One Thing Leads to Another

Process and repetition in print and drawings.

The artists in One Thing Leads To Another use repetition and serial procedures to systematically and sometimes playfully create a series of related works. By imposing constraints on their process, (which may dictate materials, dimensions, subject matter or involve organizational principles like alphabetical or numerical systems) they are able to explore the endless variables within their framework, so that one work will inform the next one and so forth. Repetition is inextricable to this practice, and yet difference is essential in the creation of a series, since variation and development, not reproduction, are ultimately achieved in the process.

The drawings and prints in One Thing Leads To Another embody the ephemeral, intimate and spontaneous qualities of works on paper. Historically, drawing has been considered a medium that offers the most direct connection between an artist’s thought and hand, and is a process that is both immediate and transparent. Printmaking lends itself to repetition and the creation of series. In the printmaking process, artists work in diverse ways on the surface of a plate, which is then run through a press to create an image. Artists can duplicate and alter the properties of the plate and then repeat the printing process. Re-use of the plate inevitably creates repetition, variation and experimentation.

Drawing on various disciplines, such as language, mathematics, digital technology and architecture, and employing minimal materials, including paper, graphite and ink, the artists in One Thing Leads to Another exercise the expansive possibilities that repetition and serial approaches yield in developing a series of works. The sequential drawing practices of Mari Andrews, Amy Ellingson, Robin Kandel and Lea Feinstein are defined by permutation, progression and succession. Artists Kim Rugg, Fanny Retsek, Anthony Ryan and Theodora Varnay Jones reveal and analyze the content and complexity of their works through the principles of serial processes. For artists Brad Brown, Modesto Covarrubias, Jaq Chartier and Christel Dillbohner, creating a series of works offers the opportunity to embrace chance and spontaneity in creating one artwork to another.

We are thrilled to present several works created in the ICA Print Center by some of our Artists-in-Residence (AIR) to highlight the art of printmaking as well as the ICA’s Print Center. In June 2007, with the opening of our new building, we unveiled our state-of-the art, 500 square-foot onsite printmaking studio. The ICA Print Center offers a professional-quality, public-access facility where artists of all levels can learn, experiment and produce artwork.

Twice a year the ICA Print Center invites emerging and established artists from the ICA exhibition program to participate in self-designed print residencies. These artists work directly with the ICA Print Center’s master printer Fanny Retsek to create a suite of monoprints, an edition of etchings or other print-based projects. Once completed, these prints are available for purchase. In addition to our AIR program, the Print Center offers a year-round schedule of workshops for artists of all ability levels, as well as open access sessions that provide proficient printmakers an affordable opportunity to work on self-directed projects.