introduction THE 1983 GRADUATING CLASS OF W.L.U. PURCHASED, FOR DONATION TO THE UNIVERSITY, AN IMPORTANT COLLECTION OF EARLY BLACK AND WHITE BLOCK PRINTS (EXECUTED BETWEEN 1928 AND 1934) BY WOLDEMAR NEUFELD, THE OPENING OF THIS SHOW OF COLOURED BLOCK PRINTS BY NEUFELD COINCIDES WITH THE PRESENTATION OF THIS COLLECTION TO THE UNIVERSITY, WITH THE BLACK AND WHITE COLLECTION, THE PRINTS CHOSEN FOR THIS SHOW, REPRESENT A RETROSPECTIVE OF BLOCK PRINTING BY THIS TALENTED ARTIST, THEY INCLUDE PRINTS FROM HIS CLEVELAND DAYS, NEW YORK SUBJECTS, AND WATERLOO AND NEW ENGLAND SUBJECTS, FOUR OF THE LARGE COLOURED BLOCK PRINTS WATERLOO TOWN HALL, WATERLOO FIRE HALL, THE PLOUGHMAN AND THE POST OFFICE WERE DONATED TO W.L.U. BY THE ARTIST, about the artist WOLDEMAR NEUFELD WAS BORN IN SOUTHERN RUSSIA OF MENNONITE PARENTAGE IN 1909 AND AFTER THE REVOLUTION, IN 1924, EMMIGRATED WITH HIS FAMILY TO WATERLOO, HIS FORMAL ART TRAINING BEGAN IN TORONTO WHERE HE STUDIED EVENINGS FOR ONE YEAR AT THE ONTARIO COLLEGE OF ARTS, FROM 1935-1939 HE STUDIED AT THE CLEVELAND ART INSTITUTE RECEIVING THE PRESTIGIOUS AGNES GUND SCHOLARSHIP UPON GRADUATION, TWO YEARS LATER HE RECEIVED HIS B.S. DEGREE IN ART EDUCATION FROM WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY, IN 1939 WOLDEMAR HAD MARRIED PEGGY CONRAD OF WATERLOO (CLASS OF '37) IN THE WATERLOO COLLEGE CHAPEL. AFTER SPENDING THE WAR YEARS IN CLEVELAND THE COUPLE MOVED IN 1945 TO NEW YORK CITY WHERE WOLDEMAR DEVOTED HIMSELF VIGOUROUSLY TO DOCUMENTING THE TUGS AND BRIDGES AND SHORELINES OF THE EAST RIVER IN WATER COLOUR, OIL AND BLOCK PRINTS, SINCE 1949 THE NEUFELD FAMILY HAS LIVED IN NEW PRESTON, CONNECTICUT AND WOLDEMAR HAS CONTINUED WORKING IN MANY MEDIUMS.