Willie Birch

Tree Line: Edge and Energy of Habitat
Exhibition Dates: Jan 14 – May 16, 2020

The edge of the habitat at which trees are capable of growing is known as the tree line; beyond this boundary, trees do not exist due to harsh conditions. In Tree Line: Edge and Energy of Habitat, artists depict trees in natural environments, in human-made settings, as commodities, as spiritual energy, and in the reaches of our imagination. The exhibition prompts us to consider the relationships between the limits of arboreal existence and ours.

Featured artists: Valerie Arber, Chris Ballantyne, John Beerman, Alex Cerveny, Luke Dorman, Adam Feibelman, Nancy Friese, Scott Greene, Mark Mulroney, Rosana Paulino, Alison Saar, Jonathan Seliger, Tanja Softic, and Chris Uphues

Image caption:
Scott Greene
Invasive Species, 2018
Four-color lithograph
Paper Size: 23 x 17 inches
Paper Type: Antique white Somerset velvet
Collaborating Printer: Valpuri Remling
Edition of 15

Tamarind Institute will hold its monthly tour at a special time, 5 – 6 pm on Friday, February 7. Those attending the UNM Art Museum’s opening reception, may wish to arrive early and visit Tamarind. The tour is an opportunity to see the Tamarind workshop and learn more about fine art lithography. This special tour includes an informal presentation by Tamarind Gallery Director Nancy Zastudil about the current exhibition, Treeline: Edge of Energy and Habitat, and a guided tour through the workshop. Tamarind is a division within the College of Fine Arts at The University of New Mexico. Reserve a spot by emailing tamarind@unm.edu or calling 505.277.3901. Event is free.

The City of Albuquerque Public Arts Program is seeking entries from artists residing in New Mexico to experience collaborative lithography at Tamarind Institute. Entries must be submitted through the City of Albuquerque’s online CAFE system.

Inspired by the momentum of the City initiative Tipping Points for Creatives, this project at Tamarind will engage artists who are ready to expand their practice to include collaborative printmaking. For many artists, the opportunity to collaborate with Tamarind’s highly skilled printers yields new thinking about their creative practice and builds new international audiences for their work, essentially tipping local professional artists into the next phase of their career and into new markets.

Up to five New Mexico artists who are able to communicate their strategic approach to collaboration and lithography will be selected to print at Tamarind over the next 18 months – approximately May 2020 through June 2021. Each artist will participate in a two-week workshop residency to make one lithograph in collaboration with Tamarind-trained printers; no previous experience in printmaking is necessary. Fully supported workshop residencies are available May/June 2020 and March/May/June 2021 (M-F, 8am-5pm). The printers will guide the participating artists to produce lithographs of a consistent format suitable for creating a “Tipping Points Portfolio”; yet the project by its very nature will embrace the diversity of the artists’ practice.

More information available at tamarind.unm.edu/tipping-points/ and artist.callforentry.org.