This past weekend the Baltimore Museum of Art hosted the biannual Baltimore Fair for Contemporary Prints and New Editions, which showcased a wide variety of prints, drawings, photography and digital images from 12 different sources, including galleries, art dealers and an accomplished group of students from Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA).
The participants came primarily from Maryland and New York, but a few hailed from Connecticut, Pennsylvania and Massachusetts. The fair was accessible to a wide audience, as prices ranged from $15 to over $100,000.
Everyone at the fair was friendly, approachable and in good spirits. The strong sampling of up-and-coming art was captivating, and the fair offered an opportunity to mingle with artists and art dealers alike.
Some of the pieces at the fair were shocking, such as a large screenprint by Nora Ligorano and Marshall Reese (Ligorano/Reese). The artists, known for their political commentary, once made an ice sculpture called "The State of Things" that spelled "DEMOCRACY" and they filmed it as it melted and crumbled over 24 hours.
Their work on display at the fair, called "Untitled 2001," depicted President Bush's face at the moment he was told about the attack on the World Trade Center. Ligorano/Reese's cartoonish manipulation of the photograph lent the piece an odd sense of humor that, when combined with the disturbing implications of Bush's facial expression and what is being whispered in his ear, left viewers feeling unsettled. The piece came from Jim Kempner Fine Art, a beautiful space in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York.
Another striking piece, called "Repent, from 'Soul Erased," by Joyce Scott, combined prints, lithograph, screenprint and embossing to startling effect. Scott, a MICA graduate, juxtaposes a fiery, faceless angel with wild, wavy hair and a cheerful-looking skeleton with extra limbs against a stark white backdrop. The two figures seem to be dancing together, and it is unclear whether we should want to join these creatures in their revelry or fear them for what they represent. The print was shown by Goya Contemporary & Goya-Girl Press, a gallery located just west of Hopkins's campus in Hampden.
This year was the first time in the fair's 16-year history that students of any kind were able to show their work.
"They took a gamble in letting a student organization be a part of this. Hopefully now they'll continue to have us, MICA students and alumni, involved," said Ryan Ives, a senior at MICA and co-organizer of MICA's show at the fair.
He said that the fair was a huge success for MICA students, who had the opportunity to sell their work as well as interact with successful art dealers and collectors. The fair's Artist & Editions Award, given to an artist who has produced remarkable work in printmaking, was awarded to MICA graduate Adam Oestreicher.
The photography of one artist in particular, MICA senior Alex Cummings, grabbed the attention of many attendees. "In the print fair I included photos from three different series: 'Reflections,' 'Building Tops' and 'Israel,'" Cummings said.
"The 'Reflections' series was taken in different locations around Baltimore and I used window reflections to create photographs with multiple layers, showing inside and outside in one view," she said.
Some of the most expensive pieces at the fair were shown by Charles M. Young Fine Prints and Drawings, based in Connecticut. Charles Young and his wife, Susan, specialize in contemporary American, contemporary European, German expressionists, modern avant-garde, modern master and surrealism.
"We sold things ranging from $120 to some things in the tens of thousands, and ranging from about 1920 to brand new," said Young, a MICA graduate making his fourth appearance at the fair.
Young had displayed a Picasso for sale at $130,000, called "Les Deux Saltimbanques" - meaning "the two circus performers." Young said that the BMA has a comparable Picasso print in its permanent collection.
The first fair was in 1990 and was originally held annually.
"In 2000, the format changed to a biannual print fair. The print fair last weekend was the 15th fair," said Sherri Katz, a co-organizer of the print fair who works in the Department of Prints, Drawings & Photographs at the BMA.
This year's event may have been the most successful so far. By sparking interest in creating, collecting and selling art, the print fair enables the BMA to extend its influence in the community and in the wider art world.
