Printers Camp 2019 was a 10-day letterpress printing intensive hosted by Globe Collection and Press at MICA and funded in-part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. The residency embraced wood type, tools of the print trade, posters and ephemera from the Globe archive, new technology and hands-on learning. Experienced printers passed on the craft of letterpress and screen printing to the next generation of printers.
A national call netted 49 applications. Sixteen college students from 15 U.S. institutions were selected. Upon arrival, students learned about Baltimore’s history and culture through a tour of neighborhoods with a focus on African-American musicians and venues.
In the print shop students worked with four printers in residence. Students participated in three workshops with the printers before breaking into focused tracks.
Bringing the Beat Back with Allison Fisher and Bob Cicero of Globe at MICA – Historic Lexington Market provided a cultural experience to the students who learned about Maryland food delicacies and food history. Drawing on the sights, smells and interactions with people at the market, students made a visual record of their experiences with three posters using the bold Globe style. Students progressed to working on individual posters reflecting their time in Baltimore, utilizing historical type and techniques.
Community and Identity with Amos Kennedy – Five students traveled to the Library of Congress with Amos Kennedy and Mary Mashburn to meet curators there and study a selection of socially engaged prints, as well as the exhibit “Art in Action: Herblock and Fellow Artists Respond to Their Times.” They also visited the Smithsonian’s NMAAHC and talked with curator Mark Puryear about race and culture in Washington, D.C. Students selected quotes that reflected on their experiences and concepted and printed posters layered with color and text that continuously revealed more information to the viewer.
New Methods / Old Forms with Brad Vetter – Inspired by a trip to Baltimore’s “Graffiti Alley” six students explored the relationship between color, shape and scale. Students remixed traditional letterpress techniques by using laser cutters in MICA’s dFab studio to cut modular printing surfaces. The shapes were printed, repositioned, and over-printed for a series of monoprints. The individual prints became part of a 12’ x 6’ installation.
Mini-workshops addressed professional development, particularly how artists and designers make a living through printmaking. Students visited Typecast Press to learn about Mary Mashburn’s letterpress practice. In a second workshop, Printers Camp faculty talked openly and honestly about their practices, tribulations and successes.
Youth Programming
Printers Camp Residents became the teachers for students from Pedestal Gardens Youth Center and MICA’s Art & Design College Accelerator Program. They silk screened background images, set wood type and printed a series of posters with art direction from youth participants.
Students attending MICA’s pre-college program toured the shop that day, participating in poster printing and learning about Globe and letterpress.
A public exhibition at MICA’s 15/15 Gallery (on view July–September 2019) featured works by the residency participants, master printers, and youth participants. During Artscape weekend, July 19-21, the public was invited to the Globe shop to print a poster, explore the Globe Collection, view the exhibit and talk with participants.
Exhibition of Printers Camp Work
Team Globe Worldwide
Team Urban Warrior Women
Team Vetterpress