American Epic Art Exhibition

When I pulled my first print my artistic vision became tangible for the first time. After the second print I began to realize what the word infinite could mean to me. I gained personal meaning to many words through printmaking including devotion, self-discipline, perseverance, and craftsmanship. In 2008 I traveled to Dartmouth College in New Hampshire to study Jose Clemente Orozco’s mural “The Epic of American Civilization.” The mural surrounds an area full of books and desks with studying students on the ground floor of the Baker-Berry Library. I spent hours studying the scenes taking place within the painting, the actions of the figures depicted, and the compositions that comprise the works. The immense presence and scope of the work was the initial inspiration for my interpretation of the American Story, titled “American Epic.” Allegories, narratives, iconography, symbolism and Americana are tangled with my personal life experiences in this version of the story. I have been working on the American Epic series for over 15 years and have completed over thirty prints of the overall vision of fifty prints. This body of work will have taken over 20 years to complete. The series has been exhibited extensively nationwide.

Exhibition Events

October 11th 2024 │6:00 PM │Pompano Beach Cultural Center

• Join us for the opening of the exhibition reception. Please note the artist will not be available during the opening, the gallery will be open for viewing. Click here to sign up.

November 8th 2024 │Print-a-thon │6:00 PM │Pompano Beach Cultural Center

• Join us for an exciting hands-on adventure at our Print-a-thon workshop with Jesse Shaw! Perfect for all skill levels, this workshop invites you to dive into the art of relief printing using fun and accessible DIY techniques. Under Jesse’s expert guidance, you’ll design and carve two custom stamps that will let your creativity shine through repeatable prints. Open to pre-teens and adults alike, this workshop is designed for those comfortable with sharp tools, ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced artist, Jesse will walk you through every step, from sketching your ideas to carving and printing. Come ready to unleash your creativity, learn new skills, and leave with your very own handcrafted stamps and prints!

Click here to sign up.

About the Artist

Jesse Shaw is a printmaker from Tennessee primarily working in relief prints carved from linoleum blocks. His work is based in the narrative, satirical, political, and social commentary tradition of the graphic print. Jesse is currently working on a series of fifty prints depicting the epic story of America. He has completed over 30 prints in the series over the past ten years. Prints from his “American Epic” series of linocut prints have been exhibited nationally.

Jesse has been an invited guest speaker at several universities, including the University of Anchorage Alaska, AK, the University of North Carolina Greensboro, NC, and Vanderbilt Divinity School, TN. Apart from academic activities Jesse has worked as a professional printmaker in fine art print publishing at Durham Press, in Durham, PA . He received his MFA in Printmaking from Rhode Island School of Design in 2009 and his BFA from Austin Peay State University in 2007. He currently teaches printmaking at Texas A&M International University in Laredo, Texas.