Print: an underappreciated medium

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author: danielle corson | a&c writer

Look out for this logo around the Queen City/Courtesy of Flatgrafika

Our arts writer looks into two exciting visual art exhibits

Print is So Sweet (II) is an art exhibition on display at the Fifth Parallel Gallery that showcases eight years of class portfolios comprised by Professor Robert Truszkowski and his intermediate and senior students. The exhibition was curated by Robert Truszkowski and the portfolios are displayed clockwise in chronological order with the prints unframed and hanging on the walls.

With each portfolio, an edition is given to every participating student and one edition is submitted to the university archives. On occasion, extra editions have been produced to generate money for the print media area within the University of Regina. Students also frequently have print sales in the Riddell Centre throughout the year to raise money. This money helps fund students travelling to the annual printmaking conference, Southern Graphics Council International. There is a reception for Print is So Sweet (II) on Saturday, Sept. 16 at the Fifth Parallel Gallery from 1-2 p.m. that is open to the public.

This exhibition is a great example of how the arts, in this case print media, develop and build a community. Four of the past participating students within this exhibition have gone on to create Articulate Ink, an artist-run printmaking center and shop that is continually expanding the print media community within Regina. Students have led workshops within the community centered around printmaking processes including letter press and silk-screening. Developing the arts as a whole within a community enhances the cultural heritage of our province, and places Regina on a national and global map within the creative realm.

So why is print really so sweet? Beth Elich, a recent Bachelor of Fine Arts Visual Arts graduate states, “Print is so sweet because it allows for high levels of exploration, connects the printer to the building blocks that formed the ways in which we communicate, and, honestly, is enormously addictive. Print also cultivates a wonderful community because printers have to share equipment and space in any studio, which in turn, tends to foster a kinship. The satisfaction that comes from pulling a print is what keeps printers printing. Because it is just that sweet.”

Print is So Sweet (II) coincides with Flatgraf’ika, a printmaking symposium occurring in Regina this month. This multi-location event has many exhibitions, technique demonstrations, artist talks, workshops, and panel discussions planned throughout the city this month. Events will be at the Art Gallery of Regina, the MacKenzie Art Gallery, George Bothwell Public Library, University of Regina, and Articulate Ink/Creative City Centre, just to name a few. These events focus on surveying print media and printmaking history within Saskatchewan and artworks produced by local artists.

To register for workshops and other events, or more information about the symposium can be found at flatgrafika.ca.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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