Beauty of Nature will be on exhibit from September 28 through November 22, 2024 in the Converse Art Galleries of the Malden Public Library.  Open Wednesdays 2-4 PM; for additional gallery hours or to schedule a group tour,  call 781-324-0218.

From National Gardener Magazine (Fall, 2024).  “The Coopers … worked together delightfully. It took Joel about 100 hours to create a print. Once completed, he would place it on an easel in the middle of everything, hoping that Deborah would find that little thread to inspire the poem that might express the feelings that print brought out in her, much like a fairy tale. Sadly, Joel passed away in 2021.” The Cooper family has donated 85 of Joel’s prints to the Malden Public Library’s Art Collection. The current exhibit showcases 30 prints and poems created by the Coopers over the past 40 years. The exhibition is made possible by the generous contributions of John Giso, Michael Nuttall, Martin Cooper, Kim Taylor and the Trustees of the Malden Public Library.

Joel Cooper (April 16, 1945-October 13, 2021) began fine art screen printing in 1989, having been introduced to the process through a workshop at the Duluth Art Institute. Joel was a talented printer for over 28 years, with a portfolio of over 170 prints. His work has been exhibited at various Duluth Art Institute shows including the Arrowhead Regional Biennial Exhibits. In February 1998 a collaborative show, As We See It, took place at the Duluth Art Institute. It combined 42 screen prints along with poems by his wife, Deborah Gordon Cooper and this began a series of many exhibits they did together, including the Northern Prints Gallery and the Johnson heritage Post Gallery in Grand Marais. Joel owned and operated Cooper Enterprises in Duluth for over forty years and was a founding member of the Northern Printmakers Alliance.

Deborah Cooper is the author of six collections of poetry, including Between the Ceiling & the Moon (Finishing Line Press 2008), Under the Influence of Lilacs (Clover Valley Press 2010) and Blue Window (Clover Valley Press 2017). Deborah’s work has been published in numerous journals and anthologies, among them two collections by her writing group of over thirty years, most recently Bound Together: Like the Grasses (Clover Valley Press 2013). She has co-edited anthologies published by Holy Cow Press: Beloved on the Earth, The Heart of All That Is and Amethyst & Agate. Deborah has conducted writing circles with homeless individuals in her community. She has taught poetry classes in jails and juvenile centers for many years. Deborah was honored to serve as the Duluth Minnesota Poet Laureate from 2012 to 2014.