Sculptural Imprints

Sculptural Imprints features a diverse group of artists consisting of Patricia Brett, Emmy Bright, Kat Burdine, Leigh Garcia, Susanna Harris, Taryn McMahon, and Maddie McSweeney. Together, these artists redefine printmaking by creating works that challenge the traditional notion of a two-dimensional print on paper. Whether the artists utilize impressions to create objects, installations, or embossed surfaces, this group exhibition showcases artists exploring texture and the third dimension within their printmaking practices.

These artists explore the surfaces on which they print, manipulating the page and engaging space with their printed works. Some have created prints that “try themselves as objects” or installations that fully engage space and time. Independently, their work explores important themes and issues such as grief, queer identity, bi-racial family histories, and the environment. The experimental nature of their methodologies allows us to question and confront exactly what defines a print.

Sculptural Imprints coincides with the Mid American Print Council Conference 'Power of Print' hosted by the Kent State University School of Art in partnership with the University of Akron, Cleveland Institute of Art, Zygote Press, and the Morgan Conservatory.

This exhibition is organized by independent curator Patricia Brett in partnership with KINK Contemporary.

KINK Contemporary’s mission is to promote established and emerging contemporary artists through solo and group exhibitions and an online and social media presence, emphasizing elevating underrepresented artists.

 MEET THE ARTISTS

Patricia Brett

artist and curator

Patricia Brett is an American artist and former architect. She works in mediums as diverse as stone, plaster, paper, ink, and silverpoint. Her explorations in bas-relief, particularly her embossed prints, blur the boundaries between sculpture and printmaking. In addition to her studio practice, Patricia creates site-specific works for private clients, utilizing her architectural background to develop a work of art that synthesizes her creative vision with the client’s environment.

Patricia has a Master of Architecture from Yale University and a BS in Architecture from The Ohio State University. During her architectural career, Patricia worked for Hariri & Hariri, 1100 Architect, Gwathmey Siegel & Associates, and Deborah Berke & Partners.

Prior to focusing on the visual arts, Patricia founded Veronica Brett, the first line of designer swimwear for breast cancer survivors. Featured in Harper’s BAZAAR and O, The Oprah Magazine, Veronica Brett was a success with fashion editors and survivors.

Patricia’s work is in the permanent collections of the New York Public Library, the Art Students League of New York, MetroHealth Hospitals of Cleveland, and private collections in the US and Europe. After spending 30 years in New York City, Patricia now calls Cleveland Heights home.

Emmy Bright

artist

Emmy Bright works with drawing, writing, print and performance to investigate what it means to be “a thing” and also what it means to be a person with all of these other people.

They earned a BA in Art History from University of Chicago, an M.Ed from the Harvard Graduate School of Education, and an MFA in Print Media from Cranbrook Academy of Art. They have recently held exhibitions at the Visual Art Center in Richmond, VA, the Distillery Gallery in Boston, MA, and Human Resources in Los Angeles, CA. Their book and deck set, “More Stupids” was recently published by 3 Hole Press.

Emmy currently works as an Artist in Residence and head of the Print Media Department at Cranbrook Academy of Art and lives in Detroit where her work is represented by David Klein Gallery.

Kat Burdine

artist

Kat Burdine (She/They) plays with print and sculpture to produce failed prints and objects that investigate the consequences of socially assigned narratives and the ways we carry them.

They have participated in regional residencies such as Talking Dolls in Detroit, and SPACES Cleveland.

Kat has collaborated locally and internationally on various social and visual art projects. She holds an MFA in Print Media from Cranbrook Academy of Art (‘15) and is currently teaching at Oberlin College.

Leigh Garcia

artist

Leigh Garcia is a biracial Latina, a seventh-generation Texan of European descent on her mom’s side and granddaughter of Mexican immigrants on her dad’s.

She has followed the roots of her own ancestry to shape her artistic practice. Major events in Texas history such as the Mexican-American War, The Battle of the Alamo, Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, and Bracero Program have created a complex relationship between her two cultures: Texans and Mexicans. The residual racial discord that has resulted from these historical moments—particularly, the racialization and displacement of unauthorized Latinx immigrants—is both the context and focus of her work.

Through printmaking, papermaking, and installation art, she encourages awareness of our current immigration and foreign affairs policies through the lens of her biracial identity.

Susanna Harris

artist

Susanna Harris, based in Columbus, Ohio, is an interdisciplinary artist working in print media, installation, and photography. Her work is situated at the intersection of resilience in environmental destruction, and through the human condition.

She received her BA from Otterbein University, Westerville, Ohio, and her MFA from Kent State University, Kent, Ohio. She has received numerous awards, and funding for her work including an Artists: Individuals Fellowship, 2021 and an Artists in the Community Professional Development grant, 2019 from the Greater Columbus Arts Council as well as an International Travel Award, 2019 and a Research Award, 2020 from Kent State University’s Graduate Student Senate. She has been an artist in residence for The Otterbein University Post-Baccalaureate A.I.R, Westerville, Ohio, 2018; The Lancaster Festival A.I.R, Lancaster, Ohio, 2019; Zygote Press, Cleveland, Ohio, 2022; and Zea Mays Printmaking Residency, Florence, Massachusetts, 2020.

Taryn McMahon

artist

Taryn McMahon grew up in NJ and received her BFA from The Pennsylvania State University. She attended the University of Iowa, where she received an MA and MFA in Printmaking.

McMahon has received numerous awards for her work including an Ohio Arts Council Individual Excellence Award, a John S. and James L. Knight Foundation Arts Challenge, Puffin Foundation Grant, and Denbo Fellowship. Her work has been shown at venues such as The Print Center, Philadelphia, PA; the International Print Center, New York, NY; Ortega y Gasset Projects, Brooklyn, NY; Whitdel Arts, Detroit, MI; and Artist Image Resource, Pittsburgh, PA, among many others.

She currently serves as an Associate Professor of Studio Art at Kent State University.

Maddie McSweeney

artist

Maddie McSweeney currently studies studio art and public relations with minors in painting and printmaking at the Myers School of Art at the University of Akron. She plans to graduate with her two BA degrees with honors in 2024.

McSweeney is an interdisciplinary artist working in painting, printmaking, and sculpture. She focuses on a wide range of subjects, from social issues to ideas of self-identity and heritage to playful imagery meant to allure and/or repulse the viewer. Her variety of interests and keenness for versatility currently makes it difficult for her to dedicate herself to one medium or subject matter fully. McSweeney greatly enjoys the flexibility of her work and hopes that further exploration and experimentation during her last years of school will lead to a more refined approach and the merging of mediums and interests.