Only with the generous support of CMC’s Professional Development Funds would this trip have been possible.
The Southern Graphics Council hosts an annual Printmaking Conference in a different venue every spring. This year, from March 25-29, Colombia College in Chicago and the Art Institute of Chicago put on the conference, partially at the school and partially at the Hilton Hotel. These conferences consist of 4 days packed full of panel discussions on contemporary issues in the print community, demonstrations on traditional and emerging techniques, and printmaking exhibitions throughout the city. Also, there is a product/vendor fair where one can obtain samples of new ground-breaking products and purchase printmaking supplies at special conference discounts. Additionally, there is an exchange portfolio where participants produce an edition of 12 prints, based on a theme, and receive a portfolio of 10 prints back from other participants, 1 print goes to the host school’s collection, and 1 print goes into the SGC archives. It is an interesting and invaluable learning experience to see the range of concept and skill levels, as professionals and students alike submit their work.
Printmaking conferences cultivate an encouraging and supportive community amongst artists, professionals, educators and students in the printmaking media. The relationships that begin at these conferences resonate well beyond the conference, as printmakers and educators learn from and respond to each other through dialogue about techniques, content and ideas, learning and growing together. The bond created between printmakers is unmatched by any other single event, students relate with peers and professors, find graduate school programs, many printmakers are invited to participate in exhibitions, artists respond to other people’s work, find inspiration, etc.
During the Open Portfolio session on Saturday, I displayed my work on a table in a conference room full of hundreds of tables and other printmakers displaying their creative work. It was quite a stimulating environment, as I answered questions from peers about my techniques, the content of my work, and where I work and teach. I met many professionals and students from other school across the country. At the top of the hour, session 1 packed up their work and session 2 participants laid out their work for inquiry and observation. After 4 sessions of this I think everyone was over stimulated and exhausted, for it was quite an intense, concentrated experience of dialogue and inquiry about printmaking.
I was extremely fortunate to receive funding from Colorado Mountain College’s Professional Development Funds. Without this help, I would not have had the opportunity to attend this year’s conference and travel to Chicago. The resources and knowledge gained will be invaluable to my own artistic pursuits, as well as my teaching efforts and endeavors, as I am still decompressing and evaluating everything I was exposed to through this conference. I was able to maintain and even begin new professional relationships with peers and educators alike. Topics of discussions ranged from emerging digital technologies and the effect on traditional printmaking processes, to the state of the economy and its impact on the global art scene in general. It was a stimulating and exciting 4 days. Upon my return, I gave a presentation to my CMC printmaking classes, a Powerpoint of images from the conference and the city of Chicago, as well as a hands-on review of the portfolio exchange I participated in. We discussed the prints in terms of process, technique, execution of skill, and use of formal elements.
Jennifer Ghormley
