Do you think you can identify the differences between a woodcut and a wood engraving?
Jason E. Shaiman, Curator of Exhibitions at Miami University Art Museum, is excited to equip you with the knowledge and skill to be able to distinguish between these two related, but distinct techniques. Join us for our upcoming Curator Talk with Jason on Wednesday, September 11th at 3:00pm. The discussion will be focused on the history of wood-relief printmaking, the characteristics that define this art form, and the motivation behind one of the Art Museum’s newest exhibits, Cutting the Grain: Nuances of Wood Relief Prints.
Wood-relief printmaking has a long history extending back to the 5th century CE with the advent of woodblock prints in China. By the late 18th century, wood engravings emerged as the preferred medium among printmakers. The basic premise of both processes is to carve an image on the surface of a block of wood so that when inked and printed, the image transfers onto paper or textile while the removed areas remain as negative space. Shaiman curated this exhibit with the hope of giving patrons the opportunity to explore these two wood relief art forms and to provide the tools to understand the distinctions between them.
Josh Dembicki, a Curatorial Intern at the Art Museum in Spring of 2019, was also involved with the curation of the exhibit. He had a voice in choosing some of the pieces you can see in the Douglass Gallery today, and the writing of exhibition text.
We hope you can join us for the Curator Talk with Jason E. Shaiman on Wednesday, September 11th at 3:00pm at the Miami University Art Museum. Cutting the Grain: Nuances of Wood Relief Prints is open until December 14, 2019.