Calligraphic wonders at the Newberry

Calligraphic wonders at the Newberry

Presented in partnership with the Chicago Calligraphy Collective, a group that promotes «the study, practice and appreciation of calligraphy,» this juried exhibition features 34 calligraphic pieces that push the art form's boundaries. Items such as a painted three-panel fabric partition, words engraved on glass and a massive installation of calligraphy across three whole animal hides make one thing quite clear: This is not your mama's fancy handwriting.

«There is a perception out there that (calligraphy) is something little old ladies do and that it is this kind of amateur thing,» said Paul F. Gehl, a Newberry curator. «It is clear that the club and all the artists working in the field are working against that perception.»

Gehl, whose official title is custodian of the John M. Wing Foundation on the History of Printing, is a proselytizer for the calligraphic form and this annual exhibit, which is in its 27th year at the Newberry. At each piece, he took off his glasses and stared wide-eyed, his face millimeters from the work, at the minute details like a biologist peering down the barrel of a microscope.

Source: www.articles.chicagotribune.com