Email not displaying correctly? Download this press release as a PDF. Contact: Lauren Shaw, 212-226-0573 ext.210 lshaw@dieudonne.org, or Kathleen Flynn, 212-226-0573 ext.202 kflynn@dieudonne.org Paper Variables New work in paper by Rico Gatson, Michael St. John, and Allyson Strafella June 28 —August 3, 2012 Opening reception Thursday, June 28, 6–8 pm June 22, 2012, New York, NY. Dieu Donné is pleased to present the 2012 Paper Variables exhibition, featuring new variable editions in handmade paper by Rico Gatson, Michael St. John, and Allyson Strafella. The opening reception will be Thursday, June 28 and the exhibiton will be on view through Friday, August 3, 2012; works in each edition will be available for $500. About the Editions Hyphens in the Road by Rico Gatson is an edition of acrylic paint on pigmented cotton and linen in five variations. The imagery of the highway, a symbol used in popular culture to represent the uncertain possibilities of the future, conveys a journey that the artist states is “personal and universal, physical and spiritual.” Gatson draws his title from the book “The Warmth of Other Suns” about the Great Migration, referencing a cross-country journey that was not untypical for many during that period. Continuing his exploration of the power of everyday objects, Michael St. John’s Baghead — a paper bag rendered in pigmented cotton and personalized with hand-cut eyes and an individual button — inspires a multitude of personal and collective associations in the viewer. In his edition we may see a handmade toy or a sinister mask; we may recall the lighthearted nostalgia of a school sack lunch or notice a reference to the hooded figures prevalent in Philip Guston paintings, which evoke a similar breadth of possible readings: malevolent, cartoonish, a disguise. Allyson Strafella has been working with a typewriter, making drawings for 20 years. She has developed a drawing language that is “written” by type, and a written language drawn as mark and form. Her variable edition Spell, created at the Dieu Donné studios, recreates forms from her typed drawings in pigmented cotton and adheres them to abaca base sheets during the ‘wet process’, allowing the form to become both object and mark on the page. The resultant works juxtapose the strength of the mark against the ethereal qualities of the pigmented base sheet. These artists worked on or with handmade paper for the organization’s Paper Variables program, our annual subscription program that offers a way for individuals to collect works in handmade paper while also supporting the exhibitions and residency programs at Dieu Donné. For more information on the Dieu Donné subscription programs please contact Lauren Shaw at lshaw@dieudonne.org About Dieu Donné: Founded in 1976, Dieu Donné is a non-profit artist workspace dedicated to the creation, promotion, and preservation of contemporary art in the hand papermaking process. In support of this mission, Dieu Donné collaborates with artists and partners with the professional visual arts community. Images, Top: Rico Gatson, Hyphens in the Road, 2012, acrylic paint on pigmented cotton and linen. 14 x 11 inches. Middle: Michael St. John, Baghead, pigmented cotton, archival glue, rubber stamp, button. 13 ¾ x 8 ½ x 6 inches. Bottom: Allyson Strafella, Spell, 2012, pigmented cotton and pigmented abaca. 10 ½ x 8 ½ inches. The artistic and educational programs at Dieu Donné are made possible with public funds from the National Endowment for the Arts, the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legslature, the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; and Foundation support including: Lily Auchincloss Foundation, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Cowles Charitable Trust, Dedalus Foundation, Inc., Foundation for Contemporary Arts, Greenwall Foundation, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Lauder Foundation, The Minnow Fund, Daniel M. Neidich and Brooke Garber Foundation, The Renaissace Charitable Foundation (The Dresner Sadaka Family Fund), Rolin Foundation USA, May and Samuel Rudin Family Foundation, Inc., Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts; and major individual support including: Melva Bucksbaum and Raymond Learsy, Cashin Family Fund, Agnes Gund, Susan Hess, Hurst Family Foundation, The Dorothea L. Leonhardt Foundation, Inc., The Marden Family Foundation, Inc., Nancy and Fred Poses, Anthony Sosnik, Lenard and Fern Tessler, Von Rydingsvard and Greengard Foundation, Carol and Michael Weisman, an anonymous contribution and individual donors. Dieu Donné 315 West 36th Street, New York, NY 10018 | www.dieudonne.org | (212) 226-0573 You are receiving this e-mail because you have signed up for our newsletter. . Forward this email to a friend.