Printmaking

What started as an appreciation for the graphic art of printmaking turned into an exploratory investigation in practices current and traditional. Building from courses on technical appreciation, the Printmaking Studio expanded its processes and courses after the 1930’s to accommodate a growing interest for the medium in education and art making. Today, the studio is equipped for teaching an assortment of printing techniques including etching, silkscreen, woodblock, and lithography as part of the Art & Art Education Program at Teachers College. 

The Printmaking Studio follows the pedagogy of artistic investigation and exploration of processes to expand one’s own creative expression. Students who come to the studio learn a variety of processes to develop their own practice, as well as how to teach the medium in their own classrooms. The courses in the printmaking studio welcomes students from all majors with little to no artistic background to cultivate a new interest in art making. Students leave their courses with a new understanding of the medium, a portfolio of prints, and a developed language for critiques and appreciating art.

The studio’s rich community atmosphere is cultivated through multiple applications. Students are encouraged to learn from one another and collaborate through their experimentation in printing. Students are responsible to care for the studio space as if it were their own classroom and a space is given to them for their own personal artwork. Students engage in lively discussions through lectures, demonstrations, class critiques, and studio exhibitions.

The studio’s location on campus provides students with inspiration from neighboring studio spaces to inform their artistic pursuits including the Ceramics Studio,  Thingspace, and the Myers Media Art Studio. Faculty members and visiting artists are invited to the studio for guest lectures, workshops, and other academic projects.

Along with the tangible skills learned through the process of printmaking, the studio prides itself in the ever evolving community from creating art in the same space. Everyone who participates in the studio is treated equally and encouraged to communicate with each other. Although materials have been individualized to adapt to current health and safety procedures, the communal use of space and natural curiosity for the exploration of printmaking are where camaraderie and sharing are naturally cultivated over time. Whether artists come to the studio for courses, studio use, or special lectures, each individual is treated with the same level of respect. Students and Community Artists are welcome to share their work with the other members including opening exhibitions, research inquiries, and other projects they are working on to show support for one another.

In the printmaking studio, communication and collaboration are a part of the learning process. Sharing of ideas and new discoveries are encouraged to broaden artists’ range of skills and experimentation in the process of printmaking. These interactions are the foundation for the community at the studio.