WORCESTER, Mass. – The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery at the
College of the Holy Cross will present More Than One: Prints and Portfolios from Center Street Studio, Boston, from Wednesday, Sept. 1 – Saturday, Oct. 30, 2004.
Center Street Studio was founded in 1984 by artist and master printmaker James Stroud, a 1980 graduate of Holy Cross. Over the past 20 years, the studio has earned an outstanding reputation as a leading printmaking workshop in the New England area, publishing hundreds of prints by artists who are nationally and internationally recognized.
More Than One includes monotypes, editioned prints and portfolios by 27 artists, all created at Boston’s Center Street Studio after 1984. The prints range from small, intimate, linear etchings of landscapes by the late New York artist Nell Blaine to a monumental 44” x 60” monotype by Chuck Holztman. Also featured is a suite of recent etching and aquatint prints by John Wilson, as well as six portfolios of individual sheets that may be viewed by hand.
James Stroud was among the first Holy Cross students to study in the College’s printmaking program, which was begun in the late 1970s by then assistant professor Jim Monson (who taught at the College until 1982.) Stroud subsequently received an M.F.A. in printmaking from Yale University in 1984. From 1980-81, he studied with legendary printmaker, Stanley William Hayter at the renowned Atelier 17 in Paris.
Commenting on the work at Center Street, Stroud notes the importance of maintaining direct relationships with the artists as he serves as the catalyst for their creations. “ The work I publish reflects the plurality of contemporary art. The best of art should be a reflection of the culture and society that produced the art. I find this in a range of work, from realism to abstraction, and I like to think Center Street embodies a reflection of our time.”
Artist Charles Ritchie has said, “What is special about Center Street, and makes it very different from larger studios, is the give and take working one-on-one with Jim in his workshop…The moderate-scale presses and the private atmosphere that surrounds working back-and-forth directly with Jim are key elements.”
Other artists exhibiting work in More Than One include two Holy Cross faculty members, sculpture artist Michael Beatty and photographer Robert ParkeHarrison. Also represented are Gerry Bergstein, Nell Blaine, Bernard Chaet, Mark Cooper, Aaron Fink, Anne Harris, James Hansen, Chuck Holtzman, Lester Johnson, Markus Linnenbrink, Judy Kensley McKie, Todd McKie, Keith Monda, David Ortins, Jeff Perrott, Charles Ritchie, Richard Ryan, James Stroud, Bill Thompson, Roger Tibbetts, John Walker, Bill Wheelock, George Whitman, John Wilson, and Janine Wong.
The exhibition was organized by the Marsh Art Gallery at the University of Richmond.
A series of public events in conjunction with the exhibition will be held at the Cantor Art Gallery:
- Gallery Talk by James Stroud, artist and founder, on the history of Center Street Studio, Wednesday, Sept. 8, 4 -5 p.m.
- Opening Reception, Wednesday, Sept. 8 from 5- 6 p.m. (following Stroud’s talk)
- Gallery Talk by Charles Ritchie, artist and print curator, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., Monday, October 25, 4 – 5 p.m.
A 64 –page catalog accompanies this exhibition and will be available for purchase at the exhibition. Members of the media may contact Cantor Art Gallery director, Roger Hankins at 508-793-3356 for an advance copy.
The hours for the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Art Gallery are Monday–Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Saturdays, 2 p.m. – 5 p.m. Located in O’Kane Hall, 1st Floor, College of the Holy Cross, 1 College Street, Worcester, Mass., 01610. Admission to the gallery is free. Public parking is located on Linden Lane, gate 2, off College Street.
For more information contact the Cantor Art Gallery at 508-793-3356 or visit the Gallery’s Web site at: www.holycross.edu/departments/cantor/website/index.html. Additional information is also available at the Center Street Studio Web site at: www.centerstreetstudio.com.
