On Thursday, November 20 at 7:00 PM ET, Monotype Guild of New England (MGNE) hosted a virtual artist talk featuring Yuqi Liu and May Roded, two artists selected through a competitive national review process for the organization’s 6th National Exhibition at the Art Complex Museum, juried by internationally acclaimed printmaker and educator Karen Kunc. The event was hosted by Rebecca Leopoldina Torres, President of Monotype Guild of New England, with Carol MacDonald, Exhibition Co-chair, serving as co-host. Held via Zoom and open to the public, the conversation brought together artists, curators, and arts professionals from across the United States and abroad.

Monotype Guild of New England is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization committed to advancing the practice and critical understanding of monotype and monoprint through juried exhibitions and public programming. In keeping with this mission, the talk centered on studio practice and offered an in-depth look at how contemporary printmaking continues to shape conversations around material, image, and meaning.

Yuqi Liu, an accomplished printmaker and paper artist from Anhui, China, currently based in Providence, is known for a practice grounded in both material precision and conceptual clarity. Hand papermaking sits at the core of her work. Using natural plant fibers, Liu creates custom papers that serve not only as a surface for imagery but also as a structural component of the work itself. By combining traditional printmaking methods with experimental approaches, she pushes print beyond the flat page, treating paper as an active element rather than a neutral support.

Papermaking remains central to Liu’s process. Drawing from a range of plant fibers, she produces distinctive sheets that become the foundation for layered works incorporating water-based relief, screenprint, and photo etching. Images and text are printed directly into the paper, resulting in compositions where material, language, and form are inseparable. Her approach reflects a sustained commitment to process and a nuanced understanding of paper’s expressive potential.

The program also featured May Roded, an established printmaker and photographer whose work, as introduced by Monotype Guild of New England, engages with themes of presence, perception, and quiet observation. Roded’s practice often focuses on moments of stillness, using printmaking and photography to explore the body, clothing, interior spaces, and the subtle movement of light. Her work brings a measured, contemplative perspective to print-based practice, emphasizing attention and restraint.

Throughout the discussion, Liu and Roded reflected on ideas of resilience and fragility in their respective work, connecting these themes to broader questions of material and process in contemporary printmaking. For Liu, the conversation highlighted the tension inherent in working with natural fibers—materials that hold strength and vulnerability at the same time. The tactile presence of handmade paper, combined with her layered printing techniques, illustrated how surface, structure, and image can function together as a single, integrated system.

The exchange made clear the artists’ distinct yet complementary approaches. While Roded’s work draws viewers toward quiet observation and contemplative looking, Liu’s practice foregrounds transformation through fiber and process, positioning paper as an active participant in meaning-making. Together, their dialogue underscored the openness of contemporary printmaking, showing how the medium can accommodate both intimacy and structure, sensitivity and precision, without being confined to a single aesthetic or method.

More than an introduction to the artists featured in Monotype Guild of New England’s national exhibition, the virtual talk offered a thoughtful snapshot of printmaking as an active site of professional and artistic inquiry. By focusing on process, material awareness, and sustained studio practice, the event demonstrated how printmaking’s tools and traditions continue to evolve. In particular, Liu’s ongoing engagement with papermaking and layered print processes pointed to a mature and cohesive body of work in which material, structure, and image are closely aligned—affirming printmaking’s continued relevance as a flexible and materially responsive field.