Where Cleveland Institute of Art, Ann and Norman Roulet Student + Alumni Gallery
The Cleveland Institute of Art's Printmaking Department, in conjunction with the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve, are pleased to present an exhibition in response to the work of CIA alum Kestutis Kizevicius.
In collaboration with the Artists Archives of the Western Reserve (AAWR), students in the Fall 2020 Advanced Topics Printmaking course completed a limited edition print assignment with an inventive modification. In previous semesters, students in this course would invite local artists to campus and guide them through the process of creating a matrix and pulling a limited edition of prints. As part of an exchange portfolio, students would also create an edition in response to the portfolio theme. The restrictions for visitors on campus and attention to social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic required flexibility and creative solutions to fulfill this project, which is heavily based on individual and group project management.
The AAWR offered support to the class through their loan agreement process by which students and faculty were granted permission to borrow matrices (etching plates, linoleum and woodblock) to print the works of Kestutis Kizevicius, otherwise known as Kesty, an AAWR Archived Artist and CIA alum. This opportunity allowed the students to learn how to recondition the plates from storage, print a small edition of the full plates to be included in the AAWR collection, and pull a second edition for the class exchange portfolio. Each participant received a full portfolio, and two archived sets will remain in the collection of CIA and AAWR.
The full generosity of the AAWR extended through visitations to view the plates, prints, paintings and sketchbooks of the deceased artist in the collection. AAWR's Executive Director, Mindy Tousley and Registrar Kelly Pontoni, also a CIA alum, offered their knowledge of Kesty’s life and work through multiple conversations and published writings.
This multipart exhibition includes the complete exchange portfolio, the loaned plates, and the corresponding prints pulled from those archived matrices. Through this exhibition to the CIA community, we share the benefits the students have received from a truly collaborative partnership with the AAWR.
Participants of the portofolio:
Kestutis Kizevicius (Kesty) ’75
Maeve Billings ’21
Nick Birnie ’21
Maggie Denk-Leigh, CIA Print Department Chair
Connor Goodwin ’20
Tatiana Hornung ’21
Mike Lombardy ’15
Kelly Pontoni ’18
Stevie Tanner, CIA Print Department Technical Specialist
Building safety measures restrict access to the Ann and Norman Roulet Student + Alumni Gallery to CIA students, staff and faculty only. This exhibition is not open to the public.
Cleveland Institute of Art
Ann and Norman Roulet Student + Alumni Gallery
11610 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44106
800.223.4700
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Cleveland Institute of Art is supported in part by the residents of Cuyahoga County through a public grant from Cuyahoga Arts & Culture.