SEASON 5 – 2020
Mark Rice I Best Sleep Wish, May 6, 2020 – May 31, 2020
Best Sleep Wish was originally a small linocut print Mark Rice made in 2019. It was created in response to some recent family discussions he had revolving around the ever-changing level of care needed for his mother, a double-cancer survivor. Rice had been thinking a lot about all the people that professionally care for others present at the beginning and end of life, and all the times when we are at our most vulnerable. At times they are so generous and selfless that their presence is not even recognized.
This print and its open concept of appreciation for the “caregivers” of the world has since returned to Rice with new meaning since the COVID-19 pandemic.
The concept is seemingly simple and straightforward, a message born of deep appreciation for all the unseen people who keep everything running, healthcare workers or otherwise. It is also a message laced with guilt at the low level of support, compensation, and care given to these workers for their crucial contribution.
Mark Rice was born and raised in Indiana. He attended Indiana University and graduated with a BFA in printmaking in 2003, receiving his MFA in printmaking from the Rhode Island School of Design in 2011. Rice has attended many residencies, and taught printmaking, drawing, and art history courses at many colleges around the United States.
Mark now lives in Philadelphia. When first moving there in 2013, he taught printmaking at the Center for Creative Works, a workshop for artists with developmental disabilities. He has since taught a variety of printmaking courses at Tyler School of Art and has been an artist-in-residence at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Fabric Workshop.
Rice exhibits his work both locally and nationally. One of Rice’s recent linocut prints was collected by the Philadelphia Museum of Art and he was recently invited to create a new print edition with Brandywine Workshop and Archives. Two years ago, he and his partner opened a print shop and art gallery called Pressure Club where they publish prints, and curate exhibitions of local and regional artists. Mark also writes music and performs in multiple musical groups.