Exploring the Art of Printmaking With “The Fine Print”
Something new and bold will be making its mark on White Bear Center for the Arts’ Exhibition Hall starting this February. “The Fine Print,” brings the diverse world of printmaking into view through a brand-new printmaking exhibition. Featuring works from emerging and established printmakers from around Minnesota, the show will highlight a broad range of printmaking techniques.
Unlike previous group exhibitions, “The Fine Print” is a medium-specific show, selected through an open call for entries. “We want to celebrate artists that primarily do printmaking in their career and expose the community to a new process of art,” explained Exhibitions Manager Karna Holub.
The open call attracted 127 submissions, resulting in a 56-piece show curated by experienced Twin Cities artists Christopher Alday, Genie Hien Tran, and Edson Rosas. “There was a pretty solid variety of techniques used in the pool of submissions,” said Christopher, who typically works in screenprinting and letterpress printing. The curators’ vision while choosing pieces for the show? “To highlight what can be done and created with printmaking,” he said. Each piece they chose offers a unique perspective on the craft, showcasing the different styles and techniques nestled under the umbrella term of printmaking.
“At WBCA we’re all about trying something new. If you draw, there’s no reason you can’t try pottery, for example,” Karna said. She recalls an artist who was itching to branch out to something unknown. “They told me they were new to printmaking but wanted to push themselves by exploring a new medium, so they submitted — I thought that showed courage and determination.” And while printmaking might not come to mind as the most accessible artform, there’s something Christopher wishes people knew about it: “printmaking is just illustration and image making in another form.”
For those curious to learn more about printmaking, the exhibit will also give visitors a chance to engage with printmaking with special interactive components. Visitors can become familiar with different types of printmaking from lithography, woodcut, etching, and screen printing; and even make their own print to take home. In typical WBCA style, there will be corresponding classes that people can take if they feel inspired by the exhibit. Taught by none other than fellow curator Edson Rosas, Reduction Relief Printing will teach students the safe carving techniques and color theory needed to create a relief print. There is a session for adults, as well as one for teens.
Karna hopes that this show will inspire future exhibitions that explore other specific artforms while continuing to push the boundaries of what WBCA visitors can experience in its exhibition spaces.
The Fine Print will be on view in the WBCA Exhibition Hall from February 8-March 27, 2025.