Star Tribune Article "Perils of Printmaking"

Yesterday, the Star Tribune published an article reviewing the Minnesota National Print Biennial. My work was mentioned:

"Feminist themes fared well in the hands of Tonja Torgerson, who created a poignant screen print..."

Reading this article also deepened my appreciation for the arts writer Molly Priesmeyer, who wrote a stunningly precise interpretation of the same print earlier this year:

"Tonja Torgerson's screen print, "I Am Fine," is a portrait of a girl with snaking leaves framing her head, the ends of which are festooned with two syringes. The word "okay" has been crossed out and replaced with "fine." While the design and colors are cheery and childlike, the image tells a more complicated story: a struggle, an illness, a push to put on a pretty face in the midst of it all." -Molly Priesmeyer "What's up with the art and zeitgeist in ZIP code 55408?" Minnpost.com


Please take a moment to read the entire article for yourself.

Print Gone Wild

Happy Halloween!
(I fashioned my pumpkin after Totoro)

This weekend is the third Prints Gone Wild!, a print fair in Brooklyn, New York. Jenny Schmid of Bikini Press International will be there and will be selling my stickers and magnets at her booth.
All art at the event will be selling for under $50, so it is a great chance to get quality prints at a really low cost. If you are in the city, check it out.

Nite Lite at the Shoebox Gallery

My studiomates and I have come together to work on our upcoming project, Nite Lite. For Nite Lite we will be transforming the Shoebox Gallery into a giant Lite Brite display!
Images of our work in progress can be found on our studio's blog.

An opening reception will take place on Saturday, November 8th from 5-7pm and will include an open studio and party afterwards.

Nite Lite runs from Saturday Nov 8, 2008-Saturday Jan 3, 2009.

The Shoebox Gallery is a display window in the Roberts Shoe Store just to the right of 2948 Chicago Avenue S, Mpls, MN
As winter intensifies, the days grow short and darkness plays a greater role in our daily lives. Religious and cultural celebrations such as Winter Solstice, Christmas, Hanukkah, the Japanese Amatersu celebration and the Scandinavian Beiwe festival use human-created lights as ritual during this season. These manifestations of light are shared across age groups just as they are shared cross-culturally. Focusing on the magic these traditions hold for children, we have created our own illumination for this season. The project emulates the Hasbro© Lite Brite — a once common holiday gift of our generation. In many ways this toy was our first introduction to a canvas, its black surface tilted up towards us to be decorated with glowing plastic pegs. By magnifying this simple toy's scale, the Shoebox Gallery is transformed into a playful celebration of light in these dark days of winter. Camphor Studios is: Helen Franzen, Julia Kouneski, Lindsay Noble, Tonja Torgerson and Patrick Vincent.

More information can be found at:
http://mnartists.org/event.do?rid=209483

Sticker Mania!

I have been working hard on stickers for Prints Gone Wild, a print fair hosted by Cannonball Press. I will not be making the trip to NYC, rather Jenny Schmid of Bikini Press International has offered to sell them as a part of her booth.

Most screenprinting has moved to a standard of less toxic, acrylic-based inks. Vinyl stickers require more noxious inks and call for some special head gear:
With the change in seasons, I thought it only appropriate to dress my ThinkGirl stickers accordingly.These stickers will be for sale at Prints Gone Wild at Supreme Trading in Brooklyn on November 1st & 2nd, just look for Bikini Press International's table. You can also contact me for purchasing information.

Minnesota National Print Catalog

The Katherine E Nash Gallery published a beautiful catalog in unison with the Minnesota National Print Biennial, and I thought I would share a few images of it.I have to say that I love the cover, especially the transparency and how the imagery of a printmaking studio has been incorporated into the design. It is very thoughtful and elegant.
The preface of the book includes two interviews, including an interview I conducted with Kristen Martincic. This was a wonderful opportunity and a great learning experience which I feel fortunate to have been offered.
The catalog includes my artist statement and an image of I am Fine which has since been purchased by the Weisman Art Museum.
Finally I wanted to show an image from Drew Peterson, who was also included in the catalog and conducted the other interview at the beginning of the catalog. I went to school with Drew and its been interesting to see how our styles have evolved over the years while often working in the same medium.

The catalog can be found online in the form of a pdf, made available by Katherine E Nash Gallery.
Find it here.