Collages of Alone & Belonging

What does representation mean?
Where do people represent themselves and groups?
Who requires representation in society?
Why does representation matter?
When does representation change in society?
How can representation be communicated to others?

WHO: Virginia Myers

WHEN: 1927-2015

WHAT: American Printmaker

FAMOUS FOR: Expert artist, scholar, professor, and inventor of Iowa Foil Printer.

IN HER OWN WORDS:
"The real test, if you're a creative person, is that you do it not just when you're feeling good. Anybody can be creative when they're feeling good."

ARTIST'S HISTORY:
Myers was born in Indiana and raised in Cleveland, OH. Her mother often took her to The Cleveland Museum of Art and her father was a university professor. Always interested in art, Myers attended George Washington University for undergraduate studies and then The California College of Arts and Crafts in California for graduate school. She came to Iowa City without much but the clothes on her back in 1955, to study printmaking with Mauricio Lasansky. After a Fulbright Scholarship from 1961-62, Myers returned to The University of Iowa and taught printmaking courses for over 40 years. Throughout her career, she not only made her own artworks but also helped establish the illustrious printmaking department at the University of Iowa and the one-of-a-kind Iowa Foil Printer.

IOWA CONNECTIONS:
Upon moving to Iowa in 1955, Myers considered Iowa her home and the landscape inspiration for art making. She spent decades teaching students at the University of Iowa and influenced the establishment of the world-renowned printmaking department along with artist and mentor, Mauricio Lasansky. In the late 1980s, Myers invented a new art form, foil stamping, which made use of the commercial foil stamping process. With it, she created and patented a new artistic tool, the Iowa Foil Printer, which is used today in printmaking studios worldwide.

ARTIST'S WORK:
Deeply influenced by nature, personal relationships, and the medium of printmaking, Myers specialized in intaglio printmaking processes and incorporating novel processes, like foil stamping. An expert illustrator, she was passionate about combining natural elements with supernatural visual components. Her work requires a close, detailed looking as she sought to encourage viewers to slow down and be curious.

ARTIST'S WORLD:
Throughout Myer's career, and even into the early 2000s university-level printmaking courses, let alone departments, were seldom influenced or led by women. Myers also went against the grain of what was expected of women as she candidly chose to remain single and put her focus on her work and students instead of family life. She also witnessed the fast-paced changes in technology and advancement which she both embraced as an inventor and resisted as she emphasized the critical skill of drawing and drafting with her students.

Students will learn about the life and influence of artist Virginia Myers, who was an artist, printmaker, and inventor in Iowa. Using Myers’ artwork, Alone, 1959, as inspiration, students will create a diptych collage. One-half of the collage will be a depiction of what they believe looks and feels like for someone to be alone. The other half will be a depiction of what it looks and feels like to not be alone but to belong. Then students will share the artworks in a peer critique. 

• SS.6.1: Compelling Questions
• SS.6.5: Evidence
• SS.6.8: Conclusions
• SS.6.10: Conclusions
• SS.6.20: History (Analyze)
• SS.7.1: Compelling Question
• SS.7.8: Conclusions
• SS.7.10: Conclusions
• SS.7.13: Behavioral Sciences
• SS.8.1: Compelling Questions
• SS.8.8: Conclusions
• SS.8.11: Taking Informed Action

Students will analyze and discuss the artwork and life of artist Virginia Myers and her connections to The University of Iowa in Iowa City. ;Students will create a collage diptych with one half depicting what it means to be alone and the other half showing what it means to belong.;Students will share and discuss collage diptychs in a peer critique.