UK Happenings

Wood Engravers’ Exhibition on Display at UK Libraries

Wood engravers exhibit
Wood engravers exhibit | Courtesy UK Libraries

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 20, 2023) — The Wood Engravers’ Network’s fourth Triennial Exhibition is on display in the lobby of University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center through Oct. 29.

The Triennial Exhibition is a juried, traveling exhibit featuring 65 contemporary relief engravings from artists around the world. The exhibit is sponsored by the Wood Engravers’ Network, a nonprofit arts organization that supports the techniques and traditions of the centuries-old art of wood engraving.

The exhibit coincides with the King Library Press Fall 2023 Book Arts Weekend, featuring Philadelphia-based artist Rebecca Gilbert and Kentucky artist Joanne Price.

On Friday, Oct. 27, Gilbert will offer a free public lecture in the Great Hall of Margaret I. King Library. The lecture will focus on Gilbert’s current project, “A Dance of Death in Two Parts,” a series of 82 miniature wood engraved prints on the theme of death. Light refreshments will precede the lecture.

On Saturday, Oct. 28, Gilbert and Kentucky artist Joanne Price will host a workshop on the ruling machine, a specialized piece of precision equipment used during the heyday of commercial trade engraving. Gilbert and Price will demonstrate the ruling machine’s capabilities and attendees will collaboratively create and print a block.

The cost to attend the workshop is $45 per person ($25 for students). Workshop space is limited and requires a reservation. Contact Paul Holbrook at 859-608-9623 for more information or to reserve a space.

The King Library Press welcomes distinguished printers, type designers, typographers, and book artists from around the world through its semiannual seminars and workshops, giving UK students, faculty, staff, and the wider Lexington community an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with noted experts in the field.

This fall’s visiting artists are internationally recognized for their work in wood engraving.

Rebecca Gilbert's work exemplifies a dedication to traditional printmaking processes, including woodcut, wood engraving, etching and letterpress. Gilbert's prints have been exhibited around the world and can be found in numerous public collections. Gilbert was recently awarded a Victor Hammer Fellowship from Wells College in Aurora, New York, where she will be a teaching artist-in-residence for the next two years. For more information, visit https://rebeccaprint.com.

Joanne Price is the founder and artist of Starpointe Studio, specializing in printmaking and the book arts. Price is president emeritus of the Wood Engravers' Network and an elected member of the Society of Wood Engravers. She teaches wood engraving and print workshops nationally and internationally, and her work is included in public and private collections around the world.

As the premier research library in the Commonwealth, UK Libraries empowers lifelong learners to discover, create and connect by providing ever-expanding access to quality information and collaborating with academic and creative communities worldwide to advance knowledge, enhance scholarship, and preserve the history and culture of the Commonwealth. More information about UK Libraries can be found on its website.

As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and health care. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It's all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $476.5 million research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.