Our Listening Hands: Recent Prints by the Mokuhanga Sisters

The exhibition features nine contemporary artists from around the world who formed a printmaking collective after meeting at a residency in Japan. Calling themselves the Mokuhanga Sisters, they share a commitment to sustainable materials and processes while bringing distinct cultural perspectives and artistic approaches to their work.

Curated by Alison Crites, Our Listening Hands explores mokuhanga, the Japanese water-based woodblock printmaking technique that focuses on natural materials and processes. The works explore water, patterns, place, time, and the cosmos—themes that are also embedded in the act of making the prints. Water carries pigment and shapes handmade paper; wood grains and paper fibers leave their marks on every impression. Local materials and environmental conditions influence the final image, and the slow pace of the craft connects artists to seasonal cycles and natural processes. 

The Mokuhanga Sisters are Katie Baldwin (USA), Patty Hudak (USA), Mariko Jesse (UK, Japan), Kate MacDonagh (Ireland), Yoonmi Nam (USA, Korea), Natasha Norman (South Africa), Mia O (Korea, Japan), Lucy May Schofield (UK), and Melissa Schulenberg (USA).