Invitation to an Exhibition 

Helen Siegl made this woodcut print, "Invitation to an Exhibition," to advertise one of her shows. It shows a world of playful creatures and fantastical beings engaged in curious activities. Siegl was interested in folk art traditions, and this image draws on that interest. The printmaking techniques she uses here can be understood in relation to the graphic traditions used for centuries in devotional and secular images. The image has a bold, handmade quality. Its deliberate naivete suggests something about Siegl's attitude toward the mainstream art world, perhaps critiquing the commercialism that dominated gallery culture. She seems to be making art for people, not for institutions. By understanding the traditions and institutions that Siegl was engaging with, we can start to understand her art and its place in a wider social context. To do so, we might look at books and articles about the history of printmaking, and the place of folk art in twentieth-century art.