Matina Marki Tillman Receives Award for Excellence in Printmaking

Performance in an ordinary shirt (I)

Solar plate etching from charcoal drawing on vellum

Matina Marki Tillman Receives Award for Excellence in Printmaking from the Society of American Graphic Artists‍

Artist member Matina Marki Tillman has received the Ruth Leaf memorial award for excellence in printmaking from the Society of American Graphic Artists (SAGA) at their 91st Annual Members’ Exhibition.  One of the oldest printmaking institutions in the United States, SAGA was a progressive art organization founded in New York City in the late 1800s as a liberal alternative to the more conservative National Academy of Design.  The exhibition was on display during the month of September at the Mana Contemporary Gallery in Jersey City, New Jersey.  Her print, “Performance in an ordinary shirt (I)” was chosen by Brooklyn juror Leslie Diuguid from among the exhibition entries.  Diuguid is the founder of Du-Good Press, the first Black female-owned fine art screen printing business in New York.

Ruth Leaf (Jan. 5, 1923 – Apr. 17, 2015) was a printmaking pioneer originally from New York.  Proficient in woodcut, linoleum, and collagraph, she was most known for her prowess in viscosity etchings.  This award is given by SAGA in her memory.

-by Washington Printmakers Gallery

Society of American Graphic Artists 91st Annual Members’ Exhibition

Closing Reception, Mana Contemporary Gallery, Jersey City NJ

Photos credit: Erica Cordatos.