Sean Star Wars: American Dream / Mississippi Nightmare

Opening January 26, 2023 in the Visual Arts Center Gallery, Sean Star Wars: American Dream / Mississippi Nightmare is an exhibition of bold, multi colored prints by Mississippi printmaker Sean Star Wars. 

On Thursday, January 26th, Sean Star Wars will give a talk in 204 Briscoe Hall on MSU's main campus at 1:00 p.m. followed by a printmaking workshop. Later that evening, from 5:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m., the public is invited to a reception at the Visual Arts Center Gallery to see the works and meet the artist. The exhibition and artist talk are free.

The exhibition is open to the public January 26th through February 25th. The Visual Arts Center Gallery, located at 808 University Drive, is open Monday through Fridays, 1:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays, 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Exhibition Programs:

January 23, 6:00pm – Movie Night: FREE screening of the mid-90s Tim Burton masterpiece MARS ATTACKS! Giles Auditorium

January 26, 1:00pm - Artist Talk, Briscoe 204 - Printmaking Studio

January 26, 2:00–4:30pm - Printing with Sean Star Wars, Briscoe 204. Workshop limited to first 12 to 15 attendees. Please email Professor Jacob Crook to reserve your spot - jcrook@caad.msstate.edu

January 26, 5:00–6:00pm - Opening Reception for Sean Star Wars: American Dream / Mississippi Nightmare, Visual Arts Center Gallery

February 16, 6:00–7:00pm - Skateboard Deck Design and Painting. BYO Board or we will have a limited number of readymades available for customizing.  We will provide paint, brushes, and other embellishments.  Please feel free to bring your own stickers and personal items to make your board, MSU Idea Shop, Main Street Starkville.

About the Artist:

Sean Star Wars lives in Laurel, MS with his wife and five young children. Sean earned his MFA in Printmaking from Louisiana State University. In addition to making woodcuts for over twenty-five years, Sean has experience teaching printmaking courses at the University of Oklahoma, University of Southern Mississippi, Tulane University, and Old Dominion University. In 2020, he served as Artist in Residence at Eton College, Eton, UK. Sean currently works full time as a printmaker and makes visiting artist appearances at many of the nations’ leading art programs. Sean is a proud member of the legendary Outlaw Printmakers and his work is in numerous public and private collections. Star Wars’ work can be seen on book covers, album covers, magazines, films, and in popular television programs The Big Bang Theory and Workaholics. His corporate clients include Hurley International, Juice Brothers, and Signature Ink.

For samples of Sean Star Wars’ work visit: www.seanstarwars.com • www.woodcutfunhouse.com • INSTAGRAM: seanstarwars

Artist Statement:

“I choose the format of the large-scale color woodcut because it best suits my energy-charged, caffeine induced, aggressive approach to image making. Charles Bukowski, Ms Pacman, Phillip Guston and Neil Blender are among my influences. Somewhere along the way, I realized that I could accomplish my goals as an artist without enslaving myself to the meticulous obsessions of “traditional” printmaking. I don’t slow down to make perfect drawings or to finesse my color registration. I hammer out the carvings and blast out the prints, and move on to the next print, the next day. My primary concern is to create a strong visual infused with a sense of satirical humor, in other words I like to tell funny stories using funny pictures.”