WORDS / GARRY HOLSTEIN, BRADBURY ART MUSEUM

Bradbury Art Museum (BAM) is excited to announce the 26th year of the Delta National Small Prints Exhibition (DNSPE). DNSPE 2022 will open Feb. 17 with an opening reception at 5 p.m. and close on March 30. Viewing hours are Tue-Sat noon to 5 p.m. For more information about Bradbury Art Museum or to learn how you can support future exhibitions, please call (870) 972-3687.

Founded in 1996 by Evan Lindquist, with help from Jan Troutt, Dr. Ruth Hawkins, Dr. Russ Shain, Dr. Charlott Jones, Curtis Steele, Dr. William Allen, Bill Rowe, and John Salvest, the Delta National Small Prints Exhibition is an annual juried print exhibition that features prominent contemporary printmakers from around the world. DNSPE has received great acclaim as it has grown to be one of the country’s foremost annual competitions for prints.

The Delta National Small Prints Exhibition was created with students in mind. It is meant to be a resource for printmaking students and instructors to view and assess contemporary standards of printmaking as they develop over time. This creates an environment for learning opportunities and creative thinking, promoting new ideas which stretch the limits of the medium. In addition, it is an outreach program which serves as a resource for the region, bringing attention to printmaking as a medium but also sharing the variety of stories told by each individual piece.

There are few restrictions to the eligibility of this renowned print competition. Photographs are allowed in addition to prints as a means of giving the image priority over the technique. Unusual approaches are encouraged – unique impressions and digital imagery that are historically excluded from print exhibitions. This allows and encourages artists to push the limits of printmaking and creatively express themselves in new and revolutionary ways.

The range of images shown in DNSPE represents the spectrum of contemporary printmaking. Many artists work with traditional materials that require meticulous precision such as wood and metal engravings. On the opposite side of the print spectrum, the digital and technological influence of photographic processes and digitized images presents itself more each year.

Each year, a juror reviews all submissions and selects which ones will be exhibited. The juror for DNSPE 2022 will be Miranda Metcalf, the founder and host of Hello, Print Friend – a contemporary printmaking podcast. With an archive of over 100 episodes with artists and print advocates from over 20 countries on 6 continents, Hello, Print Friend is the most extensive archive of interviews from the print world on the internet. Miranda planted the seeds for her love of printmaking with five years as director of Davidson Galleries in Seattle, Washington, before moving to Sydney, Australia, and working with Cicada Press.

 

All jurors seem to agree on one fact, that the selection process is very difficult. Looking at hundreds of prints and narrowing the selection down to 55-60 in a few days is no subtle undertaking. Jurors continuously comment on the wide variety of techniques and imagery from both emerging and established artists who create an overview of what is happening technically and conceptually across the nation.

 

The original concept of DNSPE was developed around a dream to make Jonesboro an epicenter for art and culture. This has proven true in the growth of our significant collection of contemporary prints from around the world. As part of the exhibition, BAM strives to give back to the artists who contribute to this exemplary exhibition by purchasing a large portion of the show to add to their permanent collection, but it would not be possible without the support of the amazing group of community members who provide purchase prizes and exhibition support each year. This encapsulates the artwork and preserves its history for viewers and students to enjoy for years to come. Each exhibition is represented in a yearly catalog, documenting history and including statements from each juror explaining their decision-making process.

Featured image: 178c – Mark Sisson, Portrait of the Artist’s Dog, Chester: Dog Scents, Woodcut, Linocut, Lithograph, 2019