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Yuji Hiratsuka print
Yuji Hiratsuka, Permian Utopia, itaglio, 2014. This work won both a juror’s award and a recognition award from the Hawaiʻi State Foundation for Culture and the Arts.

The Pacific States Biennial National Printmaking Exhibition is currently on view at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo. The exhibition runs through December 1.

Established as a regional exhibition in 1982 by the late Wayne Miyamoto, who was a professor of art at UH Hilo, the prestigious event now features printmakers from around the nation.

“It is incredible that this exhibition has developed into what it is today,” says Assistant Professor Jonathon Goebel, master printer and director of UH Hilo’s printmaking program. “The exhibition is one of the most prestigious juried printmaking shows in the country and attracts entries from nearly every state in the U.S. The scope of the exhibition continues to serve the mission of UH Hilo to enhance the cultural environment of the island of Hawaiʻi.”

The juror for the 2014 exhibit was renowned artist Willie Cole (download his juror’s statement). Based in New Jersey, Cole is a celebrated contemporary African-American sculptor and conceptual and visual artist. His work is found in numerous private and public collections and museums around the world, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.

Cole selected 50 works from the pool of 484 entries representing 41 states across the country. The selection process was finalized in October 2014 during Cole’s 10-day visit to UH Hilo.

The exhibition features works of artists hailing from 24 states and the prints represent a wide range of styles and techniques and include the traditional gamut of printmaking as well as techniques encompassing a variety of digital approaches.

Go to the UH Hilo Stories website to learn more about all 50 artists, read an exhibition review by UH Hilo Associate Professor Jean Ippolito and see who received juror awards.

Gallery information

The UH Hilo Campus Center Gallery is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the UH Hilo Campus Center, room 301. Call ahead to be sure the venue is open for viewing, 808-932-7365.

From the UH Hilo Stories website

—By Susan Enright

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