Inaugurating the Robyn and John Horn Gallery of the Windgate Art School, Intentional Risks presents twenty prints and one large-scale sculpture, The Fatality of Hope (2007), by contemporary American artist Chakaia Booker, who is best known for her monumental, abstract sculptures made from recycled tires and stainless steel. Equally dynamic, yet perhaps lesser known, are her prints, made in collaboration with master printers in the workshop of Robert Blackburn.
An influential teacher and pioneering artist, Robert Blackburn (1920-2003) initiated The Printmaking Workshop in Chelsea in 1947 by acquiring his own lithography press. In addition, Blackburn traveled around the world giving demonstrations, including a visit to the AMFA Art School in February 1985. Several historic prints by Elizabeth Catlett, Charles White, and Robert Blackburn made at The Printmaking Workshop provide additional context for Booker’s prints in the exhibition.