Bookbinkers and Book Artists Guild. Through collaborative artistic expression these organizaiton have enticed citizens into a meaningful dialogue about the communities they live in. The goal is to heighten awareness and knowledge of printmaking,storytelling and bookbinding as art forms capable of addressing contemporary issues and concerns.
During several weekends in September 2008 the Alberta Printmakers' studio in Calgary was bursting at the seams with energy, chatter, creativity and hard work. Over 300 people of diverse backgrounds passed through the facility to witness and collaborate with printmakers, bookbinders and writers in developing images and text related to community. This effort led to the creation of almost 150 unique art works. The participants responded to some or all of the following questions: What does community mean to you? What issues or concerns exist in your community? With which community(ies) do you identify? Many themes emerged with the strongest revolving around relationships with friends, family and animals in our lives. The Internet, a sense of place whether home or neighbourhood and connections to a place within nature were other notable themes. Several works abstractly dealt with concepts of unity and togetherness or alluded to homelessness and poverty.
Imagined Texts: Exploring Community features 71 small prints created by artists and non artists during open house sessions at the Alberta Printmakers' studio. The participants used a variety of techniques such as linocut, dry point etching, screen printing and cut paper stencils and an innovative process called paper lithography.
From the Alberta Foundation for the Arts - Travelling Exhibition Program