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October 11, 2007
ART OF CARTOGRAPHY EXPLORED IN EXHIBIT OF PRINT ASSEMBLAGES AT BEN SHAHN GALLERIES
The art of cartography, or mapmaking, and its historical impact on the politics of science, nature and technology are explored in a one-person exhibit of print assemblages by New Jersey artist Catherine Bebout at the Ben Shahn Galleries at William Paterson University in Wayne from October 29 through November 30, 2007. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. A reception for the exhibit will be held on Sunday, November 11 from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
“Off the Map: Journeys in Cartography” features Bebout’s recent one-of-a-kind prints, which are made using a variety of printmaking processes ranging from the traditional to the digital to create unique, monoprint impressions.
“Cartography and the archeology of travel have been used throughout history to inform, as well as distort perceptions of the world,” says Bebout. “My process involves scanning visual materials from early colonial maps and topographical charts. I then incorporate these with photographs and fragments taken from my travel journals.”
Throughout the works, Bebout investigate various themes within cartography and its historical impact on the politics of science, nature, and technology. “My interest is to create visual and metaphorical travelogues designed to take the viewer on a trip through mysterious flora- and fauna-filled regions, both real and imaginary, around the world. The underlying message is how the repercussion of travel, over time, has created a legacy of eco-vandalism resulting in stripping the environment and bringing more species to the brink of extinction.”
Bebout has exhibited her work nationally and internationally, including solo exhibitions in China, Canada, and New Zealand. As a Fulbright Scholar to India, she will be featured in an upcoming show at the Fundacao Oriente, Goa, India in 2008 and in the Novosibirsk Print Biennial in Russia. Her works have been featured in numerous one-person exhibits in New York and Chicago, and in national group exhibitions throughout the United States. She has also participated in international artist-in-residence programs in Belgium, Thailand, and Canada. Her work is held in numerous public collections such as the New York Public Library, the National Museum of Women in the Arts, and The Musee d’Beaux Arts, Antwerp, Belgium.
An associate professor of art and design at Montclair State University, Bebout earned a master of fine arts degree from Rochester Institute of Technology. Essays regarding her work have been published in Journal of Contemporary Impressions, New Art Examiner, and Hand Papermaking. Bebout is a Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation for the Arts recipient, and has received grants from New Jersey State Council on the Arts, as well as research grants from the Canadian and Belgium governments.
The exhibit is one of three shows currently on view in the Ben Shahn Galleries. “Prints and Company,” on view in the East Gallery, features an exploration of the state of various printed matter today. On view in the Court Gallery is “Bradford Graves: This Mirror Can Crack a Stone—1980-1998,” a retrospective of sculptures and accompanying drawings.
The exhibit is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Ben Shahn Galleries are wheelchair-accessible. Large-print handouts are available. For additional information, please call the Ben Shahn Galleries at William Paterson University at 973-720-2654.
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