Liminal Spaces

Press Release

Karla Hackenmiller explores the limitless and ever-evolving results of the thought process as it relates to the physical brain and its abstract outcomes in Karla Hackenmiller: Liminal Spaces, an exhibition of etchings, collages, and monoprints that will be on view at the William Paterson University Galleries from January 30 through March 9, 2012. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. An opening reception for the exhibit will be held on Sunday, February 5, from 3 to 5 p.m.; in case of snow, the reception will be held on Sunday, February 12, from 3 to 5 p.m.

In her solo exhibition, on view in the East Gallery of the University’s Ben Shahn Center for the Visual Arts, Hackenmiller investigates linear patterns and gives visual form to the limitless and constantly evolving thought processes of the brain.

“Our culture’s interest in the World Wide Web—especially sites with open source capabilities—has spawned a more in-depth artistic investigation into cognitive functions,” she explains. “Linear paths of thought are often obvious solutions, but non-linear paths lend themselves to greater levels of creative possibilities and use information from a variety of knowledge bases for more holistic solutions.”

Hackenmiller’s collage pieces are created using only one matrix—or one “set of thoughts”—printed multiple times in intaglio and/or relief. Cutting the print into smaller shapes serves to further isolate the “thought sets.” Those smaller pieces are then recombined to create a more complex idea. “The printed marks morph and coalesce into new forms visually related to the initial baseline,” she says. “Therefore, the process itself is related to the concept.”

Hackenmiller was selected to receive the one-person exhibition as the grand prize winner of American Impressions 2011, a national juried exhibition of works by professional printmakers held at the William Paterson University Galleries in spring 2011.

An associate professor of printmaking at Ohio University, Hackenmiller previously taught at the University of Nebraska and served for five years as assistant director of Frogman’s Press and Gallery. Hackenmiller regularly exhibits her work nationally and internationally; her work also is included in numerous public collections including the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, Los Angeles; the Bibliothèque Nationale de France, Paris; and the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City. A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa with a bachelor of fine arts degree, Hackenmiller holds a master of fine arts degree from the University of South Dakota. She is an elected officer of the Mid America Print Council.

Karla Hackenmiller: Liminal Spaces is one of three exhibitions on view concurrently in the William Paterson University Galleries. The Court Gallery features Cerebral Spirits: Stalking the Self, a group exhibition curated by Suzanne Anker. American Impressions 2012, an annual national juried exhibition of contemporary prints and book arts, is on view in the South Gallery.

This exhibition is made possible in part by funds from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a partner agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The William Paterson University Galleries are wheelchair-accessible. Large-print handouts are available. For additional information, please call the Galleries at William Paterson University, 973-720-2654.