O Canada

Erika Piola, Associate Curator of Prints and Photographs, recently traveled to Montreal, Quebec to attend the annual meeting of the Print Council of America (PCA), June 19-21, 2013. The Council, an organization of graphics curators, professors, conservators, and independent scholars, seeks to “foster the creation, dissemination, and appreciation of fine prints, old and new.” Hosted this year by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, the annual meeting brought together over 100 print enthusiasts to review and discuss graphic works on paper, and  to promote professional collaborations in support of the Council’s mission.

In a jam-packed few days, Ms. Piola toured the collections of the museum, the Canadian Centre for Architecture, and local private print collectors. The professional gathering afforded Ms. Piola the opportunity to examine numerous historical prints in the museum’s collections, including the enchanting 1861 Rodolphe Bresdin (1822-1855) lithograph “The Good Samaritan”; architectural plans by Charles Rohault de Fleury (1801-1875); and 18th-century engravings and etchings by renowned printmakers like William Hogarth. Ms. Piola also caught up with colleagues, old and new, about their current projects. Be sure to catch the exhibition The Armory Show at 100 curated by PCA member Marilyn Kushner and opening at the New York Historical Society in October 2013.