CELEBRATING A 20-YEAR COLLABORATION

by Kristin Nord

Since 1995, The Center for Contemporary Printmaking (CCP) has cultivated a vibrant network of artists who use its equipment and services.

This fall, visitors to the non-profit center in Norwalk, Conn. will be treated to what promises to be a spectacular 20th anniversary celebratory retrospective. The exhibition, partially underwritten by the International Fine Print Dealers Association, will showcase high quality prints from leading artists of the 20th century.

From the painterly woodcuts of Helen Frankenthaler to the eight-color screen prints of poppies by Donald Sultan, the show will display a wide range of work by artists who are masters of various techniques. There will be prints by Michael Mazur, Robert Andrew Parker and Robert Cottingham, and gems culled from the CCP archives, including works by Rufino Tamayo, Robert Bechtle, Manuel Neri, Nathan Oliveira and Stanley William Hayter. The exhibition’s opening reception will be held on Saturday, Sept. 12, with jazz sounds served up by Robert Andrew Parker and his band, Jive by Five.

During the three-month exhibit, the public can also experience printmaking in progress, whether it’s what promises to be a lively collaboration between the CCP and Stepping Stones Museum for Children on September 19 (a steamroller will be churning out large-scale woodcuts at nearby Mathews Park), or by signing up for a five-hour intensive in monotype printmaking as part of CCP’s MONOTHON2015, taking place October 18-25. Additionally, CCP has commissioned a limited edition, three-color lithograph by renowned photorealist Robert Cottingham as part of the celebration.

And, for the first time, scholarships in the memory of founder Grace Ross Shanley will underwrite four apprenticeships (for one sophomore and three juniors from Norwalk and New Canaan high schools) to further the center’s ongoing commitment to education and outreach.

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