14th Biennial International Miniature Print Exhibition JUROR’S STATEMENT

Good things come in small packages. This platitude rings true in the Center for Contemporary Printmaking’s 14th Biennial International Miniature Print Competition and Exhibition, which I had the pleasure of jurying this year. Never have I ever been surrounded by over 600 prints in a single room! Choosing the finalists for the exhibition – 217 prints by 170 artists from 16 countries and 25 states – was by far one of the most intense and rigorous processes in which I’ve participated. Its organizational principle – a visual field no larger than 2 x 2 inches – provided a laser-sharp focus as I reviewed and – in many instances, studied with a magnifying glass – the hundreds of prints that arrived from all over the world at this outpost for the medium along the coast of New England. The sheer depth and breadth of techniques represented in this exhibition – from straightforward etching and relief to a mix of everything in between, including even a few digitally-based works –are a testament to the multifarious state of printmaking today.

A closer look at just the 25 prize winners and honorable mentions is a snapshot of our moment in time. Ann Chernow, Veronique Coutant-Godard, Cindi Ford, Allan Greenier, and Pricilla Steele all address identity through their portraits. Whether detailed like Steele’s or more illustrative like Ford’s, their approaches signal a deep sense of respect and consideration for their subjects.

Souleima Basha’s photo-based print depicting two men in a field with their backs to the viewer is a portrait that leaves us with more questions than answers. Animals factor into many of the prints, including those by Viviane De Kosinsky, Kiley Dufek, Holly Hawthorne, Gervasio Robles, and Terri Thoman. These subjects are not only delightful in their nature but also so often tenderly rendered. Tenderness is at the heart of Jen Hamilton’s work “Morphine,” which captures the intimate connection between a young child and their caretaker – perhaps their mother. The illustrative also features prominently in work by Raphael Del Rosario, Sita Moses, Merle Perlmutter, DeAnn Prosia, and Cleo Wilkinson. Each takes us to a different place –whether it be someplace real, as in a cityscape, or someplace imagined, as in a mindscape. Last but not least, abstraction abounds in other prints by Diane Cherr, Tania Chou, Beatrice Del Perugia, Marta Di Bitetti, James Dormer and Maureen Hebert. These artists lean in and out of color and line across their compositions.

Printmaking is powerful. It is all around us. I hope the results of the 14th Biennial International Miniature Print Competition and Exhibition remind us all to stop and take time to look closer, appreciating the great potential of print today.

Dr. Ksenia Nouril

Gallery Director and Curator, The Art Students League of New York

Ksenia Nouril is a New York-based art historian and curator with indepth knowledge of global post-war and contemporary art practices, and has a proven track record in organizing and implementing impactful cross-cultural programs for diverse audiences. Ksenia was the Jensen Bryan Curator at The Print Center in Philadelphia, and is now the Gallery Director and Curator for Exhibitions and Programs for the Art Students League of New York. Ksenia Nouril received her PhD in Art History from Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, New Brunswick in 2018.