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  • July and August 2020: Intern Exhibition

    July and August 2020: Intern Exhibition

    July 1 – September 4, 2020

    Online Exhibition
    July – August 2020

    The Kalamazoo Book Arts Center has had an internship program since we moved into our current space in 2008. We wouldn’t be where we are with out the help of our interns who assist with production, teaching, studio maintenance, working in the store and events. In return they learn to bind books, make paper, and print on a letterpress, as well as learning about how non-profits work. This exhibition showcases the work of recent interns as well as past interns.


    Max Liu, Spring Means Everything and Hollow Form Ring.

    Spring Means Everything is made of brass and copper: The root in a spoon is represented a character 福 which means lucky. The firecracker symbolizes driving away misfortune and getting good luck in the new year. The poem on the right side was written by Wang Anshi; “Among the roaring firecrackers, the old year has passed; the warm spring breeze as brought the new year, and people drink Tusu wine to celebrate the new year coming.” Calligraphy is by Max’s mom, Junyue Guo.

    Hollow form ring made by copper and brass. Inspired by traditional Chinese architectural elements and Tiananmen. One of the characteristics of Chinese architecture is symmetry, such as the symmetry of windows, the number of doors, and the symmetry of carvings. Max used doornail elements on the fascia board. Doornails not only play a role of decoration and reinforcement in Chinese architecture but also symbolize power and status; only the royal family can use the number 9 by 9. There are also many types of roofs in China. Max selected the Chinese even roof and overhanging gable. For the ring part, Max used the double finger ring, which symbolizes the bridge and also increases the stability of the work.


    Grace Wellman, I Know It When I See it, digital inkjet print mounted on gator board, 20” x 5’6”.

    Censorship occurs when work is deemed “obscene” to a certain age group. However, this definition of obscenity is entirely relative. The American film industry uses the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) rating system to assess what age group is allowed to see certain content. Other countries have alternative rating systems that apply to different age groups. As an artist, I explore those international rules.


    Vicki Cook, Don’t Touch Me, Brooch is made from copper, brass, and honey locust thorns, NFS

    Vicki Cook interned at the KBAC in 2020. Cook earned her BFA in metal/jewelry from WMU Spring 2020 and she is currently working on a new body of metalwork for the Windgate-Lamar Fellowship.


    Eliot Schlaack, The One Percent Hates Me and It’s Fine, is a mixed media piece, 2019.

    Eliot Schlaack is a junior at Saint Joseph High School in St Joseph, Michigan. He is currently interning at KBAC this summer. After high school, he hopes to go to college for illustration.


    Poem by Hana Holmgren


    Rozlin Opolka, Mint of the Matriarchy, Collagraph on Stonehenge, NFS

    Rozlin Opolka interned at the KBAC for a spring and summer semester and is currently part of the team working on “Valleyfolk” a poetry book collaboration with local poets. She is currently working on her last two semesters at Western Michigan Universities Frostic School of Art where she is a candidate for a Bachelor of Fine Arts.


    Palou A. Craig, Survival, Zine

    About Work: Through college of family photographs, hand lettering, and dark imagery this zine seeks to illustrate the story of the average refugee journey. It does this by drawing attention to basic human needs that often don’t get met when they are forced to flee their homeland.

    Palou A. Craig interned at KBAC in 2019 and just graduated from WMU with a BFA in Graphic Design.


    Ellen VanderMyde, Ante Meridiem, 16”x20” acrylic on canvas, $550

    Ellen VanderMyde is an artist and art instructor based in Kalamazoo, Michigan. While dabbling in many art mediums, she always returns to painting and illustration—her first loves. Her colorful work, full of light and shadow, explores themes of solitude, observation of place and perception of time. VanderMyde’s art practice investigates looking as a dialogue and attempts to locate her experiences in the physical world.


    Claire Abdo, Intern 2014, Accessories, Digital Photography


    Natalie Johnson, pages from Imogene’s Imaginings, a book co-illustrated by Natalie and Rebekah Kuczma and written by Dream Chicago founder, Heather Treadway. It is the tale of a girl, Imogene, on her journey to follow her truth.



    Poem by Zoe Folsom


    Maddie Miller, Wall I and Wall 2, Lithographs, 12″ x 16.25″ each, $250 Each

    Maddie Miller is an artist based in Fort Wayne, Indiana. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Printmedia from the Frostic School of Art at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Her practice spans printmedia, sculpture, and textiles. Her work explores the relationship of the self to domestic spaces, considering overlooked architectural elements and emotions held in space over time. Her work is process-oriented and aims to create art objects and installations that invite the viewer into a familiar space or feeling, carrying the weight of time and presence of a past.


    Sophia Schwartz, In The Garbage I See A Rose, Handmade kozo paper, plastic, mokuhanga prints, letterpress, Price: NFS