biography

To Margaret Prentice, papermaking is an integral part of her artistic process. Her imagery begins expression during the papermaking process with the manipulation of colored pulps when the sheet is formed. She began papermaking in 1971 after completing her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in printmaking at the University of Arizona. Her Master of Fine Arts degree was completed at the University of Colorado in 1980 in drawing and painting. After working with her twin sister, Kathryn Clark, at Twinrocker Handmade Paper in Indiana, she taught printmaking at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1985/86.

Professor Prentice joined the faculty in the Art Department at the University of Oregon in September 1986. During her sabbatical in 1994, Prentice received a Japan Foundation Fellowship and traveled to Japan for four months to do research in the traditional papermaking techniques of Japan. She was also an Artist-in Residence at Kyoto-Seika University, School of Art and at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts doing research in woodcut printmaking. She returned to Japan for her one-person exhibition at the Ino-cho Paper Museum outside of Kochi.

Her work may be found in the following public collections: the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City; Harvard University, Houghton Library of Graphic Arts, Cambridge, Mass.; University of Nevada at Reno; University of Washington, Seattle; Alaska State Art Museum; Readers Digest Corporate Collection, New York; Portland Art Museum; The New York Public Library Special Collections; The British Museum and Library; The National Library of New Zealand; Getty Museum Collection, Los Angeles; University of Hawaii at Hilo; University of Oregon Museum of Art and Knight Library and twenty-five others. She has been a visiting-artist giving lectures and workshops at over 100 institutions and art museums including Italy, France and Japan. Her work has been exhibited in over 180 exhibitions since 1980.

teaching philosophy

I believe that the fundamental role of an instructor is to create and environment that encourages students to question how their work functions both visually and conceptually in an effort to discover its personal meaning and broader artistic relevance. I try to speak to the unique personality and interests of each student so their work will express their own individual ideas. When students have problems resolving images, I may suggest different approaches both technically and conceptually, often referring to the work of other artists, writers or composers.

I think students should have a strong grounding in basic formal and technical skills, including composition, drawing, space, color, before they reach advanced courses. The introductory courses in printmaking emphasize facility of fundamental techniques in print media, taught with lecture/demonstrations. While they are learning basic skills, I am also presenting the work of historic and contemporary artists/printmakers with slides and videos and encourage discussion of the ideas in their images. My Intermediate/Advanced Print courses encourage students to work more independently and conceptually, using techniques that will best express their conceptual ideas.

Perhaps it is most important that a student's education provide her/him with the motivation and ability to continue creating independently after graduation. In the intermediate/advanced class, students learn to write a resume, a biography and take slides of their work. I also present information about the many studio opportunities where they can continue their work in other artist communities including artist colonies, summer workshops, and residencies. Students are encouraged to exhibit their work in national juried group exhibitions and participate in exchange print portfolios with students at other schools.