The Syracuse University Art Museum has opened a new exhibition titled “What If I Try This?”: Helen Frankenthaler in the 20th-Century Print Ecosystem, running from August 26 through December 9. Curated by Melissa Yuen, the show features 56 works—including prints, paintings, photographs, and letters—by Frankenthaler and her contemporaries, highlighting her experimental approach to printmaking over nearly 50 years. The exhibition includes 11 prints and process proofs gifted by the Helen Frankenthaler Foundation in 2023, along with 24 works borrowed from national and area collections, and draws on Frankenthaler’s correspondence with artist Grace Hartigan.
The exhibition matters because it reframes Frankenthaler’s legacy beyond her celebrated color field paintings, emphasizing her collaborative and experimental printmaking practice. It also demonstrates the impact of the Frankenthaler Prints Initiative, which awarded the museum a $25,000 grant and a set of prints, enabling hands-on learning for students in museum studies courses. By integrating the exhibition with academic programming, the museum creates new opportunities for teaching, research, and public engagement, deepening appreciation for both Frankenthaler’s work and the broader print ecosystem.