South African Art Exhibit Debuts at Tufts in June
The Boston-Jo’burg Connection: Collaboration and Exchange at Artist Proof Studio, 1983-2012
June 1 – July 29, 2012
Opening Reception May 31, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
The Tufts University Art Gallery at the Shirley and Alex Aidekman Arts Center proudly presents The Boston-Jo’burg Connection: Collaboration and Exchange at Artist Proof Studio, 1983-2012. The exhibition will include more than 150 individual and collaborative fine art prints spanning some twenty-five years by several dozen artists from Boston and Johannesburg. The exhibition has been organized by the Tufts University Art Gallery and guest curated by Pamela Allara, an expert in contemporary South African art who has published and lectured widely on Artist Proof Studio. She is an associate professor emerita of Brandeis University.
This groundbreaking exhibition tells the story of Artist Proof Studio, which was conceived in Boston by Tufts/Museum School graduate Kim Berman in the 1980s and cofounded with artist Nhlanhla Xaba in Johannesburg in 1991. Over its twenty-one year history, this community-based printmaking studio has mirrored the transformations in South African society from the end-stages of Apartheid to a conception of artists as activist-citizens in a democratic society.
On view are a wide array of international printmaking projects and collaborative portfolios by three generations of artists associated with Artist Proof Studio, as well as work by their Boston-area artist-mentors, who over the years have traveled to Johannesburg to provide workshops that have expanded the students’ skills and creative ideas. The exhibition is structured into four themes: The Early Years of Artist Proof Studio in Boston and Johannesburg (1983-1995); Community and Citizenship (1996-2007); the Fire and Rebuilding (2003- 2009); and Coming Full Circle (2009-2012).
Some of the participating artists include: Lauren Adelman; Kim Berman; Birgit Blyth; Muzi Donga; Jane Goldman; Phillemon Hlungwani; Cathy Kernan; Ilana Manolson; Osiah Masekoameg; Mongezi Ncaphayi; Charles Nkosi; Judy Quinn; Rhoda Rosenberg; Peter Scott; Stompie Selibe; and Nhlanhla Xaba. A complimentary publication accompanies the exhibition and includes the exhibition checklist, artists’ profiles, a glossary of printmaking terms, and a timeline of important events and artistic exchanges from 1983 to the present.
Summer Gallery Hours
Wednesday – Sunday 12 – 5 PM
(Closed Mondays & Tuesdays)
Opening Reception
May 31, 5:30 – 8:00 PM
Curatorial Walkthrough
with Dr. Pamela Allara
May 31, 5:30 PM
– Information from Tufts University