02/01/08

Carrying in boxes of prints, Ben Ahlvers and Brian Stuparyk helped set up for the newest opening of Baker University Art Affair. Opening at 5 p.m. today, Art Affair will display prints and ceramic sculptures from The John Talleur Print Studio in Lawrence.

This is the third time Art Affair has hosted work by The John Talleur Print Studio.

“Last year they got together and put on a show,” Stuparyk, an artist in residence for the studio, said. “It’s turning into an annual thing.”

The work from the studio is all the residents’ work, and the artists like displaying their pieces at Art Affair for a variety of reasons. The residents of the studio show work both nationally and internationally, but for some artists, being close to Art Affair is nice.

“It’s convenient so you don’t have to transport the art as far,” Ahlvers, an assistant education director for the studio, said.

Lesley Gillaspie, the student director of Art Affair, wanted the artists to return.

“When they first started, the first showing was amazing,” she said. “The work always is a surprise for me.”

The studio is a cooperative community where artists from all around Lawrence join together for a year. The artists live together during this time to work on their art.

“It’s the only community studio of artists in Lawrence,” Stuparyk said.

The pieces on display for the opening are mainly prints with a few ceramic statues. Silkscreen, etching, relief and woodcut prints are all the types that will be shown.

“The problem with prints is that it takes equipment, and there’s not a lot left,” Stuparyk said.

The machines used to make the prints require many machines that are becoming antiques. The print machines used at the studio are between 60 to 100 years old. The variety of artwork created on these machines shows the difference in the artists.

“The work is a reflection of the diversity of our faculty,” Ahlvers said. “It’s a pretty good snapshot of that.”

The show will remain open to spectators through March 7.