Professor of Art and Art History, Eddy López, placed first in the State Museum of Pennsylvania competition in the category of “Work on Paper” for his piece “NYTimes BLM.”
Competition winners were chosen from 86 finalists who had been selected from 1,915 entries spanning 29 Pennsylvania counties. They will have their work displayed at the State Museum in Harrisburg, Pa. through January.
“There were around 2,000 entries, and they initially chose about 4 percent of them for a very selective show in the State Museum,” said López, a native of Nicaragua, who started at Bucknell in 2016. “It is quite an honor to win in my category and get to show my work with some of the finest artists from all over the state.”
“NYTimes BLM” is a part of a series López named “Mañana, y mañana, y mañana,” containing prints that turn news events into faded objects that obscure the original images and texts. To create “NYTimes BLM,” López collected and superimposed all the covers of “The New York Times” from June 2020, when the Black Lives Matter protests began.
To print the image, seen beside the story, López used an Epson P8000 printer to create an underlying layer of archival pigment inks on Cold Press Bright paper. Then, he silkscreened a black layer on top. The final edition was of 10, with three artist proofs.
López also placed first in the same category two years ago for his work, “La Presna (Resistencia Ciudadana),” which was made using a plethora of 2018 newspaper clippings on anti-government protests in Nicaragua.
López continues to showcase his artistic focus on societal issues.
“I’m very interested in tackling issues that deal with social-political things happening around us, and that comes from growing up in my home country of Nicaragua, where artists and writers like Ernesto Cardenal, Sergio Ramirez and Gioconda Belli were tackling these really heavy social subjects—like poverty, war and revolution—and calling for justice,” he said. “I learned from them that this is something artists can do and should do—to be committed to social justice and be committed to our community for its betterment. I continue that commitment in the work that I’m doing.”
López will be an honorary guest speaker at a public event at the exhibition on Friday, Oct. 20, where he will conduct a conversation with State Museum Director Angelica Docog. The exhibition, “Art of the State,” occurs annually and has showcased Pennsylvanians’ work at the State Museum of Pennsylvania since 1968. This body of art reflects over a half-century of creative endeavor in the Keystone State. Through the years, artists have shared their ideas and engaged viewers in the categories of painting, photography/digital media, craft, sculpture and work on paper.
“Art of the State” is presented in association with the Pennsylvania Heritage Foundation, which is the nonprofit partner of the Pennsylvania Historical & Museum Commission, a state agency.
“This year’s ‘Art of the State’ exhibition continues a 56-year tradition of diversity,” Docog says. “The artists find inspiration from diverse backgrounds, and each has a unique style. While some artists are deeply rooted in Pennsylvania traditions, others bring inspiration from around the world. Some artists have decades of experience and others are new or returning to creative pursuits. Despite these varied perspectives, all artists seek to engage with viewers. We look forward to sharing these artists’ stories with our visitors.”
