Sending solstitial greetings at Chinese New Year! I write to remember what I did in 2024 as much as to keep my friends informed. I am grateful to Keiko Hara for starting my year with an inspiring residency at the Mokuhanga Project Space in Walla Walla, Washington. The residency program will be celebrated this summer with an exhibition at Foundry Vineyards.
The most life changing event of 2024 was the Fifth International Mokuhanga Conference, Inheritance & Innovation: Mokuhanga Artists Explore Japanese Paper in Echizen, Japan, in April. I am on the advisory board and participated in three exhibitions there. I wrote an article titled Prints to Remember for Journal of the Print World as a way to document these excellent exhibitions and to recognize the dedicated organizers. I feel fortunate to have spent a month in Japan and thank friends there for the warm welcome.
There were group exhibitions at the Washington Art Association & Gallery in Connecticut, curated by Tony Kirk; at the Gracefield Arts Centre in Scotland, curated by Maddy Rosenberg; and a lovely reunion exhibition of artists from 100 Women of Spirit series of exhibitions at Zürcher Gallery in Soho, NY. Naturally I donated work to the yearly fundraiser exhibition at Kentler International Drawing Space, where many of my mokuhanga prints are available in the Flat Files.
I thank Stephanie Martin for organizing a joint exhibition Navigations at Little Giant Collective in Santa Cruz, California, during August, and Mike Lyon for teaching me about machine cut mokuhanga at his class at Anderson Ranch Arts Center. He also encouraged me to participate in Baren Forum Exchange #96 with a new print.
December 5 the amazing Hannah Skoonberg arranged a talk and demonstration at Santa Rosa Junior College for the closing of the California Society of Printmakers exhibition. She organized that excellent print exhibition in the college’s spacious gallery and arranged events for students and the printmaking community. I recorded my 50 minute illustrated talk, A Life in Woodcut for my YouTube channel. Too many ads, but anyway it’s documented.
Finally, still on the theme of memory, my article Opening Doors: The Mi-Lab Residency and the International Mokuhanga Conference was published in the Boston Printmakers e-newsletter, edited by Cameron Barker before the year ended. It is about the history of Keiko Kadota’s mokuhanga programs and opportunities for contemporary printmakers that grew from her work.
My memory may be more tenuous or perhaps I just have more to remember now, but this year I have been working on a database to document what I have done. Artwork Archive creates a data based website with a chronological list of work. It is not as personal as my actual website www.aprilvollmer.com which I also updated in an attempt to keep my life in order.
Sending my warmest wishes for the upcoming year.