Beauchamp’s Gallery  Pays Tribute to Prairie Printmakers

In December of 1930, eleven charter members of the Prairie Printmakers group held their first meeting in Lindsborg, Kansas.  The purpose of the group was “to further the interests of both artists and laymen in printmaking and collecting”.   Those who participated in that first meeting had no realization at the time that they were part of a watershed event.  Over the next couple decades, the Prairie Printmakers steadily grew in numbers and influence, counting among their members many of the foremost printmakers in America.

Beauchamp’s  latest offering, The Print Show is a tribute to those printmakers who, in 1930, first gathered in artist Birger Sandzen’s studio.   In fact, some the show’s highlights include original prints by Prairie Printmakers Birger Sandzen, John Steuart Curry, Herschel Logan and Margaret Whittemore.  However, the scope of the show is not limited to Prairie Printmakers.  In fact, as Beauchamp’s owner Bob Swain says, “This show has a far greater range of media, subject matter and even historical representation than anything we’ve ever done before.  It’s almost overwhelming.”

Included are many types of hand-made prints:  etchings, block prints, aquatints, mezzotints, lithographs, serigraphs and monoprints.   The subject matter is just as diverse, ranging from landscapes to still life imagery to figurative work.   There are older prints from 19th century book collections as well as many newer prints from contemporary artists.  What pulls everything together is that all of the prints fall into the tradition of master printmakers hand-producing high quality artist prints.

The Print Show begins Friday, February 15th with an opening reception at Beauchamp’s Gallery  from 6 to 8 PM.  The collection will be on display through March 26th.    Beauchamp’s is Topeka’s premier provider of original fine art, classic custom framing, art restoration/repair, and consulting.  Located at 3113 SW Huntoon in the Westboro Mart, Beauchamp’s has been a mainstay of the Topeka arts community for over 35 years.