Our printmaking instructor Nikki Barber has been printing posters in her basement for protest rallies and marches. “I feel responsible to stand up for my friends who are Black and my friends who are Brown, since I white-pass so easily, but am not white.”
Nikki Barber, printmaking press
Nikki has been active in the social, political, and art in Seattle for years. She helped write this statement for racial justice with the Seattle Print Arts board. Any time there is a need for social justice or reform, Nikki thinks about this quote by 20th century American journalist A. J. Why: “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.” (New Yorker, May 14, 1960, p. 109, paywall)
Nikki Barber, edition of posters
Nikki also named José Guadalupe Posada for his influence in shaping print arts for the people, by the people [There will be a V. Note about Posada tomorrow]. When asked about applying her print arts as activism for the people, Nikki said “I believe printmakers have an obligation to deliver information and agency to the people – especially to those who cannot access or give it to themselves.”
“Intersectionality is often overlooked when talking about racial and social justice. It should not be.” Nikki continued, “Black lives matter. Black trans lives and Black women’s lives fit into this as well. Women often get spoken over, looked over, or forgotten about, so I chose Breonna Taylor and Charleena Lyles to highlight their murders that happened before George Floyd’s. Breonna Taylor was 26 when she was murdered. Charleena Lyles was pregnant when she was shot in North Seattle two years ago.”
“I believe printmakers have an obligation to deliver information and agency to the people – especially to those who cannot access or give it to themselves.” – Nikki Barber, League Printmaking Instructor
Exercise your creativity This SAL Challenge is a vocabulary based creative challenge every day for January. Materials are artist’s choice. You can draw, paint, sew, collage, sculpt your food, anything you want. See below for today’s creative challenge. Set the timer for 20 minutes and see what happens. TONDO At my recent artist’s talk, Suzanne …
[image_with_animation image_url=”11354″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] UPCOMING SHOW Lad Decker: Peacekeeping October 1-30, 2018 Our abstract painting teacher for fall is having a show of new work. Lad Decker paints large bold abstractions: reflections on American and global conflicts through the machines and landscapes of war. This is part of her series Conflict of Interest. …
I look at a lot of art, and I don’t tend to see colored pencil drawings popping up in the mix of esteemed or daring artworks. Oils, pastels, graphite, watercolor, ink, even conte is common in museums and galleries, but colored pencils seem to be a material outgrown as soon as any of the others …
[image_with_animation image_url=”9378″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Preparing for my mini workshop “Paint like Cezanne,” I ran across this work by Joel Meyerowitz, a photographer who documented still life objects of famous painters, particularly Cezanne and Morandi. Meyerowitz’ photographs are handsome recordings of plain yet interesting objects. Unlike the painters who assemble compositions, Meyerowitz framed each …
Print Arts and Activism
Portrait of Charleena Lyles
#saymyname
Our printmaking instructor Nikki Barber has been printing posters in her basement for protest rallies and marches. “I feel responsible to stand up for my friends who are Black and my friends who are Brown, since I white-pass so easily, but am not white.”
Nikki has been active in the social, political, and art in Seattle for years. She helped write this statement for racial justice with the Seattle Print Arts board. Any time there is a need for social justice or reform, Nikki thinks about this quote by 20th century American journalist A. J. Why: “Freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one.” (New Yorker, May 14, 1960, p. 109, paywall)
Nikki also named José Guadalupe Posada for his influence in shaping print arts for the people, by the people [There will be a V. Note about Posada tomorrow]. When asked about applying her print arts as activism for the people, Nikki said “I believe printmakers have an obligation to deliver information and agency to the people – especially to those who cannot access or give it to themselves.”
Say My Name
Portrait of Breonna Taylor
Portrait of Charleena Lyles
“Intersectionality is often overlooked when talking about racial and social justice. It should not be.” Nikki continued, “Black lives matter. Black trans lives and Black women’s lives fit into this as well. Women often get spoken over, looked over, or forgotten about, so I chose Breonna Taylor and Charleena Lyles to highlight their murders that happened before George Floyd’s. Breonna Taylor was 26 when she was murdered. Charleena Lyles was pregnant when she was shot in North Seattle two years ago.”
“I believe printmakers have an obligation to deliver information and agency to the people – especially to those who cannot access or give it to themselves.” – Nikki Barber, League Printmaking Instructor
Hey you.
Printmaking class starts June 16.
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SAL Challenge 13: TONDO
Exercise your creativity This SAL Challenge is a vocabulary based creative challenge every day for January. Materials are artist’s choice. You can draw, paint, sew, collage, sculpt your food, anything you want. See below for today’s creative challenge. Set the timer for 20 minutes and see what happens. TONDO At my recent artist’s talk, Suzanne …
Lad Decker
[image_with_animation image_url=”11354″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] UPCOMING SHOW Lad Decker: Peacekeeping October 1-30, 2018 Our abstract painting teacher for fall is having a show of new work. Lad Decker paints large bold abstractions: reflections on American and global conflicts through the machines and landscapes of war. This is part of her series Conflict of Interest. …
Colored Pencil Drawings by Amy Erickson
I look at a lot of art, and I don’t tend to see colored pencil drawings popping up in the mix of esteemed or daring artworks. Oils, pastels, graphite, watercolor, ink, even conte is common in museums and galleries, but colored pencils seem to be a material outgrown as soon as any of the others …
Cezanne’s Objects
[image_with_animation image_url=”9378″ alignment=”” animation=”None” box_shadow=”none” max_width=”100%”] Preparing for my mini workshop “Paint like Cezanne,” I ran across this work by Joel Meyerowitz, a photographer who documented still life objects of famous painters, particularly Cezanne and Morandi. Meyerowitz’ photographs are handsome recordings of plain yet interesting objects. Unlike the painters who assemble compositions, Meyerowitz framed each …