Prints, politics and personalization

Aberson Exhibits in Brookside has a solid reputation of showcasing work by talented local, national and internationally recognized artists. As the gallery strives to represent a diverse selection of artists no precedent has yet been set for the caliber of artists to be represented in the gallery's January show.

Original prints by blue chip artists such as Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Helen Frankenthaler will be on display as a part of the collection from Universal Limited Art Editions, or ULAE. The exhibit's opening is 6pm Thursday, Jan. 13 at the Philbrook with a discussion led by ULAE's current director and master printer, Bill Goldston. The discussion will revolve around the history of ULAE as well as Goldston's work and experiences with the artists who printed there. The opening will then continue at Aberson Exhibits with an opportunity for gallery goers to view 18 prints on display and a continued discussion with Goldston.

ULAE is a fine art print publisher based out of Bay Shore, N.Y. founded in the mid 1950's by Tatyana Grosman. Grosman opened the business after her husband suffered a major heart attack and took on the responsibility of supporting her family. She turned to printmaking as a source of income by reproducing the paintings of recognized artists. A few years later, Williams Leiberman, then curator of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), suggested she invite working artists to the studio to make original prints. Grosman followed his advice and over the next few years artists like Grace Hartigan, Helen Frankenthaler, Jasper Johns, Robert Rauschenberg and Cy Twombly had all made prints at ULAE. Leiberman was highly impressed with the success of the ULAE and a series of grants were established and are still in effect today in which the MoMA acquires the first print of each edition made at ULAE.

Amidst its humble beginnings, ULAE has evolved into one of the premier printmaking studios in the country. In more recent years, artists such as Terry Winters, Bill Jensen and Richard Tuttle have been invited to print in the studio contributing to the tremendous amount of valuable art ULAE holds in its collection. Abersons is extremely privileged to showcase a selection of this artwork, as its exhibition in Tulsa will prove significant in educating locals of some of the most important artists who contributed to modern art.

While ULAE was originally designed for artists to create lithography prints, the studio received grants over the years that permitted the studio to bring in other printmaking techniques such as intaglio and woodcutting. Printmaking is a highly skilled and tedious form of art making that is often under represented in the shadow of painting and sculpture. This exhibition is an opportunity for Tulsans to develop a better understanding of printmaking as a highly sophisticated and important art form.

Goldston was chosen by Grosman to take over the business and studio in 1976 and since her death in 1982 he has acquired complete control of the business. Under his leadership ULAE began to invite new and young, talented artists to make prints in the studio. Goldston has kept ULAE a contemporary and relevant printmaking studio by inviting the most promising emerging artists to print at the studio, joining the ranks of gifted artists who have worked there in the past.

More information about the exhibition is available at abersonexhibits.com and more about ULAE is available at ulae.com.

January Exhibit at Living Arts

The Living Arts January exhibit will feature the work of Tulsa artist, Cathy Deuschle, and contemporary sculptor, George Lorio. The exhibit opened Jan. 7 at Living Arts and is be on display through Jan. 27.

Border Images is the title of the series of sculptures on display by George Lorio. Lorio uses the work to explore the issues and ambiguity surrounding border towns between the United States and Mexico. In an installation piece entitled, "Crossing," Lorio has created and laid out 75 wooden modules that represent water. Intended as an interactive installation, 14 of the modules are stable enough to support a participant as they walk across. "This piece makes tangible the implications of our decision," Lorio said. "I see this work in terms of immigration over the southern border, the topical political issue of the illegal entry into the United States."

Deuschle's body of work titled, Aggregate, explores painting, collage and assemblage through a repurposing of her own work by inviting media such as encaustic painting, stained glass, clay, pastel, stitching, small sculpture, drawing and found objects into her process. In her artist statement, Deuschle said, "I try to give my art plenty of latitude so that new ideas and new emotional dimensions can enter it." Through the layering and mixed media she incorporates into her work Deuschle is able to also embed layers of personal significance and emotion into her work.

More information is available at livingarts.org.