Andrea Callard
Andrea Callard’s practice moves through fine art, filmmaking, archiving, and more. Callard was an early member, officer, and documentarian in the artists' group COLAB.
In 1984, Gail Nathan was teaching at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU.) The Anderson Gallery at VCU invited Callard to make lithographs with master printer Barbara Tisserat. Nathan invited her to teach her own painting and drawing classes for a month. As a result, Hallway Warbler and Warm Perch/ Mad Times were published by the Anderson Gallery.
Also in 1984, Claribel Alegria visited New York City to read from her poetry "Flowers from the Volcano." Callard was invited to design a poster announcing the reading. Jolie Stahl and Christy Rupp, helped Callard print the poster at the Lower East Side Print Shop. There,the oil based inks and solvents made them sick. They decided to pursue water-based and non-toxic inks in future projects. At that time, most printmakers were dismissive of new water-based inks being introduced.
Christy Rupp was a resident artist at Art Awareness in Lexington, NY during the summer of 1985. Jolie and Andrea discovered a dusty print studio. It had previously been set up by the Tillets, celebrity NYC textile designers. Andrea and Jolie proposed reactivating during the the following summer. Ann Messner, Jody Culkin, and Christy Rupp proposed learning to weld for sculpture. Working with Pam and Judd of Art Awareness, NYSCA funding was secured for the two workshops.
Flypaper
1986
screen print
edition size: 30
6 colors on Mulberry paper
with white border
image: 30"h X 22"w
”What’s up with the bats?” asked an urban visitor, a psychiatrist. One print shop visitor told a vivid childhood memory of seeing bats stuck in flypaper. Bats flew near the ceiling late at night while artists focused on details in the print studio. Callard's beloved grandfather wrote a story in a letter. He had chased bats out of his furniture store with a sharp pole.
Barn Theater
1985
screen print
edition: 28
11 colors on Somerset paper
image: 22"w X 30"h
Barn Theater commemorates a special summer evening in Lexington, NY. On opening night for Green Plays, a theater group in retreat from the Hollywood film wars. The fabulous thespians from the WOW Café on New York City’s Lower East Side were also in residence. After long term deprivation of maintenance, they were hired to paint the porch of the theater.
There is a superstition that bad luck will come to those who remove the nests of a community of barn swallows. Later, an audience of ninety eight people was standing on the porch when it dropped three feet. No one was injured. No one went home early. Frogs at the Mountain wall was also made the first summer. Old Wood/ New Life was made in 1987.
Frogs at the Mountain Wall
1985
edition: 10
image: 15"h X 18"w
6 colors on Rives BFK
Large frogs lived in an abandoned swimming pool of the Art Awareness grounds. In the lush valley, new weather moved swiftly between our cabins and distant cows. Fifty artists of diverse disciplines produced an urban energy. Everyone seemed compelled to contemplate the decay of the pool. Happily, the town dammed the summer river to provide an exceptional swimming place.
Old Wood/New Life
1987
screen print
edition: 25
image: 22"w X 30"h
8 colors on Rives BFK
Old Wood/New Life reflects Callard's connection to elders and landscape. She had recently driving through the American Southwest with three generations of family. The memory of the red Oklahoma clay became the spots seen in this print. In the next layer, a rubbing from her cabin doorstep emerged as a veil of blue haze. Further, a lively but very old old tree grew in front of the gallery and recalled the elder spirits.