I bought a gigantic roll of drawing paper about a year and a half ago, with the intention of creating several large-scale charcoal/pastel drawings. But life intervened. My dad (who was my best friend) and my mother-in-law both died unexpectedly in 2023. And I am just now feeling up to making stuff again. I haven't used charcoal in years, so I decided to re-do my Alice Paul print as my test drawing. I plan to add more marks like in my prints in future drawings, unfortunately this old printmaking paper I used did not want to be erased. I'm looking forward to a long, messy summer of drawing ahead. --Valerie
I recently took photos of a project that I created when I was an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis. I drew men (using a mouse in Photoshop) from PLAYGIRL magazine and letterpress printed each man’s quotes that accompanied their photograph in the magazine. The series caused quite a stir at WashU, with one male professor complaining that the whole series was in bad taste and insulting to men. I think it held up very well, both conceptually and physically (no fading of the digital print after 25 years). This series was created in 1999, and is in the Special Collections at Washington University, St. Louis.
Join me and my partner (Jason Hitzert) for a virtual conversation on ZOOM about the intersection of art and politics on FEB. 24th, 2021. Please register for the event here.
https://www.museumofdesign.org/calendar/valerie-wallace
Check out my Etsy shop if you are looking to buy professionally printed march posters and portrait t-shirts. Only $35, plus free shipping!
Several of the march posters that I created since 2017 are large and on display in this exhibition at the Museum of Design Atlanta through February 2nd, 2019.
Review: “Design of Dissent” shows people are mad and MODA’s not afraid to show it, BY AILEEN FARSHI for ARTSATL.ORG
Dissent posters in the Museum of Design Atlanta's main exhibition room comment on human rights, including refugee issues and immigration. The round red chairs offer a place to contemplate and have fun. (Photos by Aileen Farshi)
Me printing on the big press at NIU (15 years a part). Image on the left, 2003. Image on the right, 2018.
I recently returned from a week long visiting artist gig at Northern Illinois University (my alma mater). I made a print of Alois Senefelder (inventor of lithography), did an artist talk, sat in on several grad student critiques, and got to return to my favorite college bar in DeKalb, the Annex.
I just framed my JFK AND THE MOON and LINCOLN LEAVING HOME prints for a show at the Blackstone Hotel in Chicago. The Blackstone is a historic hotel on Michigan Avenue, known as “The Hotel of Presidents”. My GERALD FORD, BOY SCOUT and LBJ AT THE CROSSROADS prints are in their collection and on their hotel key cards.
All of the art that I’ve been making for the last 9 years started with this portrait of President Barack Obama. I am going to miss him and his family more than I will ever be able to fully express. This article in the LA Times was published January 17th, 2009.
Installation shot from FREE RADICALS
I am really excited to have a selection of my U.S. President prints included in this show at the University of Minnesota. It’s an honor to have my work hanging alongside some of my art heroes. The exhibition runs February 23 – March 26, 2016, Katherine E. Nash Gallery at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis.
This exhibition considers the power of associative thinking and historical mash-ups in print media. Artists in the exhibition discuss revolution and employ metaphor in sampling and in the free combination of history and politics. Exhibition runs February 23 – March 26, 2016. For more info visit: http://z.umn.edu/129a.
Program | 7:00 pm with Jenny Schmid & Tonja Torgerson
Reception | 8:00 – 10:00pm
Gallery hours are Tuesday – Saturday | 11:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Parking is available nearby on the street, at the 21st and 19th Avenue South ramps, and the 5th Street South lot; hourly or event rates apply. These parking locations and the Regis Center for Art are wheelchair-accessible. Exhibitions and related events are free and open to the public.
I am very excited to be a part of PUSH PRINT. It’s a wonderful/well-designed book full of amazing work and stories from over 30 contemporary printmakers. I have included my full interview with author Jamie Berger here.
