Hand papermaking exhibit to open at TCC’s Visual Arts Center

The exhibition “Pulped Under Pressure” will open at Tidewater Community College’s Visual Arts Center on Jan. 16.

The opening reception will be Jan. 21 at 7 p.m. Artist Reni Gower will give an informal gallery talk preceding the reception at 6:30 p.m.

Reni Gower Spray 12 handmade paper with sprayed pulp 2014 | 26.5 x 26.5 in. Events are free and open to the public. The exhibition continues through March 3.

Co-curated by Gower and Melissa Potter, “Pulped Under Pressure” features work by seven female artists from California, Illinois and Virginia including Gower, Potter, Jillian Bruschera, Julia Goodman, Trisha Martin, Marilyn Propp and Maggie Puckett.

Through their traditional hand papermaking, these artists uniquely explore some of the most timely and pressing issues facing civilization today. Topics such as conservation, identity, collaboration and community engagement encourage contemplation and are steeped in history and craft.

The featured artists ignore the most common function of paper as a writing surface and instead challenge themselves in the manipulation and transformation of this material with compelling content that contradicts our digital age.

The Visual Arts Center is located at 340 High St., in Olde Towne Portsmouth. For information about the event, call Shelley Brooks at 757-822-1878.