Artwork by Professor Laura Terry Chosen for 'Ink & Clay 44' National Juried Show

Image courtesy of Laura Terry

"A Book of Maps" (collage of monoprints, graphite drawings and hand-stitching, 2017) was selected for the "Ink & Clay 44" juried show, on display through Nov. 21 at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Artwork by Laura Terry, a University of Arkansas architecture professor, was selected for inclusion in a national juried show at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.

Terry's work, "A Book of Maps," is part of the "Ink & Clay 44" exhibition on display through Nov. 21 at W. Keith & Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery. An artist reception is planned for Sept. 7.

Terry, an associate professor in the Fay Jones School of Architecture and Design, teaches the first-year architecture studio, as well as professional electives in printmaking, painting and bookbinding. 

Established in 1971, Ink & Clay is an annual juried competition of printmaking, ink drawing, ceramic ware, clay sculpture, mixed media and installation, utilizing any variety of "ink" or "clay" (or combination) as material. The competition is sponsored by the W. Keith & Janet Kellogg University Art Gallery and is underwritten by the support of the late Col. James Jones, Bruce Jewett, and Office of the University President.

Starting in 2012, the Ink & Clay competition was opened to artists working throughout the United States, making it a national competition. The exhibition is documented through an online printable catalog. Unique among juried exhibitions, Ink & Clay is annually celebrated and recognized by artists and collectors for its quality and diversity.

The jurors for this year's show were Kimiko Miyoshi (printmaking/ink juror), Susan Elizalde-Henson (ceramics/clay juror) and Juri Koll (curatorial juror).

Prior to this exhibit, Terry didn't know much about the juror Miyoshi or her work. When considering applying for a show, Terry always researches the juror's work and background. In this case, Miyoshi's extensive history in printmaking and education was clear.

"Her work, though abstract, has a narrative quality that I found compelling," Terry said. "In that regard, I would say that I am even more honored that she selected this piece for the exhibit."

Terry's work has only recently transitioned into print and ink-based media, so this is the first time she's qualified to enter this Ink & Clay show. And printmaking, itself, is a newly discovered passion for her.

"I think printmaking techniques are uniquely related to the way architects and designers think about layering and conveying information. For me, the monoprinting technique seemed an organic way for me to work, translating and iterating my ideas through multiple layers. I learned to draw in architectural school, so working on paper is the art form I understand most intuitively. I feel authentic working on paper; it's the best medium for my visual language," she said.

Terry said that while it's always an honor to be selected for national juried exhibitions, she was particularly pleased to be included in one that is specific to printmaking.

"For me, it legitimizes what I am doing a bit more," she said. "Printmakers are a really unique and special group of artists, so it's nice to be in their company. And my work hasn't been exhibited much on the west coast, so that exposure is nice as well." 

Terry's piece, "A Book of Maps," is a collage of monoprints, graphite drawings and hand-stitching, from her most recent body of work that involves printmaking. She completed the monoprints in the summer of 2017 at an intensive printmaking workshop at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. She had something else in mind when she created them, but as the work evolved for an early 2018 solo exhibition, she kept coming back to the prints.

She arranged them in many different compositions, photographing the iterations so she could determine which one was most successful. In the end, the final composition maintained some of the original intention behind the piece while also being something completely different.

"The prints were about the idea of geological layers that stack on top of one another," she said. "The horizontal striations in the prints are complemented by straight lines of dark purple/blue that are extended by the stitching."

Terry considers the piece successful in conveying the ideas of layering, time and compression.

"I have always imagined this piece as geological layers of rock, but because of the color palette, many people automatically read the piece as wood grain. I am fine with that reading. Rock and wood are both organic forms that are made of layers," she said.

This piece is largely about the stillness that is expressed in the geological layers, she said — "as if time is frozen in this piece."

"A Book of Maps" was one of the signature pieces of the exhibition of drawings and prints that Terry mounted in the Smith Exhibition Gallery of Vol Walker Hall in early 2018. While the other work in that collection represented singular moments in the landscape, this piece represented a more holistic view of the idea of geological layering.

It's size alone — 24 inches by 36 inches — gave it a distinct physical presence. That size also allowed it to be read in different ways when viewed up close and at a distance.

"When viewed from a distance, it is about the larger composition," she said. "And when viewed up close, the details, the stitching and the physical layers of the collage yield a textured and detailed view."