Press Room --

What is a "Multiple Original" Anyway?

On February 23, the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery premiered a new exhibition entitled On & Of Paper: Selections from the Illinois State Museum Collection.  In conjunction with this exhibition, the museum will offer a series of free public lectures, newly dubbed Perspectives, the first of which to be held on Sunday, March 14, at 2:00 pm.  During the hour-long program, entitled “Perspectives: On Printmaking,” Jim Zimmer, Director, and Jennifer Jaskowiak, Curator of the ISM Lockport Gallery will discuss what is meant by “original print” and “multiple original.”  This event is free and open to the public.

What is meant by an “original print”?  Are prints really art?  What are some of the techniques artists use to create prints?  Despite its centuries-old history, printmaking is still misunderstood as an artistic process and can be confusing for new collectors.  Join us for an informal discussion as members of the ISM Lockport Gallery staff explore these questions and offer their perspectives on printmaking.      

Paper has for centuries served as a versatile, readily available, and relatively affordable material for the artist.  Paper is a core element, whether it be folded, molded, painted, torn, glued, or otherwise altered in the creation of a finished piece.  It serves as a support; its texture, weave, and color contribute significantly to the final image.  Paper plays a critical role in the creative process, too, offering a surface on which to sketch and test.  On & Of Paper: Selections from the Illinois State Museum Collection is a selection of relief, intaglio, and planographic prints, photographs, drawings, painting, and multi-media constructions which utilize the same material:  paper.   This exhibition runs through July 30.

During On & Of Paper, the Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery will offer several free public lectures through its Perspectives series, popular Sunday events, that explore the ideas and themes related to the exhibition.  Presenters will offer not only their expertise and knowledge, but also their “perspectives” on the pinhole camera (April 25) and collage (May 23), and on the exhibition, itself (June 27).  Please call the ISM Lockport Gallery or visit our website for information.  Admission is free.

The Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery is located on the first floor of the historic Norton Building at 201 West 10^th Street in Lockport, Illinois, and is fully accessible to all physically challenged individuals.  Museum hours are noon until 5:00 pm on Sunday and 9:00 am until 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.  The Museum is closed Saturdays and State Holidays.  Admission is free.  For information on exhibitions and related programs, becoming a member of the Friends of the Lockport Gallery, directions to the museum, or to schedule a group tour of ten or more, please contact museum staff at (815) 838-7400 or visit the museum online at https://www.museum.state.il.us/ismsites/lockport/.  The Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery is part of the Illinois State Museum system, including sites in Springfield, Rend Lake, Chicago, and Lewistown.

For more information contact Jim Zimmer, Director or Jennifer Jaskowiak, Curator, at 815-838-7400 or e-mail at jzimmer@museum.state.il.us, jjaskowiak@museum.state.il.us.