Lower East Side Printshop

Q: After nearly 15 years in the business, could you tell us what are the qualities required for someone to direct a public-access printshop?

A: In my experience, it is a good understanding of what our participants need and being open to change. It is important to have a vision, be passionate about it, recognize opportunities for growth and never be content with the present. Being able to run a small business is no small task and I admire people who do it well.

Q: Have you visited public-access printmaking workshops in other parts of the country and the world? What differences struck you as noteworthy?

A: I've heard of many and had a chance to visit just a few. We are all functioning in different environments and everyone is doing a wonderful job. Many workshops offer educational programs for children, which we had to suspend because of the lack of staff and space. I admire them for the effort.

The 24/7 studio access is very important to us because New York City functions 24/7, and it may not be so in other parts of the world. We have two professional printmakers on staff and we publish a lot of new work, which is pretty rare. There are other workshops with much more space and equipment such as Highpoint Center, and some also offer living spaces for artists in residence. There are spaces that specialize and offer fabulous equipment for specific techniques, such as Kala Institute. Some have great exhibition spaces in addition to workspace, such as Cork Printmakers in Ireland. The workshop in Havana, Cuba has a wonderful connection between the artists and the community at large, including tourists.

Q: I was fascinated by the 24-hour studio access which the Printshop offers. What a great opportunity for artists with inverted biological clocks! How did this come about? How does it work? Presumably there's no supervision there in the middle of the night.

A: The 24-hour access was a priority for our founders and was in place from the first days on East 4th Street. Not all artists work through the night, but such access is very handy for those who do and those pursuing deadlines from time to time. We've never really had a problem with this. Each artist has a studio key; they are given an extensive studio tour and a printed manual about every aspect of the studio-from refrigerators to presses and brooms. All 24-hour participants need to be able to work independently since there is no supervision and they shouldn't bother other artists for help. Artists are usually very mindful of each other and focused on their work, I think that's what makes it work.

Q: I notice the Printshop has multiple mechanisms for educating the public, including artists, collectors and patrons. Besides some 40 different printmaking classes annually, you've got the "Printmaking Revealed" intensive introduction to printmaking on your list of classes. You've got an excellent "About Collecting" article, and a very informative "Printmaking Glossary" on the website. It all seems designed to help people to understand, appreciate and value fine-art printmaking. How important do you consider this educational work?

A: Thank you for noticing that. I think education is very important. Printmaking is often perceived as complicated, too technical and sometimes unhealthy. On the other hand, it's sometimes seen as just a reproductive process. By helping the public understand printmaking we can increase their appreciation of the medium and of artists' work. Our educational programs also include internships for college students, which are becoming more and more important. As the printmaking studios are closing in schools, workshops like ours have an increasingly important role in educating future artists, printmakers and collectors.

Q: Along these same lines, how do you feel about the other side of the "education" issue, the deliberate misinformation perpetrated by companies who sell posters, giclees and other reproductions as "art prints?" Do you think anything should or could be done about this phenomenon?

A: A smart person can easily figure out the difference between an edition of 500 and a signed edition of 10. The print community, including artists, workshops, web resources, schools, museums and magazines, is doing a lot to educate the public. We get at least one call every day from people who want us to reproduce their old photographs, paintings and drawings, and we happily explain the difference.

On the other hand, we have embraced some new technologies because they offer new possibilities for artists, and make some processes much cheaper and easier.

Q: The Printshop moved into new premises in the spring of 2005, with five times as much space as the old ones. What changes have you noticed since you're in the new location? Is it five times better?

A: I think that having five times more space makes the experience for the artists five times better. There is more space to work, equipment is available for larger scale and the studio layout makes it easier to work here, to note a few improvements. We now serve more artists than ever before. They seem more focused in the studio because there are no distractions and everyone can have his or her own space. We are able to offer more exhibition and exposure opportunities to artists, which really motivates them.

We've noticed a greater competition for our residencies, and we are able to publish more work. We are also offering free studio time to participants in the classes and they are able to integrate into the studio. Our members and patrons have many opportunities to see new work, purchase prints, have exhibition tours and talk to artists, so our community has become more engaged and we see people more frequently. Our new location is really easy to get to from all parts of the city, which is great because our audiences are scattered all over the area and we have noticed increased attendance.

Q: According to your website, the Printshop has 80 artists in residence and several types of artists' residencies: "Keyholder," "Special Edition" and "Publishing." Why so many. What's the difference? Are any of these residencies open to printmakers from abroad?

A: Believe me, sometimes even we get confused! Essentially, we try to offer opportunities for everyone to participate in the studios. Since our grantmakers sometimes require us to limit the programs to emerging or only local artists, we have found ways to serve other artists through different opportunities. The Keyholder Residencies are intended for emerging local independent printmakers, they are free and last for one year.

For printmakers who don't get selected, who are not emerging, or need the studio only periodically, there's the Studio Rental program. For those who need technical assistance we offer the Special Editions Residencies, but they are again limited to emerging artists. Publishing and Contract Printing offer the same service for artists at all career stages.

International artists are welcome through the Studio Rental, Publishing and Contract Printing programs (we are currently working with Dutch artist Sebastiaan Bremer). We often have international artists in the studio; they always bring new perspectives and expand our horizons.