Recent Print Acquisitions: The Workshop Portfolios

Arcade Gallery

January 28 – April 16, 2006

Opening Reception: Friday, January 27, 2006, 6 – 9 pm

LINCOLN, MA—Historically, printmaking has been a collaborative process, from the workshops of Rembrandt and Rubens to contemporary studios in which large, expensive presses must be shared or rented. The artist-run studios represented in The Workshop Portfolios foster a cooperative and experimental ethos that embraces the constant exchange of ideas inherent to such communal work spaces. The collection includes prints by members of the short-lived, but pivotal, Artist’s Proof Studio in Cambridge, Massachusetts (1980–1984) and the active studios it inspired: Mixit Print Studios and Hand Press Workshop, both in Somerville, Massachusetts. The Workshop Portfolios include works by some of Boston’s most innovative printmakers, and provide an important sampling of printmaking in the Boston metropolitan area from 1980–2000.

Woodcuts, engravings, etchings, and lithographs are among the range of media included in this exhibition that highlights the studios’ broad output and Boston’s thriving printmaking community. A selection of 26 prints, from the total 76 acquired, will be on view to celebrate this important acquisition. Recent Print Acquisitions: The Workshop Portfolios is organized by Curatorial Fellow Dina Deitsch.

General Information

DeCordova Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 11 am to 5 pm and on selected Monday holidays. General admission during Museum hours is $9 for adults, $6 for senior citizens, students, and youth ages 6–12. Children age 5 and under, Lincoln residents, and Active Duty Military Personnel and their dependents are admitted free. The Sculpture Park is open year round during daylight hours. The Store @ DeCordova and the School Gallery are open Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 7:30 pm, Friday through Saturday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, and Sunday 11:30 am to 5:30 pm. The Café @ DeCordova is open Tuesday from noon to 3 pm, and Wednesday through Sunday from 11 am to 4 pm. Free guided public tours of the Museum's main galleries take place every Thursday at 1 and Sunday at 2 pm. Free tours of the Sculpture Park are given on Saturday and Sunday at 1 pm from May to October. Visit www.decordova.org or call 781/259-8355 for further information. This press release is available electronically on our Web site.

2006 marks the 100th anniversary of the American Association of Museums and has been designated the Year of the Museum. AAM's annual meeting will take place in Boston from April 27 – May 1. Learn more at www.aam-us.org.

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