Woodcut trace monotyped in oil-based black ink on three sheets of paper from a basswood block carved by the artist. The block was inked with a standard roller and printed using a combination of hand barens and wooden spoons per the artist's instructions resulting in different densities and tonalities. This produced a series of similar, but variant impressions. The final impressions were joined and backed with three additional sheets of paper using wheat starch and trimmed to size.

Copyright %C2%A9 Aaron Spangler%2C published by Highpoint Editions

Separatist, 2014

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Aaron Spangler’s monumental woodcut Separatist evolved from his observations of the Christian homesteaders’ sub-culture that has developed in the northern Minnesota area where he lives. Part of a larger Christian fundamentalist crusade, this cultural and ideological phenomenon developed alongside the homeschooling movement which became popular in the 1980s. The woodcut’s title alludes to the rejection of dominant secular values, culture, and education, along with all government authority, and replacing it with a radically conservative Christian ideology and lifestyle that stresses self-reliance—home birthing, homeschooling, self-healing, and farming—as well as a biblically-inspired patriarchy. It also suggests a physical separation from mainstream cultural influences, which are often associated with urban life, allowing for the pursuit of a political or religious agenda in rural America unhindered by interlopers and outsiders. Spangler’s print gathers meaning in ways similar to a shrine, a symbol-laden marker of personal and collective consciousness whose meaning may vary with the perceptions, values, and experiences of the viewer. It is part of a larger series of woodcuts he carved from large panels of basswood logged and milled in local lumber operations.

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Details
Title
Separatist
Artist Life
born 1971
Role
Artist
Accession Number
2020.85.123
Provenance
Highpoint Editions, Minneapolis (publisher); sold to MIA, 2020.
Curator Approved

This record has been reviewed by our curatorial staff but may be incomplete. These records are frequently revised and enhanced. If you notice a mistake or have additional information about this object, please email collectionsdata@artsmia.org.

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Woodcut trace monotyped in oil-based black ink on three sheets of paper from a basswood block carved by the artist. The block was inked with a standard roller and printed using a combination of hand barens and wooden spoons per the artist's instructions resulting in different densities and tonalities. This produced a series of similar, but variant impressions. The final impressions were joined and backed with three additional sheets of paper using wheat starch and trimmed to size.

Copyright © Aaron Spangler, published by Highpoint Editions