New exhibit opens in Gallery 450

MARSHFIELD - The exhibit "Ethnic Traditions: Paper, Politics and Beyond " opens Feb. 4 in Gallery 450 in the Helen Connor Laird Fine Arts Building on the UW-Marshfield/Wood County Campus, 2000 W. 5th St.

This fourth exhibition in the Arts at the UW Visual Arts Series "In and Out of Traditional Art" features political prints by local Milwaukee-area artists. Four Milwaukee artists – Nicolas Lampert, Colin Matthes, Tamiko Dargan and Raoul Deal curated this show.

The exhibit showcases printmaking as a vital form of visual communication that expresses dissent and speaks to a myriad of political and social concerns.  For the medium itself is one of multiples that can be disseminated to a vast audience, be it through a print edition, a street stencil, a wheat-pasted poster or an image that employs many tactics-viewed on paper, the internet, the streets and in print publications.

The show also highlights the mediums ability to breakdown hierarchies within the fine arts.  Many of the prints in the show are not numbered.  This decision indicates that the print is not part of a limited edition – a choice made by the artist to keep the price of the work affordable to the working class people and to inform the viewer that the screen or block will not be destroyed (which would make the print a rate and potentially expensive art object).

About the curators:

Nicolas Lampert is an interdisciplinary artist and writer. He was co-editor for “Peace Signs: The Anti-War Movement Illustrated” and co-organized the group show “Drawing Resistance – A Traveling Political Art Show” which that traveled throughout the United States and Canada.

Raoul Deal is a senior lecturer in the Peck School of the Arts, and UW-Milwaukee’s Cultures and Communities Program Artist-In-Residence. He has worked widely with collaborative art projects in Mexico and the United States, bringing people from diverse communities together. He is currently completing a long-term art project in Walnut Way, one of Milwaukee's first African-American communities, based on interviews with senior residents from the neighborhood.

Colin Matthes makes drawings, prints, installations and zines. Recent projects include “Animals and Workers,” which explores the relationships between animals and workers in food productions, and “Everyday Transactions,” which considers the connections between business, warfare and leisure in contemporary American life.

Tamiko Dargan's current work focuses on the issue of territory in reference to cultural landscape. Inspired by elements of primitive art, African rock art and European modern dress, Dargan is interested in what happens when such imagery is juxtaposed. Dargan explores dichotomy by creating a visual language in response to race and gender identity.

In addition to the "Paper Politics” the lobby of the Helen Connor Laird Fine Arts building will display the work of  four advanced art and design students from UW-Stout Department of Art and Design.  The imagery of Tou Yia Xiong, Tou Lee, Kalvin (Che) Yang and Xia Xiong reflects their cultures of origin.

"Ethnic Traditions: Paper Politics and Beyond" is the fourth exhibit in the “In and Out of Traditional Art” series.  The final exhibit, UW-Marshfield/Wood County Student Art Exhibition, will be April 14-May 16, featuring the work of UW-M/WC student artists.

Gallery 450 is open free of charge from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday through Friday and during all performances in the Helen Laird Theatre.  The Gallery is under the management of Julie Dierauer.