Women in the arts often gain less recognition than their male peers, a reality that's no less true in the world of printmaking.
To help close this gap, the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture's newest exhibition, "First Impressions: Women Printmakers of Washington," is the first showcase exclusively featuring female printmakers from the Evergreen state.
"It's important to recognize the work and the impact of women," says Kayla Tackett, the MAC's exhibitions and collections director. "It's important to recognize the work and impact of artists in Washington in particular."
The exhibit features artworks created between 1920 and 1960 from 14 female artists. The collection is primarily on loan from the Cascadia Art Museum in Edmonds, Washington, along with a few additional pieces from the MAC's own collection. Among the women whose work is included are well-known printmakers Dorothy Dolph Jensen and Ebba Rapp.
"It's a pretty large number of women printmakers, which is great to see for one thing because often I think it's easy to associate art making and printmaking with men," says Tackett. "These are a whole lot of women who were making prints in the '30s."
"First Impressions" showcases the versatility of printmaking, highlighting various aesthetic styles that are widely seen now, even though viewers may not immediately be able to identify specific styles and techniques, Tackett says.
Throughout the gallery, a few abstract works are displayed, such as "Bottle" by Ruth Pennington, who was instrumental in founding the state's Northwest Printmakers Society in 1929, among other arts organizations.
Provincetown-style prints are also displayed heavily throughout the exhibition. This particular technique leaves a thin white line outlining the shapes, images and scenes in a print. Provincetown originated on the East Coast, but eventually made its way to artists in the Pacific Northwest, a testament to the aesthetic diversity and migration of printmaking techniques.
"Provincetown is obviously from the East Coast, but one of the instructors had studied it on the East Coast and brought it back over here to the University of Washington," Tackett says.
The University of Washington was a printmaking hub at the peak of activity for the Northwest Printmakers Society, and served as the first location for the group's annual exhibition.
"The purpose of the society was to stimulate the production and appreciation of good prints both by amateurs and professionals," Tackett explains.
In addition to displaying a myriad of printmaking styles and aesthetics, many of the pieces in "First Impressions" show notable locations and scenes of the Pacific Northwest. Among these examples are Elizabeth Warhanik's Provincetown-style woodblock print of Puget Sound, Elizabeth Colborne's woodblock print of Bellingham Bay's lumber mills, and many of Vanessa Helder's pieces.
"Vanessa Helder is best known for her portrayals of the Grand Coulee Dam being built," Tackett says. "She has images of the rolling hills of the Palouse, a Queen Anne cottage, and the landscape."
In the center of the exhibition stands a glass case with printmaking tools, woodblocks and proofs that help illustrate the intricate processes and extensive time that goes into printmaking.
Along the gallery walls, a few pieces also illustrate printmaking stages, such as Dorothy Dolph Jensen's graphite drawing of a musician playing his instrument for a large crowd. Next to the sketch lie two drypoint plates with the image etched in. The second plate shows significant changes in shadows and shading to make a more complete image.
"What always impresses me about printmaking is there are about a million different ways to make a print, and they all are just so fascinating," Tackett says.
That's why the gallery has lists of printmaking terms on the wall — as viewers peruse the exhibition they can learn about and identify different techniques.
Tackett says that with modern technology making printing a lightning-fast process, the techniques and time required of printmaking may be underlooked in comparison to other traditional art forms.
"Printmaking is one of those things that I think can kind of fly under the radar," she says. "It's so simple for us to print something, but this kind of printmaking takes time and consideration, and this show really helps you see it."
There's been recent, renewed interest in printmaking in the Inland Northwest, Tackett says, and this exhibition's timing couldn't be better. "First Impressions" is on display through Nov. 19, overlapping with the Rocky Mountain Printmaking Alliance's symposium taking place Oct. 12-14, which aims to enhance the printmaking scene in Spokane.
"I think there's just something kind of magical to it, and the aesthetics can be very specific," she says. "It's a really great way to get a sense of the variety of printmaking." ♦
First Impressions: Women Printmakers of Washington • Through Nov. 19, open Tue-Sun from 10 am-5 pm • $7-$12 • Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture • 2316 W. First Ave. • northwestmuseum.org • 509-456-3931
