Printmaking Professor Melissa Harshman is showing work at the Georgia Tech Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking for the exhibition When Print Meets Paper. According to the museum's exhibition statement, paper has always been an integral component to the printed word and image, but in recent years it has come into its own as an expressive artistic medium.

This exhibit, curated by Georgia Deal, highlights the intersection of print and paper in the works of Melissa Harshman, Kelly Taylor Mitchell, Marilyn Propp, Gretchen Schermerhorn and Georgia Deal. Each artist approaches this “marriage” of paper and print in unique ways, some coming from the language of print and others from a primary focus and love of hand papermaking.  Each artist agrees that the inherent properties of both print and handmade paper compliment and give voice to their ideas and concerns. Historically there is a "cross-pollination" (Gosin & Takahashi) between papermaking and printmaking that explores social, political and narrative themes. It is through this lens that we find commonality connecting the work of the featured artists. 

Exhibition Dates

January 17, 2023 through April 21, 2023

When Print Meets Paper, Robert C. Williams Museum exhibition banner. Artwork: Gretchen Schermerhorn, Boxers I & 2. Screenprint on indigo dipped abaca/cotton handmade paper, 15 x 11 in. Courtesy of the artist and Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking.

Virtual Lecture

Professor Harshman and fellow exhibiting artist Kelly Taylor Mitchell will deliver a virtual artist lecture on When Print Meets Paper on February 21st, 2023 at 8 PM. Each artist approaches a “marriage” of paper and print in unique ways, some coming from the lexicon of print and others from a primary focus and love of hand papermaking.  A commonality connects them with the historic origins of printmaking addressing social, political, and narrative themes.

You can register for this free event through Eventbrite. Please email anna.doll@rbi.gatech.edu for more information and questions. 

Workshop

Join Professor Harshman for a fun day of free-form painting using overbeaten abaca fiber on Saturday, February 25th, 2023 at 10 AM. Participants will have the opportunity to make multiple pulp-painted images. No prior experience or prepurchased materials are necessary. 

Additional details and registration for the event can be located here. Please email anna.doll@rbi.gatech.edu for more information and questions. 

Melissa Harshman, 89 Years. Screen print on handmade paper.

Artist Bio

Melissa Harshman received her MFA from the University of Wisconsin- Madison in 1992. She has taught in the Printmaking and Book Arts Department at the Lamar Dodd School of Art since 1993. Harshman has exhibited widely throughout the United States and abroad. Recent honors include the Dedicato a Cortona Award in from the University of Georgia, a Willson Center for Humanities and Arts Research Fellowship, and a Senior Faculty Research Grant titled “Explorations in Papermaking”. She presented a paper at the Impact International Printmaking Conference in Spain in 2018 and at the SECAC Conference in 2019.