Not every idea arrives all at once. A series allows an artist to think visually over time, sometimes across years, as thoughts travel from work to work. A series is more than repetition. It is a structure for thinking and a method for discovery. An artist’s decision to craft multiple responses to a central theme encourages in-depth investigation. It is a chance to play with visual echoes, rhymes, and patterns as well as to explore complex narratives and nuances.
Comprising selections from the collection of The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, this exhibition continues the museum’s celebration of creativity, talent, and collaborative spirit synonymous with The Lawrence Lithography Workshop (TLLW). Among the hundreds of artists who have collaborated with Sims at TLLW are the following whose prints are on view in this exhibition: Suzi Davidoff, Margo Kren, Peregrine Honig, James Dean Pruner, Akio Takamori, and Gesine Janzen. As these six artists demonstrate, a series is an opportunity to combine many moments into a richly layered one.
Organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
Suzi Davidoff, American (born 1953). Printed by Michael Sims, American, born 1944. Published by The Lawrence Lithography Workshop (established 1979). Night Walk 1, Night Walk 2, and Night Walk 3, 2013. Lithographs on Rives BFK white paper. Images and sheets for Night Walk 1 and 3: 22 x 21 ¾ inches (55.88 x 55.25 cm). Image and sheet for Night Walk 2: 22 x 21 inches (55.88 x 53.34 cm). Gifts of C. Richard and Evelyn Belger, 2023.40.11-.13.
Akio Takamori, Japanese (1950-2017). Printed by Michael Sims, American, born 1944. Published by The Lawrence Lithography Workshop (established 1979). Leaping Monkey, 2012 and Sitting Monkey and Walking Monkey, 2011. Lithographs and inkjet prints on Somerset Enhanced Velvet paper. Images and sheets for Leaping Monkey and Sitting Monkey: 22 ¼ x 13 ¼ inches (56.62 x 33.66 cm). Image and sheet for Walking Monkey: 18 7/8 x 13 ¼ inches (47.94 x 33.66 cm). Gifts of C. Richard and Evelyn Belger, 2023.40.86–88.
About The Lawrence Lithography Workshop Collection
Over the years, purchases and generous gifts—most recently from C. Richard Belger and Evelyn Belger—resulted in a repository of prints made at The Lawrence Lithography Workshop (founded in Lawrence, Kansas) between 1980 and 2018. This archive and the series of exhibitions drawn from it ensure the legacy of this influential print shop, the artists with whom it worked, and the community it fostered.