By Eric McGee

The Delta National Small Prints Exhibition is being held at the Bradbury Art Museum from Jan. 23 to Feb. 19. This is the 24th year Arkansas State has hosted the DNSPE. This year’s exhibition is dedicated to Les Christensen, former director of the Bradbury Art Museum. Christensen retired last summer after 21 years of service with Arkansas State University.

The 2020 exhibition features 55 prints in which the natural environment and its relationship with humanity are the central theme. Gretchen L. Wagner served as juror for this year’s exhibition. The juror is responsible for choosing which prints will be exhibited. Currently, Wagner is a fellow at the St. Louis Art Museum and has been instrumental in completing numerous exhibitions. She has worked with the Museum for Modern Art, the International Print Center in New York and the Pulitzer Arts Foundation.

The duplication of engraved images goes back over 3000 years. Initially, most prints were duplicated on textile. In Europe, prints were not done on paper until the arrival of paper technology from the far east in the 12th century. Initially, it was considered a craft. Wood engravings were used to make playing cards and royal seals. It wasn’t until the 17th and 18th centuries that printmaking evolved into an art in Europe. It was already a long established art in Asia. Picasso, Goya, Matisse and Dali are considered some of the more famous printmakers.

Prints by artists from all over the world are featured at the DNSPE. However, there are two prints exhibited by local artist, Holt Brasher. A master printmaker, Brasher is practically a life-long resident of Jonesboro, Arkansas. Additionally, he was a professor of art at Arkansas State University from 1963 to 2003. Both his prints are from woodcuts.

Prints are available for purchase at the exhibition. They range in price from $175 to $1800. The museum created a wonderful picture catalogue/program to go with the exhibit, where each artist gives a brief synopsis on how they approach their work. Local artist, Holt Brasher states, “In creating my art, I validate myself, my lands, and my upbringing through using them as parts of a recipe for an artistic soup.” Such accompanying statements give the viewer a little more insight into the artist’s work.

The Delta National Small Prints Exhibition was founded in 1996 by Evan Lindquist. Since then, it has grown into an internationally recognized exhibition. The Bradbury Art Museum has hosted the exhibit for the last 5 years. Located in the Fowler Center, BAM was originally a gallery but was upgraded to museum status 5 years ago. This allows them to expand their scope in educational programs, presentations and collecting.

In addition to the DNSPE, the Bradbury Art Museum is presently featuring sculpture works from the Arkansas Art Center., Museum education coordinator Haley Voges is always ready to give visitors a detailed educational tour of the exhibits, as is Timothy Richmond, the museum attendant. A visit to the Bradbury Art Museum is always an enlightening experience.

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