Digital images, no longer just "experiments" in Photoshop, are rapidly becoming the medium-of-choice by both fine art photographers and printmakers. Not that long ago, artists could make and view digital images on their computer screens but had no way of printing out a product suitable for collection or sale. Today, digital artists have many choices of print output methods with image permanence that surpasses that of traditional color photographs. Digital prints can be made in huge sizes, and on many types of material. Recent technological innovations in improved ink-sets and photo-quality printers have allowed fine art digital prints to share the distinction of net.art as one of the newest media in the lexicon of legitimate contemporary art (shown at museums). So new, that the Brooklyn Museum's prestigious 27th National Print Biennial next year will be the first such biennial exhibition to be devoted solely to the digital print!

"State of the Art: Digital Prints" will examine important technical aspects that artists should know about creating long-lasting digital prints, and explore some of the issues that printers who collaborate with artists to make the prints, museum curators who review, exhibit and collect, and gallery owners that sell them are dealing with today. For instance: What criteria do museum curators use to decide which department will collect a digital print, Photography or Prints and Drawings? Are artists following strict copyright rules regarding appropriation of images from other print media when creating digital montage? How should digital images be reviewed by curators, at what resolution is realistic? And are artists' homepages valuable for the initial review process? Why do artists not know about longevity information of the newest digital printers and ink-sets? Is this even important to collectors?

This panel is a follow-up to the "Collectibility & the Digital Print" panel that was organized by ASCI in the Fall of 1998 at The Cooper Union in New York City. http://www.asci.org/Digital98/digipanel.html

"State of the Art: Digital Prints" PANELISTS:

Meghan Boody, artist, whose digital prints have been purchased by the Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC;

Matthew Drutt, Curator in Media Arts, Guggenheim Museum, New York, who has been following the impact of digital technology on photography;

Marilyn Kushner, Curator of Prints & Drawings at the Brooklyn Museum of Art whose National Print Biennial (invitational) in 2001 will solely be digital prints;

Cynthia Pannucci (moderator), ASCI Director, trained as a printmaker whose prints were represented by the AAA Gallery and in national print exhibitions;

Michal Smith, owner-printmaker, Silicon Gallery Fine Art Prints, Ltd. (New York and Philadelphia). One of the first galleries in world to exclusively show digital art. http://www.fineartprint.com

Henry Wilhelm, preeminent researcher/consultant in testing of ink-sets, papers and printers on longevity issues for digital fine art and photography printmaking field. http://www.wilhelm-research.com

DIGITAL'2000 Is ASCI's Third Annual Exhibition of winning works selected from an international open competition. Approximately 350 entries from as far as Tokyo, Beijing, Australia, Brazil, Slovenia, and throughout the USA and Canada were received (three times the entries of last year's competition!). This year, there were separate jurors for the two competition categories: Net.art > Jon Ippolito, artist, Curator of Media Arts at the Guggenheim Museum; and Digital Prints> Marilyn Kushner, Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Brooklyn Museum of Art.

DIGITAL'2000 will travel to three venues: - Central Fine Arts Gallery in Soho (June 28 - July 14) ***Opening June 28, 5-7pm*** - Technology Gallery, The New York Hall of Science (9/18 -11/26) - Silicon Gallery, Philadelphia (Dec.1 - Dec.31)

The winning works will also be featured in an online exhibition on the ASCI website (after June 19th), and in a color exhibition catalogue sponsored by Shutterfly, an online photo service that makes it simple, convenient and fun for people to take and give pictures. http://www.shutterfly.com

Additional Sponsor support from: ARTBYTE, The Magazine of Digital Culture http://www.ARTBYTE.com

Fusebox, design and development firm http://www.fusebox.com

and our special donor- Canson, USA/ Arches Paper

AVAILABLE FOR SALE: "Collectibility & The Digital Print" video tapes Two, ninety-minute video tapes document this 1998 afternoon panel discussion that took place in the Great Hall at The Cooper Union, NYC. Artists, writers, curators talk about a perceived "glass ceiling" to collecting this new art form and industry reps shared their latest technical information. Henry Wilhelm, Randy Green/ Muse X, Linda Laska/ Arches Paper, Paul Griffin/ Iris Graphics, David Kiehl, Curator of Prints at the Whitney Museum, Bill Jones/ editor ArtByte magazine, and others. http://www.asci.org/digital98/digipanel.html

"State of the Art: Digital Prints" video tapes will be available for sale a few months after the event. Call ASCI 718 816-9796 or send email note to asci@asci.org if you are interested.

Art & Science Collaborations, Inc. (ASCI) is a 12 year old non-profit organization based in New York City. Their pioneering international symposia, exhibitions, and public art projects have been promoting the aesthetic application of digital technology since 1995 when it held what was perhaps the world's first CyberFair for artists at Cooper Union. Program information is archived at: http://www.asci.org