Record Keepers Exhibit at Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art at JMU

Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art at James Madison University will open the group exhibition called Record Keepers from 5-7 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 22.

Curated by artist and master-printer Anna Hoberman from New York City and John Ros, Duke Hall Gallery of Fine Art Director and Chief Curator, the exhibit focuses on artists who strive to preserve current events and historical ones within our social landscape by-way-of the edition and working with multiples.

Featured artists include: Alix Lambert, Allan McCollum, Aurora De Armendi, Azikiwe Mohammed, Elizabeth Moran, Emma Nishimura and Jo Baer. Artwork by Francisco Goya and Robert Rauschenberg will also be on view to help provide historical context for this contemporary exhibit.  The exhibit will be on view through Saturday, 01 December 2018.

Since before the Renaissance, prints have enabled artists to disseminate their work and perspectives throughout the world.  A print, unlike other types of art, can exist in multiple places at the same time.  Editions have played, and continue to aid, an important role of documenting and testifying to the existence of events.  This documentary ability puts a print into the realms of an archive.

The archive is an accumulation and preservation of records, documents and primary sources. Artists take on the role of cultural archivist — pulling from, referencing, preserving and collecting artifacts.

Prints hold power in numbers, their ability to be mass-produced and distributed links the medium to revolt, revolutions and political movements. From posters and manifestos, to clothing and banners, if it can be multiplied then it can be distributed and dissemination has begins.

Record Keepers is an Encore Series Exhibition in collaboration with the Printmaking Program at the School of Art, Design and Art History. It is also made possible by the generous donations and loans from three private collectors who wish to remain anonymous.

A special limited edition series of prints by JMU Printmaking students will be available in the Gallery Gift Shop. All proceeds will benefit future gallery programming. A few special artist works will also be available in the Gift Shop.