2014

Organized by Professor Kimiko Miyoshi, California State University, Long Beach, Long Beach, CA, USA, and Assistant Professor Marilee Salvator, Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, KY, USA

Howling Naked on the Road is a large-format print portfolio comprising works by eight printmakers. Every print is inspired by a novel, poem, or prose work by writers of the Beat Generation. Drawing inspiration from particular texts, participants conceived an idiosyncratic interpretation, visceral visual response, or earnest dialogue with the text in their prints. The chosen text may be entirely, partially, or fragmentarily integrated into the print as visual elements. Participants explored the relationship between words and image, generating a creative dialogue between writers, printmakers, and the viewer. Not unlike Beat writers, who rejected consumerism, many of today’s artists object to the substantial negative impact of materialism and corporate greed on our environment and the social order. The prints inspired by these writers in mid-fifties San Francisco carry on their spirit and connect the two generations as well as bridging words and image.