Exhibition: April Vollmer Woodblock Prints
May 8 to 22, 2008
Akademija Center for Graphic Art & Visual Research
Faculty of Fine Art, Belgrade

April's Overview of Her Trip

I created two four color lithographs with the Center’s
Tamarind-trained master printer Nebojsa Lazic, and gave a lecture-demonstration about Japanese woodblock at the Center. I visited the studios on the campus of the Faculty of Fine Arts twice to talk with students and teachers. The Center also sponsored a party that featured visiting U.S. papermaker Melissa Potter, a frequent visitor to Serbia.

Then I traveled to the Sicevo Art Colony in South Serbia for a week long stay. The first art colony in the Balkans, it was founded by a woman painter in 1905 in a small village on the Sicevo gorge.

Four printmakers were invited to produce work there:

Ulla Madsen, Denmark
Ivana Stankovic, Nis
April Vollmer, New York
Biljana Vukovic, Belgrade


Nis is the city that sponsors the colony. It is three hours south of Belgrade, and the birthplace of Constantine. There I gave talk at the Nis High School of Art and Design, which has an outstanding printmaking program. The city organizes regular exhibitions of work
completed at the colony in its spacious galleries.


Biljana Vukovic, printmaking Professor at the University and Head of the Center arranged my exhibition and colony stay. I can not even begin to thank her and the other generous people who made my trip such
a pleasure!

A Brief Interview with April on Her Experience

How did you establish contact with the University in Belgrade in the first place?
I met Biljana Vukovic, an artist and printmaking instructor at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Belgrade, when she traveled to New York on an Arts Link grant around 2000. I invited her to my studio, we exchanged prints, and remained in contact over the years.

How were the four printmakers chosen for the Sicevo art colony?
The selection process is by nomination. Our group of women printmakers was selected by Biljana, who considered which artists would work well together in an informal situation in the countryside. Our group consisted of four experienced printmakers: me, Ulla Madsen from Denmark, Ivana Stankovic from Nis, and Biljana herself. In years past the colony mainly catered to painters, now in addition there is a press available for making prints. The workshop coordinator Boban, an artist himself, was very welcoming, and appreciated our professionalism.

How did you find the students at the Nis High School of Art & Design, compared to American art-school students? In terms of technical level, character, aspirations, possibilities...
The students in Nis were very accomplished. I was impressed by the ambition evident in the large, complex etchings they made in Ivana Stankovic’s class. There appears to be more interest in technique in Serbia than in the U.S., but in addition, students were very motivated. Of course, this is one of the premier high schools for art in the country. Still, students showed an extraordinary interest in my technique, Japanese woodblock, and wanted to try it themselves.

Did you encounter any anti-Americanism or references to the U.S. bombing of Belgrade?
Everyone was very polite, especially the artists and university people who hosted me, but the NATO bombings were definitely an issue. I was not held personally responsible, but Serbians can never quite forgive the US for spearheading the bombing of a city full of civilians.

Had you been to Serbia before?
In 2002 Biljana had invited me to accompany her to an art colony in Visegrad, Bosnia, where we spent a week working with a small group of women printmakers within a larger group of male painters and sculptors.

What surprised you most about Serbia and the Serbians?
I suppose it was the level of isolation within a community that was so obviously sophisticated and European in essence. Belgrade suffers from restrictions in trade and travel. Many books are not readily available, and travel is more limited than in Tito’s day. Perhaps because of this, there was a lack of awareness about the scale of the world, how immense the United States is compared to Serbia, or how far Japan is from either. There was also little recognition of commonplace rules we take for granted in the US and EU, like not smoking in the studio, or wearing seat belts in cars.

Do you feel there's an international brotherhood/sisterhood of artists? If so, can you detect it in your travels and contacts with artists abroad? How does it manifest itself?
Being an artist definitely gave me a foundation for communication with people in Serbia. Even people who were not artists could understand something about where I was coming from. Other artists looked at me with recognition, and it was a special pleasure to be able to talk about printmaking materials and techniques. Our shared enthusiasm for these subjects gave us common ground for building relationships.  

Do you have any recommendations for artists traveling abroad to art symposiums, exhibits, interchanges, etc?
For Americans: Speak slowly! Outside the U.S. English may be the lingua franca, but it is still a second language for most people, so be sensitive! I suppose that applies to more than just language, too. There was a lot going on that I simply didn’t understand. Listening is always good!

Information for the geographically challenged: Serbia is part of the former country of Yugoslavia, across the Adriatic from Italy. Serbia is land-locked and its capital is Belgrade.

The first art colony in the Balkans was founded by a woman
artist in 1905. Our group surrounded her statue for a photo.

And many excellent galleries, with receptions that keep people busy.

Students there are accomplished printmakers, and were
very interested to hear about Japanese woodblock.

Melissa is astonishing!

Nis has put its old fortress spaces to good use
as playgrounds, galleries, restaurants and cafes!

The next day, after a visit to the
university, Biljana took me to Zemun.

Additional photos of April's trip to Serbia are posted on her website at: www.aprilvollmer.com/belgrade2008

Photos by April Vollmer and friends.

My exhibition at the Faculty of Fine Arts was
arranged by Biljana Vukovic, Head of the Center,
and printmaking teacher at University of Fine Arts Belgrade.

The Center is at 16 Pariska Street, opposite
Kalimegdan fortress-park complex, in a
handsome 19th century building.

City Hall, Nis, beteween Pristina,
Kosovo, and Sofia, Bulgaria.

The FLU Printshop is below the gallery,
so students often came up to visit.

I was invited to create two lithographs at the Center.

Master Printer Nebojsa Lazic was trained at
Tamarind Institute and lived in New York for ten years.

Vesna Pantelic, an international artist based in
Belgrade and in Granada, Spain, came to the reception.

Dusa with "Delirious Birds and Bees."

Nis, like Belgrade, is dominated by a
fortress complex that is now a park.

Its cycle of frescoes was painted in the 15th century.

We found an old lady the next day herding sheep, while her husband milked. It is a never-ending job to move the sheep
each morning and evening.

Serbian food is the best!