This month, I took a print-cation, attending the Mid-America Print Council’s conference in Manhattan, Kansas, “From the Ashes.” My undergraduate and graduate studies were in the visual arts, emphasizing printmaking. I have continued to use various print methods in my artistic practice ever since and worked for nearly a decade in a silkscreen shop. I love patternmaking, so the inherent nature of repetition in print marries quite well with my creative goals. The limitless possibilities in combining techniques and creating lush layers keep me wanting more. For those who love process-driven work, printmaking takes something as simple as drawing and complicates it a little or a lot in a way some will never understand, with challenges and discovery all along the way.

Science often plays a part in many print processes, including properly etching plates or stones or addressing essential safety measures that should be taken when working with chemicals, cleaners, or grounds. Safety while etching copper was the focus of the featured speaker, Stefan Bossmann, Chair of the Department of Cancer Biology at the University of Kansas Medical Center. Interdisciplinary collaborations have led to some exciting new approaches called electrolytic etching, making copper etching much safer and accessible for the home studio! To learn more about the research, go to https://www.k-state.edu/currentprints/

Printmaking is still alive and well, with a rich history worldwide and techniques and traditions unique to different lands. If you want to learn more, you don’t have to travel the world to see or experience historical and contemporary print culture. Below are links to a handful of current or upcoming opportunities. Also included are links to the Mid-America Print Council (MAPC) and Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI), both organizations where you can become a member and always find more current events, exhibitions, or job opportunities in print. Have fun on your journey of discovery! Don’t get lost in the matrix.