Buck’s carving mastery and unconventional printmaking techniques, such as drawing on the surface of the wood with a variety of tools, are highlighted, as is his distinct visual language, which he has developed over a decades-long practice. Visitors to the galleries will be prompted to reflect on issues such as greed, war, racism, sexism, and environmental degradation through the artist’s socio-politically charged works, which layer art history, contradicting ideologies, nature, world history, current events, and popular American culture.

The traveling exhibition, organized by the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation and the Hallie Ford Museum of Art, features a comprehensive body of work, including five wood sculptures and 26 woodblock prints dating from 1980 to 2016.

“John Buck: Prints and Sculpture from the Collections of Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation” premiered in January 2020 at Willamette University’s Hallie Ford Museum of Art in Salem, Oregon, and traveled to Fredonia State University of New York in August 2021. Herron’s presentation is the exhibition’s first appearance in the Midwest and is made possible in part by Jordan D. Schnitzer and His Family Foundation.

Image credit: John Buck, “East/West,” 1988. Edition PP 3/4. Six-color woodcut, 74 x 73 1/2 in. Collection of the Jordan Schnitzer Family Foundation.