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En chair et en bois: une impression d’été took place this past summer from August 6–7 in Trois-Rivières, Québec, during the Biennale internationale d’éstampe contemporaine. On Sunday August 6th, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., the public was invited to the Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières Pavillon Benjamin Suite to participate in a steamroller printing event alongside the six print students from Concordia University and six print students from Université de Québec à Trois-Rivières. While the En chair et en bois artists were inking and preparing their 3 x 6 ft woodblocks to be printed (the same blocks they had printed during their residency at Gravity Press in Massachusetts), the public was invited to collaborate on their own 3 x 6 ft plexiglass block (monoprint), giving them a hands-on chance to explore the media and learn the process. Youth from the day camps of Musée Pierre-Boucher and Centre Loisir Multi-Plus and their families were also invited to print their own monoprints with the steamroller. The pieces created by the public will be exhibited from the 2–4th of September on the Urbaloko website.
At noon, the public was invited for a BBQ picnic lunch, which was held at the same time as the vernissage of Faire Impression: the 40th Anniversary of Atelier de l'Îsle. The event led into the exhibition, Faire impression, at the Galerie d’art Universitaire 3R, bringing together works printed with the steamroller by 20 students from Concordia University and 20 members of the Val-David's Atelier de l'Îsle in 2015. Despite scattered showers, there was a great turnout of spectators and those interested in taking part in the public printmaking event. In fact, one of our videos of the event has received over 100 shares on Facebook by printmakers, artists, and enthusiasts from around the world! The following day, August 7th, 2017, we celebrated the finissage of the exhibition, En chair et en bois, printed during our spring residency at Gravity Press Experimental Print Shop in North Adams, Massachusetts. The exhibition was shown in Espace Jeanne-Vanasse of the Cégep de Trois-Rivières, running from June 27th to September 15th, 2017. This project is a unique opportunity to broaden our network amongst local and international artists, to build technical and professional skills, and to create our first large-scale work, allowing us to put into practice—and go beyond—what we have learned in the classroom. We are fortunate to have our work showcased as one of the parallel events in a highly publicized, well-established, and major art exhibition featuring more than 300 prints with 57 artists from 26 countries. This biennale is known as the largest event of its kind in Canada, which has provided great visibility and invaluable experience for Concordia students. Hopefully this project will also set a precedent and encourage further inter-university collaboration and more ambitious extracurricular projects that are beneficial to both students and the universities themselves. |
EN CHAIR ET EN BOIS -Espace Jeanne- Vanasse of the Cégep de Trois-Rivières, June 27–September 15, 2017
Photos Courtesy of Louis-Pierre Clément |
