Tia Blassingame (born 1971, New Haven, CT), assistant professor of art at

Scripps College Scripps College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Claremont, California. It was founded as a member of the Claremont Colleges in 1 ...

, is an American book artist and publisher.

Biography

Blassingame holds a B.A. in Architecture from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

, a M.A. in Book Arts and printmaking from the Corcoran College of Art & Design, and an M.F.A. in Printmaking from the

Rhode Island School of Design The Rhode Island School of Design (RISD , pronounced "Riz-D") is a private art and design school in Providence, Rhode Island. The school was founded as a coeducational institution in 1877 by Helen Adelia Rowe Metcalf, who sought to increase the ...

. She was Artist-in-Residence at the International Print Center (2019),

Yaddo Yaddo is an artists' community located on a estate in Saratoga Springs, New York. Its mission is "to nurture the creative process by providing an opportunity for artists to work without interruption in a supportive environment.". On March ...

(2011), MacDowell (2010) and the

Santa Fe Art Institute Santa Claus, also known as Father Christmas, Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Kris Kringle, or simply Santa, is a Legend, legendary figure originating in Western Christianity, Western Christian culture who is said to Christmas gift-bringer, bring ...

(2010). Blassingame is Assistant Professor of Art and Director of Scripps College Press at

, Claremont, CA. Her work has been collected by private and public collections, including the

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

The Tate Tate is an institution that houses, in a network of four art galleries, the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. It is not a government institution, but its main sponsor is the U ...

in Britain, the

National Museum of Women in the Arts The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), located in Washington, D.C., is "the first museum in the world solely dedicated" to championing women through the arts. NMWA was incorporated in 1981 by Wallace and Wilhelmina Holladay. Since openin ...

and

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...

. Her work has appeared in the ''Brooklyn Rail.'' In 2019, Blassingame was a contributing writer in ''Freedom of the Presses: Artist Books in the Twenty-first Century''. She also founded the Book/Print Artist/Scholar of Color collective in the same year. She has been owner and proprietor at Primrose Press, since 2009. She serves on the Board of Directors for the College Book Art Association and is a member of the Board of Trustees for the

American Printing History Association American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

Art and exhibitions

Artistic style

Blassingame's work in mixed-media, bookmaking, printmaking, and flag-making employs elements of

Concrete poetry Concrete poetry is an arrangement of linguistic elements in which the typographical effect is more important in conveying meaning than verbal significance. It is sometimes referred to as visual poetry, a term that has now developed a distinct mea ...

and uses books and physical artifacts to provide the viewer with a tactile interaction with the conversation around racism in the United States. Blassingame has also been active in scholarly understanding and symposia exploring the history and production of Black books and bibliographia.

Selected exhibitions

Blassingame has exhibited throughout the U.S., including: * 2014 "The Exact Measure of Cruelty: Slavery and Racism in Artists’ Books",

Milner Library Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

Illinois State University Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...

* 2018 ''Mourning/Warning'', Atkinson Gallery,

Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara City College (SBCC) is a public community college in Santa Barbara, California. It opened in 1909 and is located on a campus. History Santa Barbara City College was established by the Santa Barbara High School District in 1909, ma ...

. In this exhibition, Blassingame provides a look into her experience as an African-American woman. * 2018 ''Text & Textile,'' Art and Architecture Library at

* 2019 ''Playing with Words'' at the

Minnesota Center for Book Arts Minnesota Center for Book Arts (MCBA) is the largest and most comprehensive independent nonprofit book arts center in the United States. Located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, MCBA is a nationally recognized leader in the celebration and preservation of ...

(MCBA) * 2019 ''I Am Mourning/Warning'', Morey Family Gallery at Art Reach of Mid-Michigan * ''2019 Umbra: New Prints for a Dark Age'' at International Print Center * 2020 ''I AM/YOU ARE'',

Berea College Berea College is a private liberal arts work college in Berea, Kentucky. Founded in 1855, Berea College was the first college in the Southern United States to be coeducational and racially integrated. Berea College charges no tuition; every adm ...

. In her art book, Blassingame comments on her experience as an African-American woman through the medium of printmaking. She also offers insight into experiences of

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, but is not limited to, ...

, violence and humiliation through the lens of being African-American. * ''2020 Intersections: Book Arts as Conversion'' at

Tulane University Tulane University, officially the Tulane University of Louisiana, is a private university, private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by seven young medical doctors, it turned into ...

References

External links

* *
Tia Blassingame: Despite Hostile Terrain.

Rare Book School Rare Book School (RBS) is an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based at the University of Virginia. It supports the study of the history of books, manuscripts, and related objects. Each year, RBS offers about 30 five-day courses on t ...