The neon Visiting Artist\ sign on the sixth floor of the Humanities Building was turned on Wednesday afternoon, and will continue to glow through Sunday as over 1,200 student and professional artists gather for the Southern Graphics Council's annual conference. The SGC, a national printmaking and graphics organization, gathers in a different city each year to share and display their artwork, ideas and techniques.
At the heart of the conference is the exchange portfolio. A common practice among printmakers, the portfolio is a collaborative effort in which a number of printers submit works based on a predetermined theme and format. The collection of prints is then displayed together, allowing artists to trade prints with each other and have their own works displayed in a larger context.
The SGC portfolios, created by artists from both Madison and elsewhere, are on display through Saturday throughout the Humanities Building. This year's theme, ""Genetic ImPrint,"" based on Madison's significant roles in both printmaking and biotechnology, inspired a number of different stylistic interpretations, making for a large and intriguing exhibition.
The Humanities Building, the hub of the conference, is also housing continuous artist demonstrations open to SGC members and students alike.
""Because printmaking is a highly technical process,"" said David Teng, a UW-Madison TA and graduate student in printmaking, ""the demonstrations allow artists to share not only their art and ability, but the specific techniques involved in printmaking.""
Visiting artists as well as local printmaking groups and galleries are taking advantage of the influx of art enthusiasts by holding many exhibitions. The Slingshot Gallery, 330 W. Lakeside St., for instance, is displaying five different print shows in the four nights of the conference.
Exhibitions are displayed in nearly every venue Madison has to offer, including the Commonwealth Gallery, 100 S. Baldwin St., Firecracker Studios, 1917 Winnebago St. and the Overture Center for the Arts, 201 State St. In fact, celebration of the SGC conference reaches as far as the Milwaukee Art Museum, which is opening an exhibition featuring prints and works in neon by Bruce Nauman to coincide with this weekend's events.
""The SGC conference is going to be influential not only for artists coming in, but for local artists as well,"" said Joseph Velasquez, UW-Madison printmaker and co-operator of Slingshot Gallery. With the plethora of artistic opportunities, UW-Madison students can easily take advantage of what is shaping up to be a great weekend for art in Madison.
Tom Huck, operator of Evil Prints in St. Louis who is demonstrating his relief printing this weekend, expressed a similarly excited sentiment.
""It's a great place for people who love prints to meet each other and to see lots of new and exciting art. It's going to be a lot of fun the rest of the way out.""
The schedule of events is available on Genetic ImPrint's website at http://www.art.wisc.edu/sgc2006, as well as on display in the Humanities Building.
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