2022/23 GALC New Acquisitions

GALC Website

Ansel Adams Golden Gate Bridge   

Artist: Adams, Ansel
Title: Golden Gate From Baker Beach
Date: 1953
Medium: Photograph

       

Michele Burgess Herbarium VII etching

 

Artist: Burgess, Michele
Title: Herbarium VII
Date: 2010
Medium: Etching

 

 

Alexa Burrell Balance is a waveArtist: Burrell, Alexa
Title: Ballace is a Wave
Date: 2021
Medium: Digital Print

 

Cora Lautze Ripple

 

Artist: Lautze, Cora
Title: Untitled Ripple
Date: 2019
Medium: Silkscreen

 

 

Julia Lucey Tulips in California Wildflowers

 

Artist: Lucey, Julia
Title: Tulips in California Wildflowers
Date: 2022
Medium: Aquatint etching with collage

 

 

Dawline-Jane Oni-Eseleh Cloistered

 

Artist: Oni-Eseleh, Dawline-Jane
Title: Cloistered
Date: 2022
Medium: Risograph print with Copper Leaf

 

 

Sharon Carlos Vázquez Cuarto 3/4

 

Artist: Vázquez, Sharon Carlos
Title: Cuarto 3/4
Date: 2023
Medium: Silkscreen

 

Sharon Carlos Vázquez Cuarto 4/4

 

Artist: Vázquez, Sharon Carlos
Title: Cuarto 4/4
Date: 2023
Medium: Silkscreen

 

GALC Website


2022/23 Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award Winner: Sharon Carlos Vázquez

GALC Website

Sharon Carlos Vázquez, recipient of the 2022/23 Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award, is a 2023 graduate of the Art Practice Department at the University of California Berkeley. Two of Sharon’s prints, Cuarto 3/4 and Cuarto 4/4, have been added to the Graphic Arts Loan Collection and can be borrowed by students at UC Berkeley starting this fall.

Sharon Carlos Vázquez Cuarto 3/4                              Sharon Carlos Vázquez Cuarto 4/4

Below is an Artist Statement from Sharon about her work:

My recent body of work explores familial relationships, domestic space, location, the senses, and the abstract nature of memory as it dilutes through time. I view the physicality of my process in printmaking as a method of conversation. This layering allows me to translate, redact, and deconstruct dialogue into gestural imagery and color, which I often literally separate into smaller pieces. Through these techniques, I re-envision memories, blurring the line between concrete, mundane and intangible. My home, often featured abstractly in this work, is a literal container for these images, both public and private

My process revolves around the notion of developing a sense of ‘public privacy’. I accomplish this through the physical printing process, which involves overlayering and obscuring the underlying information. My approach allows for the information to be given a physical space while also challenging its comprehension. My concept takes inspiration from the architectural structure of my home, as well as the topography and land. These fundamentals serve as a foundation for building and layering imagery and textures. Through an additive method akin to redaction, the original and literal imagery is transformed into a distorted representation.

The Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award is given to the undergraduate student in the Department of Art Practice who has demonstrated an astute understanding of printmaking techniques, as well as an advanced ability to express themselves through the medium of printmaking. This award was established in 2018 by the Department of Art Practice and the University Library, and is given to one or two students each academic year. 

GALC Website


Art for the Asking: Check-Out Art From The Graphic Arts Loan Collection At The Morrison Library August 17-22

1958 GALC Catalog CoverThe Graphic Arts Loan Collection (GALC) at the Morrison Library has been checking out art to UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty since 1958 and it is back again this year!

Student riding bike with GALC printThe purpose of the GALC since its inception has been to put art in the hands of UC Berkeley students (and the best way to appreciate art is to live with it!), so on August 17, 18, 21 and 22, from noon to 5pm, UC Berkeley students can come to the Morrison Library (101 Doe Library) and check-out up to two pieces of art from the GALC’s collection to take home and hang on their walls for the academic year. The prints will be available to students on a first come, first served basis.

If you would like to see what we have before you come to the Morrison Library, all the prints are available to browse online at the Graphic Arts Loan Collection website. Not everything in the collection will be available at the Morrison Library these days, but much of the collection will. Please note that the Graphic Arts Loan Collection will not be available to staff and faculty members during this time, but only available to UC Berkeley students. Starting August 24th students can reserve prints from the collection through the GALC website, and on September 5th, faculty and staff can begin reserving prints. Any questions about the GALC can be directed to graphicarts-library@berkeley.edu.

Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled: Trees With Mattress        Culebra en el Petate Sergio Sanchez Santamaria         Faith Ringgold, Jo Baker's Birthday

  Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled: Trees With Mattress              Culebra en el Petate, Sergio Sanchez Santamaria                     Faith Ringgold, Jo Baker’s Birthday

Art for the Asking: The Graphic Arts Loan Collection Returns With An Exhibition At The Worth Ryder Art Gallery

1958GALCCatalogCoverThe Graphic Arts Loan Collection (GALC) at the Morrison Library has been checking out art to UC Berkeley students, staff, and faculty since 1958. After two years of being closed due to COVID, the GALC is back this year with an exhibition on campus and a new way to check prints out. 

Art for the Asking: The Graphic Arts Loan Collection at the Morrison Library will take place from August 24-September 30 at the Worth Ryder Art Gallery (116 Anthropology and Art Practice Building). This exhibition includes ephemera and prints from throughout the collection’s history, some of which are rarely seen. Francisco Goya, Rembrandt, Pablo Picasso, Jean Arp, Edward Gorey, Fernand Léger, Max Beckman, Elisabeth Frink, Corita, Carrie Mae Weems, Le Corbusier, Faith Ringgold, and Ellsworth Kelly are some of the artists that will be represented by prints in this exhibition. There will also be sections in the exhibition dedicated to the winners of the Art Practice and University Library Printmaking Award. The reception for Art for the Asking: The Graphic Arts Loan Collection at the Morrison Library will take place from 4-6pm on Wednesday, August 31st at the Worth Ryder Art Gallery.

StudentBikeGALCRainThe purpose of the GALC since its inception has been to put art in the hands of UC Berkeley students (and the best way to appreciate art is to live with it!), so from September 26-30, UC Berkeley students can come to the Worth Ryder Art Gallery and check-out up to two pieces of art from the GALC’s circulating collection to take home and hang on their walls for the academic year. The prints will only be available to students on a first come, first served basis. Not everything in the collection will be available at the Worth Ryder Art Gallery to check-out these days, but much of the collection will. Please note that the Graphic Arts Loan Collection will not be available to staff and faculty members during this time, but only available to UC Berkeley students.

Starting October 17th, faculty, staff, and students can reserve prints from the collection through the GALC website, where more information about the collection can be found. Any questions about Art for the Asking: The Graphic Arts Loan Collection at the Morrison Library or the GALC can be directed to graphicarts-library@berkeley.edu.

Kelly Red Orange Blue        Weems       

Ellsworth Kelly, Red-Orange Over Blue                 Carrie Mae Weems, Untitled: Trees With Mattress                     Faith Ringgold, Jo Baker’s Birthday

2021/22 GALC New Acquisitions

GALC Website

Breidenthal bat

 

Artist: Breidenthal, Elinor
Title: Bat Kiss
Date: 2020
Medium: Risograph

 

 

Falco Noche

 

Artist: Falco, Robert
Title: La Noche
Date: 2019
Medium: 2 Color Screenprint

 

 

Gui-Remnant

 

Artist: Gui, Emily
Title: Remnant
Date: 2022
Medium: Serigraph

 

 

Hernandez manual

Artist: Hernandez, Hector Omar
Title: Manual Labor
Date: 2008
Medium: Mezzotint on Copper

Hernandez skull

 

Artist: Hernandez, Hector Omar
Title: Untitled (Skull)
Date: 2008
Medium: Aquatint Mezzotint on Zinc

 

 

Hernanadez Yin

Artist: Hernandez, Hector Omar
Title: Yin Yang 69
Date: 2011
Medium: Copperplate Mezzotint

 

Hussong Intaglio

Artist: Hussong, Randy
Title: Intaglio (Test Print)
Date: 2012
Medium: Intaglio
Description: Part of Test Print series

 

Artist: Hussong, Randy
Title: Lithography (Test Print)
Date: 2013
Medium: Lithograph
Description: Part of Test Print series

 

Artist: Hussong, Randy
Title: Relief (Test Print)
Date: 2017
Medium: Relief
Description: Part of Test Print series

 

Artist: Hussong, Randy
Title: Screen Print (Test Print)
Date: 2011
Medium: Screen Print
Description: Part of Test Print series

 

Helen Jo RIP

Artist: Jo, Helen
Title: RIP 2020
Date: 2021
Medium: Risograph

 

 

 

Artist: Mubarak, Cinque
Title: 2350 B.C.E
Date: 2021
Medium: 12 Color Screen Print

 

 

 

neeley downsteam

Artist: Neeley, Kathleen
Title: Downstream
Date: 2021
Medium: Linocut
Description: Part of The Understory Linocut Series

 

 

 

Neeley moss

Artist: Neeley, Kathleen
Title: Moss Lord
Date: 2020
Medium: Linocut
Description: Part of The Understory Linocut Series

 

 

 

Obata Horse

Artist: Obata, Chiura
Title: Unititled (Jumping Horse)
Date: 1960
Medium: Woodcut

 

 

Okona Landing

 

Artist: Okona, Chinwe
Title: Lunar Landing
Date: 2022
Medium: 4 Color Screen Print

 

 

Oparah

Artist: Oparah, Nkiruka
Title: Untitled
Date: 2019
Medium: Screenprint, colored pencil

 

 

 

Paabus Passage

 

Artist: Paabus, Kristina
Title: Passage
Date: 2021
Medium: Monotype

 

 

Ryan Orchards

 

Artist: Ryan, David
Title: When I Was Your Age This Was All Orchards
Date: 2020
Medium: Risograph

 

 

Santamaria bajo

 

Artist: Santamaria, Sergio Sanchez
Title: Bajo el Nopal
Date: 2021
Medium: Linocut
Description: Part of the Dioses y Petates Series

 

 

 

Artist: Santamaria, Sergio Sanchez
Title: Dios Encerrado
Date: 2021
Medium: Linocut
Description: Part of the Dioses y Petates Series
Medium: Woodcut

 

 

Artist: Santamaria, Sergio Sanchez
Title: Mascara de Guerrero
Date: 2021
Medium: Linocut
Description: Part of the Dioses y Petates Series

 

 

santamaria Quetzalcoatl

 

Artist: Santamaria, Sergio Sanchez
Title: Quetzalcóatl
Date: 2021
Medium: Linocut

Sato Mask

 

Artist: Sato, Rob
Title: The Mask Collector
Date: 2020
Medium: Risograph

 

 

Schuster Boisson

 

Artist: Schuster, Julien
Title: Boisson D’Avril
Date: 2019
Medium: Hand Colored Linocut

 

 

Deth Sun Dark

 

Artist: Sun, Deth P.
Title: Dark Images
Date: 2021
Medium: Risograph

 

 

Takar back peace

 

Artist: Takar, Kenny
Title: Back Peace
Date: 2021
Medium: Risograph

 

 

Westerman Oaks

 

Artist: Westerman, Donna
Title: Valley Oaks
Date: 2022
Medium: Woodcut

 

 

Wong Pandora

 

Artist: Wong, Anita Yan
Title: Pandora
Date: 2020
Medium: Sumi-e Ink Painting

 

 

GALC Website


2021/22 Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award Winner: Vera McBride

GALC Website

Vera McBride is a 2022 graduate of the Art Practice Department at the University of California Berkeley, and as the winner of the 2021/22 Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award, two of Vera’s prints, Sinking and Trick of the Eye, have been added to the Graphic Arts Loan Collection that students at UC Berkeley can now borrow.

                                       

Below are some thoughts on the prints and printmaking from Vera:

My work largely reflects a preference for process and materiality. Even if I’m not patient, the process of printmaking forces me to be, and in turn I spend more time considering the making and fine tuning for the next step and the next piece.

Topically, my body of work has been focused on a blending of daydreams, memories, and experiences. These have been the core generative concepts behind the works, and while some end up as whimsical musings, others are more literal and technique driven with a specific moment referenced. The pieces often have repetition and pattern in some capacity, either within the work itself or reworking a concept across many pieces.

The Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award is given to the undergraduate student in the Department of Art Practice who has demonstrated an astute understanding of printmaking techniques, as well as an advanced ability to express themselves through the medium of printmaking. This award was established in 2018 by the Department of Art Practice and the University Library, and is given to one or two students each academic year. 

GALC Website


2020/21 Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award Winner: Ezra Sato

GALC Website

Ezra Sato is an Art Practice major at the University of California Berkeley. His visual and written work is often experimental and emerges from a desire to play— of wanting to entertain himself throughout the process and to engage with his prospective audience. While he has been drawing from a young age, he started taking it seriously as a practice in high school and has continually worked to maintain that skill.

Two of Ezra’s prints, I MET A GHOST WALKING BACK FROM THE FOG and (Cross-section), have been added to the Graphic Arts Loan Collection, and are available to students at UC Berkeley to borrow. Below are some thoughts on the prints from Ezra.

Ezra Sato print FOG                    Ezra Sato print Cross-section

I don’t know that I have much to say about these two prints beyond the fact that I enjoyed producing them and that I hope they can be similarly pleasurable to observe and sit with. The joy of making art, for me, is often in the revisions— when I’m able to hone in on some detail or apply a method that’ll make the image “complete.” Something that I love about the process is that there is a record of the image as it was being worked through in the form of test prints and prior editions. While those artifacts of the process are not available here, please consider what they might be and play around.

The Art Practice & University Library Printmaking Award is given to the undergraduate student in the Department of Art Practice who has demonstrated an astute understanding of printmaking techniques, as well as an advanced ability to express themselves through the medium of printmaking. This award was established in 2018 by the Department of Art Practice and the University Library, and is given to one or two students each academic year. 

GALC Website


Kogyo Tsukioka’s Funabashi: The Floating Bridge

Funabashi: The Floating Bridge

By Eva Allan

We had an unforeseeably long time to live with a print from the GALC; we checked it out more than a year ago, pre-lockdown, and then it became our COVID companion artwork. A Japanese print by Kogyo Tsukioka, Funabashi: The Floating Bridge, it depicts a scene from traditional Noh theater. The plot of the play, as described by the writing on the print, involves lovers separated first by a river and then by death–their disapproving families removed part of the bridge and the man drowned, becoming a lingering spirit searching for rest in the afterlife.

In this scene, the actor playing the woman stands just to the left of the center of the print, by the edge of the doorway or big window.  On the other side of the jamb, the actor playing the man-spirit stands behind some railings of a bridge. We can see neither his feet nor the surface on which he stands, which helps us understand the supernatural nature of the  “floating bridge.” A pine tree, also with an indeterminate base, appears on the left, also obscuring the supports of the bridge. The pine, long-lived and evergreen, could symbolize remembrance, longevity, and steadfast, undying love (as it does elsewhere in Japanese literature).

One of the pleasures of viewing original artwork is enjoying details you can’t easily appreciate in reproduction. With just a few lines, Tsukioka indicates the sag of organic skin under the painted wooden masks. We see the ribbon that ties the woman’s mask behind the actor’s head. The masks and costumes contribute to the theatrical nature of the characters: the man wears a jacket with enormous grey sleeves and a wide-legged blue pants; his mask is exaggeratedly masculine under an enormous wig; his outfit boasts large-scale patterns with big bamboo leaves and twisting black birds, but with subtle grey and blue colors. The fabric of the woman character’s kimono features a delicate, repeating floral pattern, with heart-shaped leaves like a domestic begonia or violet. Long, abstract narrow ribbons and lapping waves pattern her kimono, wrapping around the actor like fingers, and echo the grasp of her hand that holds in the heavy fabric (in the absence of a belt/obi). This fabric may make her character seem more demure and confined, but her kimono features a prominent red-orange fabric, the strongest color of the print, and she is placed just off center, which contributes to the tension felt between the two tragically separated characters.

We hung this print next to our own impression of the Nihonbashi Bridge in Snow by Hiroshige, which my husband bought when he visited Japan for a conference as a graduate student. The prominent bridge in the Hiroshige emphasized the small bridge depicted by Tsukioka, but the juxtaposition brought out many more differences between the prints. The Nihonbashi Bridge was more about everyday people going about daily errands and the busy world of commerce; because of the snow but also because of their tasks they keep their heads down and hurry towards their purposes. The Funibashi: Floating Bridge scene exists outside of the daily rush, outside even of worldly time, in a fantastic, theatrical setting.

Then, the COVID crisis meant that we all entered a stay-at-home lockdown. During this strange time, the Floating Bridge print took on new layers of meaning: the man and woman seemed to be on opposite sides of a big pane of glass, paralleling our own separation from the world. The Hiroshige print, with its bustle, business, and commercial activity, suddenly became cold and unrelatable, as we stopped running errands or hurrying to school and work. We stayed inside, looking out of the window or at a computer screen; our days merged into a timeless otherworldliness. The characters in the Floating Bridge scene became closer to the daily images on the news: they were like the musicians on balconies in Italy, encouraging healthcare workers; like the teddy bears placed in the windows to delight children on neighborhood walks; or the rainbows drawn by children and taped on windows to symbolize hope in the midst of the COVID-crisis. The separated lovers came to resemble nursing home residents and their visitors, separated by glass windows, unable to embrace.

Too soon, the Floating Bridge print became a reminder of the deaths of so many loved ones, now hundreds of thousands on the other side of the bridge of mortality. So many COVID victims had to say goodbye to their families separated by glass or by screens, wearing masks or otherworldly ventilators and oxygen tubes, barred and blockaded from corporal human touch.

In the end, there is that little pine. Both figures in the Floating Bridge scene turn towards it, rather than making eye contact with each other. It isn’t tall, just a bushy sapling really.  Tsukioka allows it to come into the woman’s space, although it seems more likely to be growing outside next to the bridge, as in a Japanese garden. This modest pine becomes the symbol of life beyond human lifespan, of hope that the coronavirus wouldn’t keep us separated from our families forever, and of love that could last beyond mortality.

Thank you for allowing us to keep this print during the lockdown time, for waiving late fees and extending due dates. The extra time offered more moments of spontaneous insight. It encouraged long looking in a year when much of our attention was given to the distraction of computer screens. It was extraordinary to live with an original artwork that seemed to gather new harrowing meaning in this unusual and difficult year, and I’m grateful for the extra time we had with this print.


Graphic Knowledge: Perspectives on Prints and Printmaking at UC Berkeley

Come spend your Wednesdays in October from 4:10-5pm learning about the Graphic Arts Loan Collection and printmaking at UC Berkeley. All events will be online through Zoom and open to the public. Registration for each event can be found below or right here.

Registration can be found here for Art for the Asking: The History of the Graphic Arts Loan Collection and A Conversation with GALC Award Winners.

Registration can be found here for How-to Make an Impression: A Tour and History of Presses at Two Printmaking Studios. 

Registration can be found here for Lasting Impressions: An Art Historian’s Perspective on Printmaking and the Graphic Arts Loan Collection.

Registration can be found here for Impressive Art: An Artists Panel on Printmaking.


Stephen Longstreet’s Untitled, Still-Life with Fruit

Untitled, Still-Life with Fruit

By Julia Hedelman

So grateful for this program! GALC provides a wonderful opportunity for students who may be limited for financial reasons or otherwise to make their living space feel more homey and comfortable. The pieces I had during my time at Cal were beautiful and I think it’s a lovely way to showcase art that may otherwise be sitting collecting dust in a basement for no one to enjoy. Hope this program can continue for many years to come! Thank you.