Artist at Work: The Art and Commerce of J. J. Lankes September 28 to December 9, 2007 Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art University of Richmond Museums On view from September 28 to December 9, 2007, Artist at Work: The Art and Commerce of J. J. Lankes is drawn primarily from the collection of the University of Richmond Museums' Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center. The exhibition presents the art of J. J. Lankes (American, 1884-1960), best known through his legacy of illustrations in books, periodicals, bookplates, and greeting cards. Lankes achieved national recognition for his masterful woodcut prints and his depictions of landscapes, natural objects, and buildings.    J. J. Lankes, born in Buffalo, New York, in 1884, graduated from the Buffalo Commercial and Electro-Mechanical Institute in 1902 and worked as a draftsman specializing in patent drawings prior to his studies at the Art Students' League of Buffalo and the Boston Museum of Fine Arts School. By the early 1920s, Lankes was known for his mastery of the woodcut and his works started appearing in magazines. Between 1932-1939, Lankes taught at Wells College, Aurora, New York, where he continued to freelance in commercial genres -- bookplates, illustrations, greeting cards, and commemorative commissions. By 1941, he was elected to the National Academy of Design, and two years later he was hired as an instructor at NASA, Langley, Virginia, where he headed the technical drawing division. In 1950, he relocated to Durham, North Carolina, where he lived until his death in 1960. In his lifetime, Lankes created approximately 1,300 designs and earned the praise of many contemporaries.
The Joel and Lila Harnett Print Study Center's collection holds approximately 500 prints, drawings, publications, woodblocks, and other items created by the artist as well as ephemera connected with his work. The bulk of the collection was given to the museum by J. B. Lankes, the artist's son. Featured in the exhibition are more than eighty works by Lankes and collaborations with other artists and writers. Selections include Christmas cards, bookplates, articles, brochures, sketches, drawings, correspondence, manuals, and woodcuts.   Organized by the University of Richmond Museums, the exhibition was co-curated by Richard Waller, Executive Director, University of Richmond Museums, and Welford Dunaway Taylor, Professor of English and the James A. Bostwick Chair of English, Emeritus, University of Richmond, with assistance from David Hershey, Assistant Collections Manager, University Museums, and Dina Zhurba, MLA'08, graduate student, University of Richmond, and the 2007 Harnett Summer Research Fellow, University Museums. PROGRAMMING - Thursday, September 27, 2007, 7 to 9 p.m. 7 p.m., Lecture, Cousins Studio Theatre, Modlin Center for the Arts "J. J. Lankes:   Working Artist / Artist Working," Welford Dunaway Taylor, Professor of English, and the James A. Bostwick Chair of English, Emeritus, University of Richmond 8 to 9 p.m., Reception and preview of Artist at Work:   The Art and Commerce of J. J. Lankes Joel and Lila Harnett Museum of Art, Modlin Center for the Arts