Artworks by Professor Laura Terry Selected for 64 Arts National Juried Exhibition

Image courtesy of Laura Terry

'Bark and Grain' (collage of monoprints and screenprint with hand-stitching, 2019) was one of two works of art by architecture professor Laura Terry selected for this year's 64 Arts National Juried Exhibition.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Two works of art by Laura Terry, a University of Arkansas architecture professor, were selected for inclusion in this year's 64 Arts National Juried Exhibition.

Terry's works, "Bark and Grain" and "A Book of Maps," are part of this 12th annual exhibition, on display through Oct. 9 at Buchanan Center for the Arts in Monmouth, Illinois.

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 book binding. She also contributed to a video about making a sketchbook as part of the FAY Design Virtual Education series this summer.

The 64 Arts National Juried Exhibition showcases quality visual artwork from artists across the United States and promotes the importance of the arts in the Warren County community and surrounding region. An virtual tour of this year's exhibition can be found on the Buchanan Center for the Arts website.

The juror for this year's exhibition was Samantha Grassi, an exhibition designer, artist and culture-consumer originally from New York. Grassi currently designs exhibitions at the Art Institute of Chicago. She creates architectural spaces and unique displays that tell stories, communicate ideas, and — most importantly — highlight art.

Though Terry hasn't entered this exhibition before, she said, "I just happened to have work available, so the timing was right. But I did research the juror, Samantha Grassi, and I thought her interest in exhibition design might overlap with the structured aspects of my work, but there is never a guarantee which works a juror will choose. The juror has the unique position of seeing all of the work that is submitted and then crafting an exhibition that celebrates the full spectrum of the media."

Terry said that being selected for a national juried exhibition with a reputable juror is validation for the work, plain and simple.

"It's nice to have work exhibited in different locations around the country and to be a part of an exhibit that brings different artists from different backgrounds together in a single place," she said. "Having two pieces in the show was especially significant for me."

Terry created "A Book of Maps" as part of work she produced at a one-week intensive printmaking workshop in summer 2017 at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado. The piece is a collage of monoprints, graphite drawings and hand-stitching.

"We learned how to use stencils to create monoprints that were closely related but not exact duplicates," she said. "I interchanged the stencils to create layers in the prints, and in the end, I interpreted those layers as 'strata' that referenced geological layers of the earth."

The piece was also part of an early 2018 solo exhibition of her work presented in Vol Walker Hall on campus.

"Bark and Grain" was created in a similar way, though she used the stencils themselves, layered with a screenprint created from a frottage — or charcoal rubbing — of a pine tree.

"This new work is investigating the pine forests of southern Arkansas as part of my 'Forest Portraits' series," she said. "Both pieces are collages of prints that are hand-stitched together. The stitching is reminiscent of my love of quilts and the physical way in which materials are attached."

"A Book of Maps" has now been in three national juried shows, including the 61st Annual Delta Exhibition and "Ink & Clay 44," both in 2019.

"It is great that the piece has been recognized by three different jurors in three very different parts of the country," Terry said. "'Bark and Grain' is a new piece, and so it is exciting that it is already being recognized, and it makes me excited to continue the work for my 'Forest Portraits' series."