Cynthia Thompson
Cynthia Nourse Thompson
Workspace Program Resident 1997
Cynthia Thompson’s work is often referred to as Catholic in nature as it appears genuine, unadulterated, and orderly. Woven throughout this aesthetic are deeply rooted religious undertones, which undoubtedly manifest from her churchly Southern upbringing. Through this, her work takes on a new meaning. Juggling themes of desire, vulnerability, religion, beauty and the alluring nature of the body, Thompson explores issues surrounding the physical manifestations of oppression, shame and denial.
Collaborating with Paul Wong, Cynthia created an image using pigment and mold spores on watermarked cotton. Paper sheets were stacked with mold placed in the bottom post of wet paper, so that the paper closest to the mold would stain heavily, while others further away in the post would have more subtle markings. These pieces were later printed and embossed. Whisper is a straightforward image of an ear with the word “yes” embossed over it. The piece communicates an action with an implied messaged. The whisper with an accompanied “yes” leaves the viewer wondering what sort of request could elicit the compliant response.
About the Artist
Cynthia Nourse Thompson received her BFA in Printmaking from the Maryland Institute College of Art and her MFA from Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. Thompson has been awarded numerous residencies including Yaddo, Columbia College Chicago Center for Book and Paper Arts, Women’s Studio Workshop, the Visual Studies Workshop, Minnesota Center for Book Arts, Atlanta Printmakers Studio, Oregon College of Art and Craft in Portland, Oregon and a winter letterpress residency at Penland School of Craft. In addition to teaching and curating, Thompson also worked at Dieu Donné Papermill, Harlan & Weaver Intaglio and the Rutgers Center for Innovative Print and Paper, now the Brodsky Center at PAFA.
Cynthia Nourse Thompson is currently Associate Professor and Director of the graduate programs in Book Arts + Printmaking and Studio Arts at the University of the Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She has also been named Curator and Consulting Visual Arts Director for the Joy Pratt Markham Gallery at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Prior to this position, Thompson served as Associate Professor and Curator of Exhibitions at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Thompson also served for twelve years as Professor of Book, Print and Paper Arts at Memphis College of Art [MCA], Chair of the Fine Arts Department and Curator and Director of Visiting Artist Lectures. Thompson has also been visiting faculty at University of Georgia’s study abroad program in Cortona, Italy; the prestigious Santa Reparata International School of Art in Florence, Italy; and the University of Arkansas Program in Rome, Italy.
For more information, please visit their website: http://www.cynthia-nourse-thompson.com/