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Walter Gropius Master Artist Series at the Huntington Museum of Art Presents Catherine LeCleire

Catherine LeCleire creates artist books that combine her passion for both printmaking and bookbinding. She uses the book as both an art form and a receptacle of ideas.

The artist book differs from a traditional book because there is absolute freedom in the selection of materials, sizes and shapes. LeCleire considers some of her content as narrative paper quilts that document the experience and fold into a formal book format or box structure.

Her Middle Eastern heritage is intertwined throughout her work. Fragments of letters, maps, family photos, genealogy, as well as found objects are part of her visual vocabulary. The elements of size, scale, reflection, and surprise are intrinsic to her structures. “Women of War” is depicted in both a large and small format and reflects the neglect of women in all wars. The series “Memory” is a tribute to her mother’s 15-year battle with Alzheimer’s disease which destroyed her body and mind. A number of her works look at the human body and investigate the idea of a box as a vessel or container for organs. All of LeCleire’s books invite the viewer to participate, communicate and experience the work.

LeCleire received her B.F.A. in printmaking, and her M.A.E. in art education with a concentration in printmaking from Philadelphia College of Art (University of the Arts), Philadelphia, Penn. She went on to receive her M.F.A. in fine arts from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, with a concentration in printmaking. She currently teaches printmaking and book art techniques at Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, N.Y., and Montclair State University, Montclair, N.J. She has shown nationally and internationally and her work is in several major collections, such as the Baku Museum of Art, Azerbaijan; Hunterdon Museum of Art, New Jersey; Lafayette College, Pennsylvania; and William Paterson University, New Jersey. She has also bound books for David Salle, Joan Mitchell, Octavio Paz, Richard Tuttle, James Brown and others. In 2008, LeCleire was the first artist to be awarded a residency through the Adolph Konrad Endowment from the Printmaking Center of New Jersey.

Workshop: 9 a.m.-4 p.m. October 9-10, 2010
Public Presentation: Friday, October 8, 2010, 7:00 p.m.
Exhibit: October 2-December 5, 2010; Bridge Gallery

Image: Catherine LeCleire, My Grandmother’s Letter, 2003. Clamshell Box (7″ x 9″ x 2″) with accordion book (silkscreen/mixed media, accordion size: 8″ x 63″). Image courtesy of the artist.

For more than five decades, the Huntington Museum of Art has been defined by a vision, a vision of bringing the world of art to the people of West Virginia and the Tri-State region. That vision, nurtured by the generosity of museum founders and supporters, has led to the creation of a truly distinguished museum, the finest in the state and the largest between Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Richmond. It boasts an exceptional collection, innovative exhibitions and educational programs, a landmark facility, and an extraordinary 52-acre site where art and nature blend in harmony.

www.hmoa.org

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