Stephen Burt part of collaborative print exhibition at Portland Public Library

Work by Stephen Burt, associate professor and chair, 91AV Department of Creative and Fine Arts, is part of a new exhibition of collaborative prints created jointly by the artists of Portland’s Peregrine Press and the artists of Women Networking in Zanzibar, Tanzania, to be presented in the Lewis Gallery of Portland Public Library on April 1 through May 28, 2011.

A reception for the exhibit Dunia Moja/One World will be held at the Library on April 8, 2011 from 5 – 7 p.m., followed by a presentation at 7 pm. by Mark and Aimee Bessire, titled “Reflections on Contemporary East African Art.” Mark Bessire is the Director of the Portland Museum of  Art and Founder and Curator of the East African Biennial.  Aimee Bessire is Assistant Professor of African Studies at Bates College and Founding Director of the Africa Schoolhouse, Ntulya, Tanzania.  

This unique print exchange was conceived by Alice Spencer, a founding member of Peregrine Press, after visiting Zanzibar in early 2010 and teaching the fundamentals of stenciling and block printing to 12 professional Muslim henna artists. The two groups of artists then agreed to create individual editions of base prints apiece and exchange them for distribution to a second artist in the other group. Responding intuitively and imaginatively to the base print as a background — there were no rules! — the second artist then added another layer of gestures, imagery, or manipulations to finish the prints.

The two resulting matched sets of collaborative prints are unique, showcasing the deep similarities — and mysterious differences — between kindred spirits working "together" across a distance of 6,000 miles. The prints are being exhibited simultaneously at the Portland Public Library and in Stone Town, Zanzibar, from April 1 to May 28, 2011.

A percentage of the proceeds from the sale of prints in this show will be sent to Women Networking in Zanzibar, so that they may purchase additional supplies for their artwork, as well as to the Portland (Maine) English as a Second Language Scholarship Fund. 

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.