Artist Talk with Ryan Parker

Denison University’s Studio Art Program, Queer Studies and Vail Visiting Artist Series welcomes Ryan Parker, the Grant Wood Fellow in Printmaking at The University of Iowa and a visiting assistant professor presenting an artist talk.

Parker grew up in Florida and received his Master of Fine Arts in printmaking from Tyler School of Art, Temple University in Rome, Italy and Philadelphia. His printed works on paper and fabric employ architectural forms and its patterned motifs to explore psychological space and create personal narrative. The prints that he makes are also informed by his interest in travel—which has led him to participate in artist residencies at Frans Masereel Centrum (Belgium), Cork Printmakers (Ireland), and Ballinglen (Ireland). Parker was also awarded a 2017–18 Fulbright-Nehru Fellowship which brought him to India. His research included studying ancient architecture as well as the traditional, sustainable production methods of India’s fabric arts—in particular, block printing, hand painting (kalamkari), and the use of natural pigments. Additionally, Parker has worked as a museum educator at The Fabric Workshop and Museum in Philadelphia, instructing textile design and screen printing in the Post-Graduate Apprenticeship.