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Organized by Amy Moorefield, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections Selections from the Permanent Collection: New Gifts is a continuation of a series of yearly exhibitions featuring works from the Anderson Gallery's permanent collection. Over the past year our collection has grown tremendously thanks to the generosity of many individuals and organizations. Such gifts affirm our mission as a collecting institution of local and regional artists’ works. The New Gifts exhibition is a celebration of our continuing mission as well as tribute to those who make this collection possible. New Gifts offer a viewing of our newest acquisitions with a primary focus on a large gift of prints from the Hand Workshop Art Center which brings with it a glimpse into the Richmond’s art-making culture and its history. This year’s focus is on a gift from Richmond's Hand Workshop Art Center: over 300 works on paper made by members of the former Richmond Printmaking Workshop, which operated from1978 until 1991. When the Richmond Printmaking Workshop, or RPW, closed is doors in 1991, most of its material contents -- works created by the artist-members and the equipment used to create that work – was given to the Hand Workshop Art Center. The equipment is still being used in classrooms to this day. Because the Hand Workshop is not a collecting arts organization, it was decided amongst its Board Members to transfer the prints to the Gallery. Ashley Kistler, Curator of the Hand Workshop states, "We felt that the Anderson Gallery was the most appropriate repository, given the recent growth of your permanent collection and its focus on regional representation as well as the fact the at many of the artists represented in the print collection have been – or currently are – associated with VCU."-
Nancy David, along with artist Gail McKennis, founded the RPM in 1978. A first of its kind in Richmond, the workshop provided a space dedicated exclusively to processes of art concerned only with paper. The RPM functioned in two ways: "to support the making of contemporary art through mediums of printmaking and papermaking, and to provide the public with the opportunity to learn about and contribute to that art." Mary Holland, a former manager of RPW, noted that the independent and non-profit RPW "[was] the only organization of its kind in Virginia which is open to the public." For the 13 years that it operated, the RPM offered one of the only non-university space in the city, which artists could make prints for-a nominal fee. The opportunity catalyzed a surge of activity and a rich array of new works. Not only did RPM energize and expand individual bodies of work, but it also prompted artist-members to exhibit joint portfolios, such as One/Off Portfolio, 1987; Murders in the Rue Morgue, 1990; Ceremony, 1989. The workshop published quarterly newsletters, sponsored well-known artists for visiting residences, and cultivated numerous local patrons. They received many grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and from the NEA. The RPW roster of participating artists read like a "Who’s Who" list of well-known local and national artists. Nancy David, co-founder of RPW, Laura Pharis and Mary Holland, each former managers of RPW, has co-authored an historical commentary about the operation of the RPW. Additionally, in a text panel underneath each print, there is a comment by each artist about the work and the process of creating it at the RPW. Such reflections, so far, have been an "oral history, " glimpses of the hey-day of the RPM shared in passing conversation. As part of the public record of this exhibition, the statements by RPM artists document the history of a passionately dedicated circle whose works continue to inspire and influence Richmond's art-making community. This exhibition would not have been possible without the support of the following individuals: Ted Potter, Director; Leon Roper, Gallery Manager; Doug Utley, Jessica Collie, and Traci Horne; Laura Pharis, Mary Holland, Nancy David and David Freed for their insightful input on the Richmond Printmaking Workshop; Ashley Kistler, Curator, and the Board of Directors of the Hand Workshop Art Center and all of the artists participating in this exhibit. Most importantly, many thanks all the donors who gave so generously and the School of the Arts of Virginia Commonwealth University. Amy Moorefield, Assistant Director and Curator of Collections June 2000 |
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