Schnitzer Foundation lecture at Print Fair taps artist Mel Bochner
Jordan D. Schnitzer. Photo provided.
NEW YORK – Mel Bochner, the renowned conceptual artist, will be the first guest artist to speak at the inaugural Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation Lecture Program on Nov. 8 at the IFPDA Print Fair at the Park Avenue Armory, as announced by Michele Senecal, executive director of IFPDA. Jordan D. Schnitzer, the Portland, Oregon-based art collector and philanthropist, is funding the lecture through his foundation.
“We are extremely grateful to Mr. Schnitzer for his generosity in underwriting our inaugural lecture program and are privileged to feature Mel Bochner as our first guest artist,” said Senecal, who is also executive director of the IFPDA Print Fair. “The lecture program is our the lead programming initiative during the fair, and aims to honor and raise public consciousness about the unique ways in which contemporary artists use print-making in their artistic practice.”
Sparked by a keen interest in the inventiveness of printmaking and carrying on a family legacy of collecting art, Jordan Schnitzer began collecting prints in 1988. Today, the family’s collection exceeds 8,000 works and its foundation manages an active lending program aimed at making fine art easily available to qualified institutions, especially those in less-served communities.
“Art makes us feel alive,” said Schnitzer. “I love prints, and getting to know the print artists, publishers, galleries and print curators has been a highlight of my art life. I am honored to sponsor the IFPDA Print Fair artist lecture.”
Schnitzer aims to create a long and lasting impact through the arts with the significant funding he has provided for the renovation and construction of two university museums that now bear his name; the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art at the University of Oregon in Eugene, Ore., and the Museum of Art at Washington State University in Pullman, Wash., planned for completion in 2016.
Mel Bochner, a founding figure of the conceptual art movement of the 1960s and whose critically acclaimed exhibition at The Jewish Museum recently concluded, has taken an unusual turn toward painterly expressiveness during the past two decades. The use of words as sources for painting stems from Bochner’s interest in philosophy, on the one hand, and humor and popular culture on the other. Using a variety of techniques, including printmaking, Bochner riffs on words in countless permutations.
Free and open to the public with limited seating, reservations for the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation Lecture, which takes place in the historic Board of Officer’s Room at the Park Avenue Armory, at 11 a.m. must be made online: www.printfair.com
The IFPDA’s Print Fair opens with a benefit preview for the IFPDA Foundation at the Park Avenue Armory, Park Avenue and 67th Street, on Wednesday, Nov. 5, from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tickets are $85 and include a one-day pass.
The four-day Print Fair opens to the public on Thursday, Nov 6. Hours are Thursday to Saturday, noon to 8 p.m. and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Daily admission is $20.
ADDITIONAL IMAGE OF NOTE
Jordan D. Schnitzer. Photo provided.
