| An Exhibition of Original Prints by 3rd Year Students from Okanagan University College in Kelowna BC, and Mount Allison University in Sackville NB. When we originally conceived of this idea, we thought it would benefit our students to visually experience the work of students at a similar stage of their developement, from different geographical locals, and possibly, from different personally motivated ideaological positions. The original intent was to exchange work to be displayed in two identical exhibitions, occurring simultaneously at our home schools. Considering the nature of the repeatable image made possible by the print, we felt that a dual showing of the work would be beneficial, because it capitalizes on the medium's capacity to operate in the social realm. The simultaneous confluence of methods and ideas would allow the students of each school to compare and contrast similarities and differences that hopefully, will create a dialogue that will last beyond the exhibition. A number of questions come to mind when cross referencing student concerns. * Will the work resonate similar concerns because of the image culture that is shared through mass media and the internet? * How will the differences in landscape, course structure, or the studio environment affect the work or are our student populations made up of a mix of students from various landscapes? * Will the work be figurative or object based, active or passive, inward looking and dealing with the psyche or more outward and observational? "We would also hope that an exchange exhibition such as this serves as an introduction into the spirit of the wider world print community. The very nature of the print allows for an incredibly broad sense of art making community. Prints are portable and they tend to be made in multiples allowing artists to send work all over the globe. For decades there have been opportunities for printmakers to enter printmaking competitions, exhibitions, and exchanges all over the world. There is a long tradition of open juried biennial and triennial exhibitons in countries as far away as Poland, Slovenia, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, etc. It is possible for a printmaker to see his or her work within a truly world context and to learn from the work being made in vastly different cultural centres. Printmakers also tend to work communally in order to share the expenses of specialized equipment. This openess and commitment to sharing space and ideas make the various printmaking media a global language. Cerntainly these factors help to create a global print community that is unlike anything available to other art making practices. An exchange exhibition like this acts as the first step towards entering a universal art world." At each school, students received rigorous training in at least two print media before entering their third year of study. In their third year they are challenged to understand how their own outlook shapes and is shaped by these various modes of expression. They are required to engage in a process of thinking and making that results in finished works. The goal in these courses is build a basis of understanding through the medium so that the students are confident in developing works in their fourth year of study when, they are required to work more independently. We would like to thank Leadership Mount Allison for selecting this exhibition to fund as one of this year's curricular projects. We would also like to thank the Departments of Fine Art at each school. Sincerely, Mark Bovey, Assistant Professor, Mount Allision University Briar Craig, Assoicate Professor, Okanagan Univeristy College |
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| Exchanging Perspectives |