The Visual Arts Series, in cooperation with the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library, presents an exhibition of twentieth century prints from its Arca Artium collection, donated by Br. Frank Kacmarcik Ob.S.B. in 1995 to Saint John’s University.  Culled from among the approximately 6500 works of art in the collection, the exhibition “Ink on Paper” will show traditional print media and features the single extended work by the Ukrainian/American artist Ben-Zion [1897-1987] called the “36 Unknown.”  This body of 36 prints concerns itself with a Jewish myth that at any given time there are thirty-six tsadikim – or just men in the world, without whom, the world would spin into chaos.  Ben-Zion’s prints illustrate those thirty-six who are the just but who do not know it.  Each image is accompanied by a poem written by Ben-Zion.  For example, the third print in the series, “The Watercarrier,” is paired with this poem of the same title.

The imagery is rough and immediate yet the abstraction of the figures brings them into the realm of mystery and holiness.  They are images of ordinary people doing their every-day tasks and without their knowing it, participating in the mystery of God’s relationship to the creation. 

The second gallery at the Saint John’s Art Center will contain a selection of prints from the collection demonstrating the art and techniques of the various printmaking processes shown as a further introduction to the art of the print.  These prints will include works by masters such as Gabor Peterdi, the longtime printmaking instructor at Yale, Leonard Baskin a noted sculptor, printmaker and illustrator, and Lyonel Feininger, who taught at the Bauhaus in Dessau Germany before immigrating to the United States. 

The exhibition was curated by Jill Dubbeldee Kuhn, Public Programming and Exhibition Associate, and Alan Reed, O.S.B. Curator of the Arca Artium art collection in collaboration with Lisa Carlson, former Director of Exhibitions for Saint John’s and the College of Saint Benedict.