above: photos from the community printing days at the Iowa City Press Co-op on Dec. 27 & 28, 2022
About the artist:
Cory Christiansen is an art-world interloper. His search for meaning manifests in the visual interpretation of his thoughts, thus, he is an artist out of necessity. Like a stymied escape room participant, he sees clues where there are none. His mixed media work tends to incorporate these “clues” - items that have mystically taken on additional context beyond their mundane existence - into works that attempt to translate his thoughts, though incompletely. The work is like a visual journal, his attempt to balance the deluge of societal stimuli with his ever-present sense of wonder.
www.corychristiansen.com
www.facebook.com/corychristiansenART
IG: @corygchristiansen
opening reception: Friday, Dec. 9, 5-7pm
shown in conjunction with “Collectivity is Flux”
drop-in printing days at ICPC: Dec. 27 & 28, 1-4pm
This show is in memory of my friend and mentor, Jon Fasanelli-Cawelti. It deals with the roles of student and mentor, hesitation and confidence, selfhood and community.
Imagine meeting a master printmaker, who trained with the pioneers in 20th century intaglio, and who quietly honed his direct intaglio techniques over the course of decades. Then, imagine him sharing his life’s work, patiently educating you on the history of intaglio printmaking, instructing you on using a burin, and finally introducing you to the marvel of 15th century technology, his press. Gifted a blank sheet of copper, you roughly scrape your first impressions using a variety of rudimentary tools from your home. Then printing day arrives, and you pull your first print, and it is magical! This is my experience with Jon, one that I will never forget, and one I hope to share with you.
Regardless of your prior knowledge of printmaking, I hope you will explore and participate in this PS1 exhibition. A rare video of Jon describing the history and process of intaglio plays alongside examples of his sophisticated prints. On the floor are copper and acrylic plates with simple tools and prompts for you and the community to make your marks. On December 27th and 28th, you will have the opportunity to pull a print from these plates at the Iowa City Press Co-op (ICPC) next door. If you are not familiar with the ICPC, it is a community-access print and book arts studio offering access to and education in intaglio, relief, silkscreen, letterpress, and book arts. Its collective members work to establish a local community of book and print enthusiasts and collaborate with other like-minded organizations across the country. A selection of works from one of these collaborations, the Collectivity is Flux portfolio, will be on display to provide further inspiration.
So, welcome, let PS1 be your trusted guide; I hope your experience will be as magical and transformative as mine.
Sincerely,
Cory Christiansen