Mr. Aric Russom is an artist living in New England. At Eaglebrook, he teaches various art classes, including Painting, Drawing, and Printmaking. He began his journey with art during graduate school at UMass, where he became interested in the window as a metaphor for connection and disconnection. His recent artwork is about the relationship between the individual and the environment, focusing on themes of intersection, the built environment, and how we experience and occupy space.
Mr. Russom taught Printmaking before he adopted it as his primary artistic medium. Coming from a painting background, Mr. Russom states, “I was impressed by how students compartmentalized the process, making progress in small chunks of time, rather than the long hours I found painting demanded.”
As an art teacher, Mr. Russom sees teaching art and making art as reciprocal. He emphasizes that his creative practice informs his classroom teaching and vice versa. He believes this reinforces an important lesson for students – that art reflects the world, and the classroom is not separate from it. “We are not in a vacuum,” he notes.
As a working artist, Mr. Russom tries to maintain an active exhibition record. He typically participates in three to five group shows annually. This structure allows him to work toward a goal while keeping the artwork fresh. Last year, he celebrated the culmination of eight years of Printmaking with a solo show at The Grubb’s Gallery in Easthampton, Massachusetts.
Mr. Russom has received multiple awards throughout the years. In 2022, his print Keystone won 3rd place out of 803 works in Surface Impressions at the Lux Center for the Arts in Lincoln, Nebraska. This print was based on one of the last textile factories in Easthampton, Massachusetts. In 2024, he won the McClain’s Printmaking award through the Society of American Graphic Artists in New York. This was meaningful as the print represented a new direction, and it is always nice to be recognized when taking a creative departure. Last year, his mini print, “Press,” was selected by the curator Ann Shafer for an award at the Center for Contemporary Printmaking in Norwalk, Connecticut. It is a 2-inch micro print featuring the art studio here at Eaglebrook. This was special for him as it’s a place both near and dear to his heart.
This year, Mr. Russom is thrilled to have one of his art pieces in the Boston Printmakers’ North American Print Biennial. The Juror is Esther Adler, Curator of Prints and Drawings at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. She selected Mr. Russom’s print for inclusion from over 2,000 submissions worldwide. It is a significant honor, with the hope that it may be purchased for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston collection.
