JAY HANDY
Artist Biography
Jay Handy is a printmaker specializing in etching and chine collé to create the signature dreamlike quality that permeates his work. From the Harvard Business School to Lesley University College of Art and Design, the winding road he traveled to arrive at his current position as a passionate and prolific artist imbues his art with the characteristic sense of tension and nostalgia his work is known for. Jay resides in Madison, Wisconsin, where he continues to weave memories into preserved moments in time.
Artist Statement
My art is an exploration of memory, both in its function and its feeling. When we think back on a memory, it’s never quite the same as the initial experience that it was born of—a unique and complicated aura now surrounds it. Depending on the moment in time, it may be tinged with a hint of tenderness or a sense of forlornness.
I find myself caught on a memory, turning it over and over in my mind to uncover every unique thread of nostalgia, of joy, of tension. The memory becomes a distinct moment in time, with so clear a life and story all its own that I’m compelled to transform it from a vision to a tangible image. My use of etching and chine collé recreate the memory and transmute the unique qualities that frame it into a language that can speak to viewers and stir within them that shared experience of nostalgia and memory.
Regardless of who we are, where we’re from, or what time period we’ve lived through, we each have our own experience of memory and the often bittersweet qualities that those memories are preserved in. My art is the translation of memory from floating fragments to captured moments.
You Are Invited to Participate in the Creative Process
Most art exhibitions invite their audience to view the art. For this exhibition, artist Jay Handy invites the viewers to help create the art.
Connecting the community to art through this interactive exhibit and using his innovative approach to printmaking, Handy will create art pieces from photos submitted by residents of Green County. Known for his nostalgic art that features older/archival photos, community members can submit photos electronically for a chance to see them turned into part of the exhibit that will celebrate our community history and the lives of our residents.
CLICK HERE to submit a photo to be considered for this exbibit.
The deadline for photo submissions is November 15, 2022.
Opening Reception: Friday February 3, 2023
5:00 – 7:00 PM – Gallery Talk 5:30 PM
Gallery Exhibits have been supported by MAC Corporate Underwriter Colony Brands, Inc. and Season Media Underwriter Big Radio, with additional support from Dave and Julie Buchanan, Pete Guenther and Barb Woodriff, Lee and Chris Knuteson, Mike and Norah Sanders, Kevin and Chris Callahan, Jane Paradowski, Deb Thompson, Chuck and Chris Wellington, and Don Amphlett and Jan Johnson.