"Power in Print"
The upcoming 2005 Southern Graphics Council International Conference in Washington D.C. will explore power in print - its dynamics, manifestations, and effectiveness. Just as the printing press and moveable type were central to the development of Western civilization, printed images were among the earliest forms of mass communication. Prints disseminated religious, political, and scientific information to the illiterate masses as well as the educated elites. Artistic considerations amplified their appeal, and their portability assured their spread across borders.

Does Printmaking Ultimately Matter?
Participants in this conference will consider the power of the print in the twenty-first century, both as a means of communication and as a force in the contemporary art world. Does the spirit of Goya, Daumier, and Thomas Nast find expression in today's prints? Are they an effective means to address the greed, corruption, scandal, and folly that continue to thrive in our own time? What are the forces that affect how prints are made, distributed, collected, and exhibited? Does the digital revolution challenge the values and assumptions that have come to be associated with printmaking? At a time when public memorials are the most common artistic response to terrorist events, is there a role for the more intimate, personal expression of prints?

Join the dialogue with artists, curators, critics, master printers, educators, and dealers to examine the dynamics of power that influence printmaking today. View the riches of Washington's world-class art museums. Bring your broadsides, your posters, your ideas, and your voice to the U.S. capital to consider the power of prints and the powers that affect printmaking in today's world.

For more information see: http://powerinprint.gmu.edu/
http://www.southerngraphicscouncil.org