Another season of great art begins in Ashford University’s Cortona Art Gallery with “Inked Grooves: Woodcuts and Lithographs,” an exhibit of works created by Cecilia Lieder. Her pieces will be on display through Thursday, Oct. 9. A reception for the artist will be held in the gallery, also on October 9, from 3-5 p.m.
A native of Minneapolis, Minn., Lieder has been an artist printmaker for more than 35 years. With the exception of 10 years living in Cambridge, Mass., her professional life has been spent in Duluth, Minn. She now lives in Duluth's East Hillside neighborhood in a 117-year-old vintage home. Her gallery for original prints, the Northern Prints Gallery, is located on the lower floor of the house.
"The major portion of my work has been centered around the creation of original woodcuts and stone lithographs. The entire process of producing a print engrosses me,” Lieder said. “I draw the images, make the color separations, carve the wooden blocks or etch the lithographs, and then hand print all of the prints myself. I still print the woodcuts with a wooden spoon or baren which allows me greater flexibility and textural variety. I enjoy pushing the limits of size and color in woodcuts, using a synthesis of Western and Eastern printing methods that I have developed over time.”
She said, “In lithography, I have primarily been interested in drawing on the stone because of the subtle range of values that can be achieved on its responsive surface. Moving back and forth between these two printmaking media, with their widely varying technical and expressive differences, has created a satisfying balance. In the extended process of bringing an image into existence as a print, the significance of the subject matter - both abstractly and in personal growth - reveals itself. As a result, the work is both a record of my discoveries and the dynamic process of growth in itself. Consciously using the physicality of objects as a door to growth and transcendence in this manner, I call intentional realism.”
Lieder’s awards include the Arrowhead Regional Arts Commission George Morrison Artist Award for lifetime achievement in the arts (2007) and the Depot Foundation Artist Award for art and arts activism (2006). She founded and directs the Northern Printmakers Alliance (1999) and the Northern Prints Gallery (2003). Most recently, she founded Calyx Press Duluth, a versatile small press which has produced award winning poetry books by Northeastern Minnesota regional poets.
The Cortona Art Gallery is located on the second floor of Ashford University’s St. Clare Hall at 400 North Bluff Boulevard in Clinton. The Gallery is named for Sister Cortona Phelan, OSF, former president of Mount St. Clare College (MSC) and former president of the Sisters of St. Francis. For many years, Sister Cortona influenced the quality of education at the college through her teaching of American history and her love of the arts. She also served as MSC Academy principal and as dean of students at the college.
The gallery is open to the public, free of charge, every weekday from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. and for private showings by appointment. For further information, please call 563.242.4023.
About Ashford University
Achievement belongs to all of us at Ashford University. By offering a traditional college campus as well as online degree programs, Ashford meets the diverse needs of individuals pursuing integrity in their lives and in their communities. Students may earn an associates, bachelor’s, or master’s degree online, while campus students in Clinton, Iowa may earn a bachelor’s degree. Whether on campus or online, Ashford students enjoy the same supportive community. For more information, please visit www.ashford.edu, www.facebook.com/ashforduniversity, www.twitter.com/AshfordU, or call Shari Winet, Vice President of Public Relations, at 858.513.9240 x2513.