Opening Fri 2/6 @ 6 – 8pm
For 19 years Zygote Press has triumphantly represented the printmaking scene in Cleveland. Artists Bellamy Printz, Kelley Novak, Liz Maugans and Joe Sroka needed a space to make their print-based works, so in 1996, Zygote Press was born and has been active in the art community ever since.
Throughout the years hundreds of artists have come through the shop, leaving thousands of prints in their wake. These prints are now in the process of being cataloged and databased and many — but surely not all! — will appear in Zygote Press’ latest archive exhibition, triumphantly called They Came, They Saw, The Printed! opening Fri 2/6. The collection at Zygote is deep, a testament to the breadth of printmaking diversity.
We spoke with co-founder Liz Maugans and archivist/grants manager Corrie Slawson about the process of combing through 19 years’ worth of previously uncovered prints.
“With printmaking we have the ability to create multiples and a lot of the artists who started to come through our doors weren’t that interested in printing them but they want to have the prints to take back to their galleries or just to have so they can disseminate them,” says Maugans. “So we started to print them for them and we started to actually start a little collection and the one thing we forget is that you have to manage your collection.”
This little collection quickly grew. Enter Corrie Slawson, who came to Zygote with art handling and tracking experience, to get the collection in order.
Says Slawson, “To be clear, we are currently in the process of what’s called condition reporting and databasing and safehousing the collection. It’s about 2/3 done and we’ve been working on this with two wonderful dedicated interns — Rebecca Roman and Allison Polgar — who basically have under my direction databased, photographed, condition reported 2/3 of the collection.”
For this exhibition, Zygote chose works that represented the diversity of programs the shop hosts (such as the Dresden Exchange program and the Ohio Arts Council and the Cleveland Foundation’s Creative Fusion Program) and that showcased the diverse ways in which artists work, from creating mass printings to one-of-a-kind monoprints. Pretty much half of the show is Clevelanders, with a smattering of international artists.
“It’s so exciting after 19 years to really highlight the level of quality of the work that we’ve had in a drawer, not out for all these years,” says Slawson. “Part of the reason we were so excited to start really cataloging the collection is the minute you start cataloging a collection you make it available. So there’s just beautiful work to see here. High quality work by artists who are well known, by some people may not know as much about but they get to see this work that was made here by someone far away.”
“In a way it’s a very special collection of people who are great artists. We’re showcasing for the first time work in a museum setting. It’s our collection… this is really about people coming in and looking at the work.”
The exhibition will run from Fri 2/6 until Sat 3/28. Opening reception runs Fri 2/6 from 6 – 8pm. After party drinks will take place at Sterle’s, so plan accordingly and enjoy an evening of high quality prints.
Cool Cleveland editor Sarah Valek studied art and writing at Ithaca College. After graduation, she came back to Cle and served two years as an AmeriCorps*VISTA with the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless. She can be found on all sides of the city in pursuit of homeschooling activities for her son and the perfect soy latte. Contact her at CoolEditorATCoolCleveland.com or via Twitter.
Cleveland, OH 44114