ARTICLE
Cotuit Center for the Arts presents “Marking Time: The Boston Printmakers 1947-2017” Saturday, August 5, through September 16. The Anniversary Celebration is Saturday, September 9, from 5 to 7 PM. There will be a talk with the artists at 5 PM, followed by a reception. Founded in 1947 by a small group of students and faculty at the Boston Museum School and Massachusetts College of Art, The Boston Printmakers soon expanded its membership to include artists from across North America and members working abroad around the world. Its mission is to promote public understanding of printmaking, encourage artists working in printmaking, promote excellence in printmaking, and support innovation in the field. Today, the nonprofit, all-volunteer organization’s Print Biennial is one of the longest-running and most influential exhibitions in existence. The “Marking Time” celebratory exhibition includes 118 works, representing roughly one-third of the membership. Some local artists include Alice Nicholson Galick of East Falmouth, Sidney Hurwitz of Welfleet; Joan Appel, Susan Denniston, Gail Nauen and Mary Taylor of the South Shore; Christiane Corcelle (who showed at CCftA before). Printmaking is a process of creating original artworks through a variety of techniques, rather than simply creating a photographic reproduction of a drawing or painting. In most types of printmaking, multiple prints may be made using the same plate, but each will be a unique impression. Among the processes used are etching, mezzotint, aquatint, drypoint, lithography, monotype, monoprint, mixed-media, silk screen, digital, and relief—woodcut and linocut. All of these techniques are represented in “Marking Time.” Over seven decades, The Boston Printmakers has developed an archive and print collection that is housed in the Boston Public Library. Numerous prints collected from the Print Biennials can be found in private and public collection including the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the deCordova Museum in Lincoln, and the Art Complex Museum in Duxbury, where the international exhibition has been held. Author and curator, David Acton states, “Printmaking is unusual among pictorial media for its time-consuming, technically demanding processes. Its considerable requirements for tools, equipment, and materials created a tradition of community and collaboration not found in painting and sculpture. The Boston Printmakers unites fellowship with the rules of the print shop. Members have a deep responsibility to combine technical instruction with the generous impulse to share.” In 2009, The Boston Printmakers published “60 Years of North American Prints,” written by Acton and available at www.bostonprintmakers.org. There is no charge for admission. The gallery is open 10 AM to 4 PM and during evening evets. For more information, visit artsonthecape.org, or call 508-428-0669. Cotuit Center for the Arts is at 4404 Route 28 in Cotuit. What: “MARKING TIME: THE BOSTON PRINTMAKERS, 1947-2017, CELEBRATING 70 YEARS” Where: Cotuit Center for the Arts, 4404 Route 28, Cotuit When: August 5 through September 16, Anniversary Celebration, Saturday, September 9, 5 to 7 PM Admission: Free