Meet the Director – Deborah Maris Lader
Deborah Maris Lader (Artist, Musician, Performer, Administrator) is the Founder/Director of the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative since 1989, and member of the touring Altfolk band, Sons of the Never Wrong. Deborah exhibits her prints, drawings, photography, and mixed media artwork internationally, and her work appears in many permanent collections, including the Chicago History Museum, the New York Public Library, and the City of Palo Alto. Awards for her service to the artistic community include “The 2007 Arts Advocate Award” from ArtWalk Ravenswood, “The 1999 Paul Berger Arts Entrepreneurship Award” given by Columbia College, Chicago, and “Cultural Contributor of the Year”, presented to her by the Lincoln Square Chamber of Commerce in 2003. In 2016, Deborah was presented with the Outstanding Printmaker Award by the Mid America Print Council. A solo exhibition of her prints was featured at the Barr Gallery at SE Indiana University in conjunction with this award.
She is a current member of the Mid America Print Council, the Chicago Artists Coalition, Chicago Printers Guild and the American Print Alliance. Her artwork has been featured in numerous books and publications. Recent exhibitions include The Kunstverket Galleri in Oslo, Norway, The NY Society of Etchers, Galerie La Hune-Brenner in Paris, France, Firecat Projects (Chicago), Georgetown Art Center (Austin, TX), Artist Project Toronto, Loyola University Art Museum, the Chicago Cultural Center, Artropolis 2008, Carthage College, Prairie State College, Fermilab Gallery and the Boston Printmakers North American Print Biennial. Deborah also plays guitar, mandolin, and banjo and writes songs and sings with her band, which just released their 10th CD on Waterbug Records.
Visit more of her prints and paintings at deborahmarislader.com
Follow Deb on Instagram @debmarislader
More about the Director
As I draw on plate and stone, or paint on layers of wax and found materials, all kinds of surprises reveal themselves. I let the process of making tell me where it wants to lead, and I'm often startled (and sometimes even confused) by the resulting messages and visual information. Why did that fish just hop into my painting? Why does the girl have a hole in her chest? With reflection, I realize that these are my dreams, brought to light by ink and paint and endless hours of hard work.
The creation of a community printshop is not much different from making art. There is an idea, then the process of moulding that idea into some tangible form, which is then experienced or witnessed in some way. What is more exciting than creating something out of nothing? Some art forms take years to take shape, as they are reworked and recast and reimagined as times and materials change. So far, this little art project called the Chicago Printmakers Collaborative has been in process for 28 years. The CPC was set up to foster dialogue, collaboration and community among Chicago’s printmakers, as well as to educate and share the beauty of the medium with the broader public, both locally and internationally. Working alongside these artists has been an honor and an inspiration.
