s3e67 on being artist and curator with Amy N. Worthen

Platemark: prints and the printmaking ecosystem

In s3e67 of Platemark, I talk with Amy Namowitz Worthen, a distinguished engraver and curator, about her lifelong journey in printmaking. Influenced early by her artist mother, she pursued art education at Smith College and the University of Iowa, honing her artistic skills under Leonard Baskin and Mauricio Lasansky. Amy's career is marked by multi-faceted contributions to printmaking, including prestigious curatorial positions at Des Moines Art Center, along with helping to establish its Print Club. Her work bridges historical and contemporary practices, with publications and collaborations spanning across the globe, notably in Venice. Personal experiences, including significant tragedies, deeply influenced her art, shaping unique series and projects. Amy's legacy is celebrated through her continued involvement in the art community and her influential prints, which are showcased and valued internationally.

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Leonard Baskin (American, 1922–2000). Man of Peace, 1952. Woodcut. Image: 59 5/8 x 30 7/8 in. (151.5 x 78.5 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Amy N. Worthen at the Scuola Internazionale de Grafica di Venezia, 1989. Courtesy of the Artist.

View from Amy N. Worthen’s Venice apartment. Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). My Wisteria 25, 2023. India ink on Seichosen Tosa Kozo paper. 55 x 29 ½ in. Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). My Wisteria, Venice: Summer Shadows and Sunlight. View from my terrace looking towards Palazzo Zane Collalto, Ponte sant’Agostin, and Palazzo Morosini degli Spezieri (W. japonica floribunda macrobotrys), 2022/2023. India ink on Seichosen Tosa Kozo paper. 55 x 29 ½ in. Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). My Wisteria,Venice: Last year’s seed pods, budding and flowering racemes, a falling blossom, terrace view towards Ponte sant’Agostin (W. japonica floribunda macrobotrys), 2023. India ink and watercolor. 30 x 22 in. Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines.

Jacques Bellange (French, c. 1575–1616). Pietà, 1615. Etching with stippling and engraving. Sheet (trimmed): 12 3/16 × 7 13/16 in. (31 × 19.8 cm). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Giorgio Morandi (Italian, 1890–1964). Natura morta a grandi segni, 1931. Etching. Plate: 9 5/8 x 12 1/2 in. (24.4 x 31.8 cm.); sheet: 15 1/8 x 20 in. (38.4 x 50.8 cm.). Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Strumenti d’Incisione (Engraving Tools), 1995. Engraving, roulette, and mezzotint. Plate: 7 3/8 x 6 in. (18.9 x 15.6 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen in her home studio, Des Moines. Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). The Law Library, from the series Real and Imagined Aspects of the Iowa State Capitol, 1977. Etching. Plate: 17 ½ x 14 ½ in. (44.5 x 36.8 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Terrace Hill with Peacock, 2008. Engraving. Plate: 13 7/8 x 16 ½ in. (35 x 42 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Sotoportego Pisano, from the series Sotoporteghi Veneziani, 1994. Engraving. 9 x 7 7/8 in. (22.7 x 20 cm.). Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines.

Antonio del Pollaiuolo (Italian, 1431/32–1498). Battle of the Nudes, 1470s–80s. Engraving. Sheet: 42.4 x 60.9 cm. (16 11/16 x 24 in.); plate: 42 x 60.4 cm. (16 9/16 x 23 3/4 in.). The Cleveland Museum of Art.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). House in Ruins, 1986. Engraving. Plate: 16 ¾ x 13 7/8 in. (42.5 x 35.3 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). House of Emblems, 1988. Engraving, roulette, and mezzotint. Plate: 24 x 18 in. (61 x 45.7 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Vanitas, 1987. Engraving. Plate: 14 ¾ x 11 7/8 in. (37 x 30.4 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). A Sphinx Fountain, 1971. Engraving. Plate: 14 1/8 x 12 ½ in. (36 x 31.7 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Melancolia II, 1973. Engraving. Plate: 8 1/8 x 14 7/8 in. (20.5 x 38 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). The Supreme Court, from the series Real and Imagined Aspects of the Iowa State Capitol, 1977. Engraving and etching. Plate: 13 7/8 x 16 ¾ in. (35.2 x 42.5 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). An Iowa Valentine, 1990. Engraving with hand coloring. Plate: 6 7/8 x 5 in. (17.5 x 12.7 cm.). Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Iowa Alphabet, 1990. 25 engravings with watercolor. Overall: 19 7/8 x 15 in. (50.1 x 38.1 cm.). Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Iowa Alphabet: VOTE, 2020. Engraving printed in blue. Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Iowa Alphabet: VOTE, 2020. Engraving printed in blue with watercolor. Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen (American, born 1946). Billboard with Iowa Alphabet: VOTE, 2020. Courtesy of the Artist.

Get-Out-The-Vote postcards featuring Amy N. Worthen’s Iowa Alphabet: VOTE, 2020. Courtesy of the Artist.

Amy N. Worthen speaks in front of her Wisteria drawings at Olson Larsen Gallery, Des Moines, 2023. Courtesy of the Artist.