The College of Design is hosting the University Print Society postcard print exchange exhibition, open Monday until Dec. 6 for viewing.
Natalie Deam, president of the University Print Society, said the exhibit is an exchange portfolio where printmakers from all over the world send postcards and they are put up on display to show.
“You print 13 postcards and in exchange you receive 12 postcards from other printmakers from all over the world,” Deam said.
Deam said that students will have a unique experience in interacting with other printmakers.
“Through these exchanges, printmakers are able to exchange their artwork with each other for free, which is a very unique thing,” Deam said.
According to the College of Design website, this year’s theme (selected by students each year) is “Insects and Their Environment.”
“Members of the University Print Society vote on what topic they’d like,” Deam said. “Last year’s theme was anarchy, rules we break, and mutually assured destruction. You can see some postcards from last year in the exhibit.”
Nick Phan, a lecturer at the Kansas City Art Institute, had a piece on display.
“[The piece] is me opening up my brain, and it is a cockroach inside,” Phan said. “The title is called brain rot. It represents the kind of brain rot I get from scrolling through my phone all day. It feels like my brain has rotted so much it has cockroaches living in there.”
Phan said the exchange is one of the easiest ways to make and receive art.
“I think that it’s very valuable to have physical art,” Phan said. “You can always look at art through a screen all day, but it’s never the same as holding something in your hands.”
Carsyn Rains, a senior in integrated studio arts, has a piece from last year up on display.
“I wanted to do something that was representative of a film genre that goes into that chaos and mutual destruction,” Rains said. “So I did a purge mask with the blood splatter in the back, we used screen printing for our project to bring those to life.”
Raluca Iancu, an assistant professor of art and visual culture, said there are some classes to take if students are interested in trying these techniques.
“ARTIS 3550x is for undergraduate students and ARTIS 5550x is for graduate students,” Iancu said. “Any student interested in exploring book arts and printmaking are encouraged to sign up.”
The art in the exhibit is also up for sale at the silent auction, which is open now until 4 p.m. Dec. 6.
The exhibit will be closed Nov. 25 to 29 for Thanksgiving break. For more information on the exhibit, visit their website.
