Sean Morrissey explores the contemporary American landscape in his prints, an interest he attributes to a childhood steeped in the historic and handmade. Raised in a 19th-century house where almost everything — down to the tea towels in the kitchen — was handcrafted, he had a rude awakening when he left home. 

"I came from this background of making, and went into this world that was mass produced," Morrissey recalled. That culture shock encounter with what he calls the "new vernacular" — fake stone, plastic millwork and the spec homes that fill American suburbs — informs his work on paper, examples of which are currently on display in the Honors College wing of Gearhart Hall.

Sean Morrissey, Build-Up #1, 2017. Letterpress, cut paper, 6 in. x 6 in. (closed), 18 in. x 18 in. (open). This work is part of series of limited edition books printed at Florida State University’s Small Craft Advisory Press.

Morrissey, an assistant professor of art and head of printmaking in the School of Art, part of the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences, tends to favor unconventional approaches in his printmaking. Instead of drawing, for example, he uses architectural software like CAD or SketchUp to create fences, staircases and other familiar typologies, then sets them afloat on fields of blank white space. Following a visit to Florida State University's Facility for Arts Research, he is currently working on a series of limited edition letterpress and screen-printed books that explore homes ranging from basic to deluxe, examples of which are included in the exhibition.

Although the work looks spare on first glance, there are many layers to unpack — color, for example. In an earlier series, he assembled blue paint chips to critique naming conventions and who dictates our perception of color.

"Martha Stewart is going to tell you what the perfect sky color is," he said. "That's a secret level of my work that I love, for example using 'wood' colors to represent wood in my work. I'm reclaiming the word, sort of like taking it back."

Morrissey's research on American consumerism and the drive to express individuality goes beyond the theoretical. He studies the vocabulary employed on HGTV, takes lengthy scouting trips to Home Depot — "I've only been asked to leave once" — and has posed as a new homebuyer in order to peruse homebuilders' books. These books offer menus of home plans, millwork and finishes detailed down to light fixtures and carpet colors — "it's the fast food of homebuilding!" he exclaimed.

Morrissey was born and raised in Salem, Ohio, a small abolitionist town on the Ohio/Pennsylvania border. He holds an M.F.A. in studio art from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a B.F.A. in atudio art: two-dimensional studies from Bowling Green State University. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally at places such as the International Print Center in New York City, the Bemis Center for Contemporary Art in Omaha, Nebraska, the Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art in Richmond, Virginia, the Dedalo Center for Contemporary Art in Castiglione a Casauria, Italy, and the Biennale internationale d'estampe contemporaine de Trois-Rivières in Québec, Canada. His prints are included in several permanent and private collections, such as the New York Public Library, the Sheldon Museum of Art, and the Weisman Art Museum. 

Morrissey's work will be on display through mid-February; he will then cede the exhibition space to students in his lithography class. Honors students, faculty and alumni interested in exhibiting their work in Gearhart Hall are encouraged to contact Kendall Curlee at kcurlee@uark.edu.