North Texas Daily

Olivia Sylvain // Staff Writer

The College of Visual Arts and Design will host the senior-level printmaking exhibition “Roll Out,” with art work of undergraduate and graduate students at the Cora Stafford Gallery this Tuesday through Friday in Oak Street Hall.

Ten students will have their individual work from the advanced studio printmaking course on display at the gallery. The students also worked on a collaborative postcard project called “Dear Denton” that will be featured in the exhibition.

“Roll Out” is free and open to the public. Viewers are invited to join the artists for the reception on Thursday from 7 to 9 p.m.

Studio art senior Kathleen Clark has pieces that are featured in the gallery. Clark was introduced to printmaking through a friend at UNT after she decided not to pursue a degree in graphic design.

“Printmaking is pretty versatile because it enables you to think critically and work in a very process-based way,” Clark said. “It’s a happy medium between studio art and graphic design.”

Printmaking is a method of producing art that involves transferring ink onto paper through a particular medium. Many artists use wood as a medium which requires carving an image into the wood, transferring ink on to the image, and then applying the image to paper. Printmaking is done in a studio because the artist has to have access to different chemicals not found at home, Clark said.

Students who earn a degree in printmaking have a choice between many different career paths according to Gibbons. Some choose to work in studios, others teach at the university or grade school level and some continue on to do gallery work. The advanced studio printmaking course is required for a degree in printmaking.

Studio art professor Lari Gibbons said the art in the exhibition is her students’ latest work, which has not been seen in any other gallery before.

“The show primarily emphasizes the work of undergraduates preparing to enter the professional field,” Gibbons said. “All of this work is very fresh and new.”

Studio art senior Lauren Alexander looks forward to having her work displayed in the gallery after a semester of hard work.

“Sometimes the people in your studio classes can end up being the only ones who are really exposed to your work in person and it’s always nice to get outside of that,” Alexander said.

Gibbons believes that the four galleries at UNT are essential to an education in art. They provide the opportunity for the artists’ work to connect with the community, she said.

“The galleries are the place where everything they’re learning comes together. Without the galleries [students] would be missing a great part of their education here at UNT.” Gibbons said.

The artists will have the chance to receive feedback on their work during an open reception at the gallery on Thursday evening. Clark enjoys getting feedback from viewers of her work and understanding their perspectives.

“Art is a very vulnerable place, so in displaying it you get to see how people respond to it and whether or not it’s impacting people how you expected.”

Feature image: Graphic courtesy of Michael Slack