A new art exhibition at the Janet Turner Print Museum showcases contemporary screenprinting.
"The Screenprint Biennial," a New York-based exhibition, is celebrating its tenth anniversary at Chico State.
The exhibition has been shown in non-profit galleries every two years since 2014. The show displays the work of 23 contemporary artists from around the country.
Rachel Skokowski, the Janet Turner Print Museum curator, helped bring the exhibition to Chico State.
“It's an exciting show because it's the first time we've been able to bring such a big traveling exhibition to Chico," Skokowski said. "Most of these artists have never exhibited their work here, so it's a taste of what's happening nationally in the U.S."
Skokowski said the exhibition explores the accessibility of screenprinting and highlights experimental works.
“It's really fun to see what these artists are doing and how they're really innovating and taking a technique that can be commercial-focused to something really experimental, innovative, really exciting,” Skokowski said.
The exhibition was founded by Nathan Meltz, a printmaker and a senior lecturer in the Department of the Arts at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York.
"He realized there was no exhibition that showcased contemporary screenprinting, and so he started this thing that's now taken on a life of its own," Skokowski said.
Meltz brought the idea to display the show’s 10th-anniversary at Chico State to Skokowski.
“We're very lucky that we're the first place to have it in California.”— Rachel Skokowski, the Janet Turner Print Museum curator
“He reached out to me last year about bringing this sort of special anniversary show here because they've never had an exhibition on the west coast,” Skokowski said. “We're very lucky that we're the first place to have it in California.”
The Turner Museum is dedicated to printmaking, making it an excellent match for the show. Earlier last month, Meltz visited Chico to install the exhibition with the help of art students and the Turner team.
Skokowski said this is the perfect show for those who have never visited The Turner Museum.
"My goal is for people to realize that The Turner is a place for them," she said. " We are located on campus, but we're for the entire community and always free."
The Turner is open Tuesday through Saturday from noon to 4 p.m. and now on Thursday evenings until 8 p.m. The exhibition will be on display through Dec. 13.
