The Hankie Project : Julie Barratt

"This project was borne out of the recent sudden death of my father, a handkerchief, some emotive words written by a sibling on his death and the traumatic aftermath of a death processed according to particular societal and cultural mores. Interested artists and Individuals are invited to create an artwork on a handkerchief (any handkerchief not necessarily a man's) based around death/grief/bereavement and return it to me by end of April, 2010 for inclusion in a collaborative exhibition." Julie Barratt

'Omnia Mors Aequat: Death Renders All Equal; levels all distinctions; distractions; pain.

(Helen Allsebrook, Daughter of David, 2010)'

Handkerchief and screen print, 2010

 A project organised by Julie Barratt http://objectsofthedead.blogspot.com/

Secrets: A Collaborative Print Exchange

The University of the West of England and the University of Wisconsin-Madison
Exhibition and Print Exchange Curators: Helen Allsebrook, UK and Sarah Noreen, USA
View all artwork here: http://www.bookarts.uwe.ac.uk/secrets09.htm

Exhibition: 27th November - 4th December 2009
F-Block Gallery
University of the West of England
School of Creative Arts,
Bower Ashton Campus
Kennel Lodge Road,
Bristol BS3 2JT 

Helen Allsebrook and Sarah Noreen met in Maine, USA in June 2009 after Helen won the Marlin Miller Scholarship to study at at Haystack Mountain School of Craft. As a result, a collaborative print project was created entitled ‘Secrets’.

Fourteen talented practitioners took part: Seven from the UK and seven from the USA creating an edition of fifteen prints each. The show clearly identifies an exploration of hidden meaning and image spanning two continents. The methodologies employed are innovative, varied and a diverse use of printmaking methods are evident throughout.

From the 27th November - 4th December 2009 the resulting work was displayed in F Block Gallery, Faculty of Creative Arts at the University of the West of England before travelling to several institutions throughout the UK and USA.

Three may keep a secret if two of them are dead’
Genevieve Browne UK
Lithography, Expantex Screenprint. 2009.

‘Secret’
Tracy Honn USA
Letterpress. 2009

‘A Letter To A Wife’
Melissa Olen UK
Pigmented Ink. 2009

‘Untitled’
Paul Laidler UK
Pigmented Ink. 2009

‘Confession: My Knickers Were Made in an Economically Developing Country’
Helen Allsebrook UK
Found Ephemera, Emboss, Stitch. 2009

24th Annual Miniature Print Show

Venue: Blackwells Bookshop, 89 Park Street, Bristol, BS1 5PW

Dates: Private View: Friday 4 December 2009. Exhibition continues until Spring 2010.

Co-ordinated by: Tortie Rye 

Staff and students from the University of the West of England, will be displaying prints at the 24th annual Miniature Print exhibition at Blackwells Bookshop, Park Street in Bristol, from 5 December through to Spring 2010. 

Exhibition organiser Tortie Rye says, “The exhibition contains work by 30 different artists - all of whom are either UWE staff, or MA students. The variety of print methods and media used is broad, resulting in some truly unique artworks. Each print is produced in a limited edition of 60. The first 5 prints in each edition are archived, 25 are available for sale, and the remaining 30 are collated in sets of 30 miniature prints (one by each artist) and are presented to participating artists in return for their contribution to the project. All prints are displayed together, and are available to buy either framed or unframed. Unframed prints are at the affordable price of £15, making them ideal original Christmas presents.”

 

The exhibition showcases a variety of print techniques including screen-printing, etching and letter press, laser cut and digital print. The only constrictions put on the artists are that of size. The image must conform to 7.6 x 10.2cm placed on a 20 x 25cm sheet of mould made paper, which is then presented in portrait format.

The exhibition was originally designed by Richard Anderton and Steve Hoskins, at UWE's Centre for Fine Print Research (CFPR), as a way to raise funds for the printmaking area, and also as a memento for existing printmaking students. 

Each year, the first three editions of prints are archived at the CFPR. The Centre now has an archive of mini prints going back 23 years – a collection of tens of thousands of individual prints, produced by hundreds of staff, students and invited artists using every print process. Prints have been exhibited nationally and internationally, in galleries and print shows from China to South America.



View all prints here.

Steve Hansons 'International Postal Art Project, Bristol, 2010' Contribution

"Just forwarded my entry for the Bristol International Postal Art Project, 2010, started by Helen Allsebrook, at UWE, Bristol. It arrived with a stitched and printed map contour design with a chunk knocked out, hanging by a thread. This was created by Soo Min Leong. It reminded me of the Highland clearances, for some reason. I eventually added a quote from Raphael Samuel on botanical gardens, which I have already used in my review of the Art of Location conference at The Courtyard, Hereford. I did this because one of the postcard backs had ‘monkeys in a botanical garden’ as a caption, so I also included the message ‘what’s a monkey to do? In all this Empire rubble…’ and then sent it on, to Erik Kok, at the Enschede Academy of Visual Arts, in The Netherlands. Can’t wait to see the exhibition." 

Steve Hanson, December 9th, 2009

Air Gallery Launch & Private View

14th November 2009, 4-6.30pm

6 High Street, Wells, Somerset BA5 2SG

A great gallery and a wonderfully refreshing change to see contemporary art from established and up and coming artists, situated in the centre of Wells. A gallery which I'm sure has huge promise for the future. 

Somethink Collective : Collective Atlas

Monday, 8 February 2010

"Another contribution sent in for the Collective Atlas - sent in by a few weeks ago by Helen Allsebrook. Sorry for the late posting!

A small book measuring 7.5 x 10cm packed full with information on Ilkley including facts and personal memories. The information is handwritten and then photocopied in negative and is written in small spaces and across pages, upside down and round about. This makes for a really intimate read as you try to follow the meandering text and diagrams/illustrations. What is written gives the reader a good sense of the place from the artist's perspective, which is intriguing, humourous and inviting. These are pieces of information you would not pick up on during a quick visit through Ilkley and so make the book a real discovery of the place. Thanks greatly for the contribution. Look forward to meeting you at the Leeds Artists Book fair!"

From Sarah @ Somethink Collective

Book to be displayed at Leeds and Glasgow Artists' Book Fair

Spike Print Studio : Press-n-Peel Etching Workshop

Spike Print Studio Courses and Workshops
8 SPACES
Saturday 27 March, 2010, 10–4pm
£40


Led by a selected MA Multi Disciplinary Print student, this workshop provides a rare and exciting insight into the variety of print processes available. The day will include a talk and demonstration of the student’s current practice and you will be assisted in preparing your own work for printing in the afternoon. Be prepared for the unexpected and sign up to a day at the edge of printmaking.

New Hampshire Institute of Art Portfolio Exchange : 'You Bastard' : Curated by James Chase

Friday, 02 April 2010, 5:30 – 8:00pm

Launch Art Gallery, 28 Grove Street, Peterborough, NH, USA

“You Bastard” is a portfolio exchange by artists from The New Hampshire Institute of Art, around The United States and abroad. Each artist was asked to create an edition of 23 prints interpreting the phrase “You Bastard” in any printmaking method including (but not limited to): woodcut, lithography, photo lithography, etching, digital, handmade prints, and screen-printing.

Works by:

Helen Allsebrook ~ Michelle Blandina ~ Lyell Castonguay ~ James Chase ~ Matthew Cohen ~ Ian DeCelli ~ Aaron Drew ~ Kenny Duquet ~ Peter Fischer ~ Grue ~ Sammy Johnson ~ Elise Lacasse ~ Daniel Larson ~ Jennifer Liseo ~ Ashley McCarty ~ Sara Plourde ~ Ned Roche ~ Lisa Scanlon ~ Patrick Scully ~ Andrew Super ~ Sylvia Taylor