A Philadelphia Biennial

Carl Pope, from The Mind of Cleveland, 2007-8.

Letterpress poster, 24 x 18 inches.

Dear friends:

Philagrafika 2010 is coming to an end this Sunday, April 11. Please, if you haven’t seen it all, take the opportunity to visit the core and ancillary shows. Our calendar lists the hours of operation and the program so you can plan your visit ahead of time.

We are extremely satisfied with the response to the festival. We had a high attendance by out-of-towners especially during the Southern Graphics Council and NCECA conferences, which, combined, brought almost 7000 visitors to the city. But the local public has also supported us massively in every single event and program we have had in the past two and a half months. By now, Philagrafika is a household name, like the Fringe. We need to build on this success with the aim to establish Philagrafika as a staple in the cultural life of the city.

Critical response has also been extremely positive. Art in America ran a 7-page article in its April issue that covers the entire span of the show. NPR’s All Things Considered aired a 6-minute segment about Philagrafika, which brought even more awareness to our project in the national arena. In addition, The New York Times devoted a half-page review, and all of the local newspapers have written thoughtful, in-depth articles about Philagrafika as a whole, or about specific shows or artists.

I am writing this post in relation to Roberta Fallon's article calling for the establishment of a Philadelphia Biennial. I must say that I agree with Roberta in most of what she says. But I also think that Philagrafika 2010 is exactly what she is calling for.

Philagrafika is an international Biennial-type event (in our case, Triennial), that brings together local, national and international artists. As other events of this type, it showcases the local scene (artists, curators and institutions) to the large public that visits the event, and prompts collaboration with the international artists that come and work here. It is a proven fact that in those cities which have a recurring international art event the local artistic community thrives, because of the exposure to new and challenging art, and by the relationships and working partnerships that usually make part of the implementation of large shows.

Roberta calls for an event that is multi-sited, curated by museum heads, includes an outside curator, and produces a catalog. That is exactly the model that we developed, where a group of local curators, each one associated with a major institution, collaborated with me towards a common goal. The publication is on its way.

There are only two differences I can see between Philagrafika and the Philadelphia Biennial that Roberta is proposing:

One, she is thinking of an event that focus on regional contemporary art. Whereas Philagrafika’s core show features local artists in its mix (which includes 18 countries and more than 25 cities), it is not to be forgotten that the larger component of the event are the Independent Projects, which bring together more than 80 institutions in which local artists (more than 700!) figure prominently. A second incarnation of Philagrafika could broaden the participation of local artists in the core show. As the case with most artistic scenes, Philadelphia artists want to show and be seen in an international context, not just amongst their local peers.

Two, Philagrafika 2010 is framed by medium specificity, which is a characteristic other biennials do not have. As I stated in the talk I gave as part of the panel “Prints, or Contemporary Art”? at the SGC conference, having print as a reference is to be understood as a parameter that can be rethought creatively. It suffices to visit the PMA and see Tabaimo’s and Oscar Muñoz’s video installations to realize that a medium need not be restrictive at all. The Whitney Biennial is an event that has its own limitations to overcome: namely, the imperative of defining who can be considered American, which calls for permanent negotiation given the Whitney's mandate and the nomadic nature of artists in this age of globalization. Any of the works in Philagrafika 2010, I would contend (at least in The Graphic Unconscious and Out of Print components) would feel at ease at any other biennial in the world, including the Whitney (provided they can classify as American, that is).

Ken Johnson summed it up succinctly in the New York Times: "Is printmaking dead, or is it reborn? Is it a meaningful category at all anymore for contemporary artists who revel in mechanically produced imagery of all kinds and fearlessly use and misuse whatever tools are at hand? If you think these questions matter -and there are good reasons to think they do- you need to plan a trip to Philadelphia."

In short, I would encourage the local community to side by Philagrafika towards its new incarnation, which should happen in three years, and together build on the success of the festival, which is a shared success of the entire artistic community of Philadelphia. It is to be noted that every penny we raised was given to the core participating venues to fund their part of the exhibition. This is a truly collaborative effort that has benefited the entire community. Let’s move forward with Philagrafika 2013. Together we can make this happen.

José Roca.
Artistic Director, Philagrafika

SGC International in Philly: Some of my photos from the conference

By Miriam Singer, artist and Philagrafika 2010 Volunteer

This is my selection of photographs I took at the SGC international conference:Mark Remarque. There was so much to do and see, lectures, exhibits, demos, and events. I could not do it all. I went to printmaking demos during the day and events at night. I have been thinking a lot about relief printing, so I went to demos and events that were somehow tied into relief, book binding, and wheatpaste. They fit well together. The photo above:Wednesday 3/17, Drive by Press at The Print Center. a public block party taking over the entire block of Latimer St. It was a woodblock block party. The Philagrafika 2010 Graphic Unconscious exhibit at The Print Center was open till 9 p.m. Drive By Press was printing woodblocks and silkscreens on t-shirts or paper out on the street. And encouraging participant collaboration.



Above; Drive By Press is printing woodblocks right out of the back of their van.
After The Print Center I headed to UArts For Democratic Down N'Dirty DIY Screenprinting where participants were encouraged to screenprint on paper and wheatpaste it on to wood panels.These panels were later installed as part of The Wall of Statements in the university lot at 313 South Broad Street. Thursday 3/18; I headed to Southern Graphic Demonstrations at UArts and PAFA. Above; Mary Tasillo Printing with Pulp veil Layers and Editioning, at UArts. Here she is printing layers of colored pulp into her handmade paper with stencils and molds. She had all kinds of different interesting techniques, Some you can do at home (with a blender). See her blog about her Philagrafika Independent Project public art project, Book Bombs with her collaborator Michelle Wilson.
Above:Bobby Rosenstock & Erin Sweeney: Experimental Broadsides on the Vandercook Press, UArts.

Above two Images : Animated Prints with Claire Fourquet at UARTS. monotype as animation. Pictured above: UArts student assistants are doing a series of trace monotypes to be photographed and uploaded into an animation by Professor Fourquet.
At PAFA I checked out Joseph Lappie's demonstration: The Drum Leaf or How To Make an Artist's Book That Accommodates (Nearly) Every Print Technique Ever. A Drum Leaf is a binding that requires no sewing and only minimal glue.

Friday 3/19 I headed to Moore College of Art for Katie Baldwin's Demo: Japanese Style Water-Based Printing (Moku Hanga) pictured in photographs above. Much Later on that day I also saw Katie's installation in The Extra-Dimensional Printmaking Invitational at NEXUS/foundation for today's art. Katie also had great instructional zines available following her demo.

The photo above: Japanese Stab Binding Demonstration also at Moore. Tara O'Brien and Melanie Mowinski split the demonstration time between how to create the binding, and part of the time discussing the relationship between content and structure of this bind.

Above is an image of Monika Meler placing her cardboard matrix on the press at Tyler School Of Art. Monika uses cardboard and pvc board to produce multilayered prints.

Following the demos I headed to: Viking Ship, Hostel Takeover. A 25 foot long wooden viking ship, built by Dennis McNett of HowlingPrint Studios I brought some prints of my own to wheatpaste the ship with, I luckily got to put a few up before the wheatpaste was put away and they installed the wheels. It was a magnificent ship ! The photo above was taken by Rebecca Mott. The color and mark combinations from the accumulation of prints were amazing. Following all the receptions including SGC portfolios, Medium Resistance, and Nexus, at 8 pm everyone paraded with the ship down American St to 2nd St. Happily. I managed to come away with a piece of the ship after we all broke it apart in the Piazza (2nd and Hancock) .

Independent Projects Report: Building by the Book at the Philadelphia Athenaeum

This report comes from Adrienne Jenkins, Managing Director of Philagrafika

The Athenaeum of Philadelphia, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Center for the Book, is currently exhibiting a wonderful presentation of artist books that were produced in response to the Athenaeum’s research collections. The collections library was founded in 1814 and is a resource for the study of architecture and design. Six artists from around the country were selected through a juried process, with works ranging from traditional to sculptural, expressing many possibilities for artists producing one-of-a-kind books.

Artist Aimee Denault next to her book Windows

Each book is a jewel - visually stunning, conceptually engaging and well-crafted. My favorites on view include Aimee Denault’s Windows, a pristine book of clean, white pages that radiates a spirituality derived from its cross or mandala design carved into the pages creating an elaborate pattern. Upon further study one sees that the four arms of the cross are in fact window shapes derived from colorplates of large houses in Wetherill’s Portfolio of Artistic Designs. Each page is painstakingly created by hand using an exacto knife to create intricate patterns. This is a gorgeous book!

Claire Owen and The Cultivation of Zoophytes

Local artist Claire Owen took inspiration from Jacob Weidenmann’s Beautifying Country Homes: A Handbook of Landscape Gardening to create a whimsical series of pamphlets with drawings and tongue-in-cheek instructions for cultivating six imaginary creatures from plant materials, with accompanying landscape designs. Inspired by her own recent interest in the term zoophyte, the illustrated creatures include a hare springing forth from fern fronds. This book titled The Cultivation of Zoophytes is a testament to the infinite possibilities inherent in nature, paying subtle homage to the transformative process of bookmaking as an art similarly derived from plant materials.

John Magnan poses beside his work Diorama

Diorama, a book of pure sculptural beauty is a wood-carved work by John Mangnan of Massachusetts. I had the opportunity to speak with the artist at the opening reception and learned that the maple and oak structure of the book was intended to follow the tree’s rings and thus has a slightly curved structure. This is not a book where one can turn pages; instead, it is a three-dimensional journey into the life of buildings from a time when attention to architectural detail was paramount. Beginning with the cover’s carved, open archway, one can see through to each page featuring a distinct carving such as an intricate fireplace mantle. Based on the how-to-book The Young Carpenter’s Assistant which shows several examples of furniture, architectural elements and other building features, this book is like the Anthenaeum itself, reminding us of a bygone era where art and craft were woven into the structures of daily life. When you go, make sure to see the original research library, an elegant and stately room in this impressive building.

The exhibition runs through May 1, 2010. See the Anthenaeum web site www.philaanthenaeum.org for more information.

-Adrienne Jenkins

Photos from the Building by the Book opening reception courtesy of the Philadelphia Aethenaeum.

Evan Roth At Vox Populi

Report from the Miriam Singer from the Vox Populi Speakeasy Series as part of Philagrafika 2010

Evan Roth is an artist with interests in technology, tools of empowerment, open source, and popular culture.

Roth is all about giving out software programs for free. His book is available online for free. And he is interested in making otherwise expensive operating mechanisms available for free or as inexpensive as possible.

His lecture at Vox Populi was a live streaming presentation from Paris. Roth spoke about the overlap of art, graffiti, technology, data visualization, hip hop, and free culture. As part of Speakeasy-Philagrafika 2010 Independent Projects lecture series.

One of his target audiences is The Bored At Work Network, the audience of people willing to waste time on the computer. I have never experienced a web cam lecture, so I felt like I was in the future, and even though I am not bored at work, I could spend a lot of time on his website.

He had a ton of insight. I have been thinking all weekend about this insight into creating projects, and as he put it, "Good things happen in year, great things happen in a weekend."

His lecture at Vox Populi is online, so if you missed this you can still experience it. His website is very exciting with links, instruction manuals, video, images, type...but I think it was important to hear him speak about it all, in the format of the lecture.

Above image is of a print installed in NYC. Graffiti Taxonomy. This project presents isolated letters from various graffiti tags, reproduced in similar scales and at close proximity. The intent of these studies is to show the diversity of styles, as expressed in a single character. This was reproduced from photographs of tags taken in the Lower East Side of Manhattan.

Allow me to paraphrase from my notes:

Evan Roth is interested in Art that isn't boring, and Activism that isn't tired. Roth is interested in the free cultural movement and is looking forward to the day artists (for example rappers) talk about open source code.

Graffiti is free. As in free beer (which we had at Vox Populi), and free--as in free speech. Graffiti has completely changed the way cities look, and he promotes open source programs as a way to change the way the Internet looks. He fell in love with graffiti as a pedestrian. He has approached it with his skill sets from architecture, computer software design, engineering, and research.

Check out his impressive bio. He is a inventor, scholar, visual artist, and bad ass.

He is interested in software that inserts small interventions into the larger system of the Internet. This is much like a graffiti artist with a spray can and or wheatpaste, who is making small interventions into the cityscape. The Internet is his favorite graffiti technology, next to a spray paint can. I will end this with the image below of a handshake between computer hackers and graffiti artists...

PMA Kids Make Bus Shelter Posters for Philagrafika

Animal Portraits, by students from General Louis Wagner
Middle School, with artist Roslyn Don

Every year, the Philadelphia Museum of Art's Delphi After School Art Club's students devise and execute a community service project: a large, collaborative public art project. The goal of the project is to bring their art to a broader public,in order to benefit of the larger community. In years past, they've created large ceramic murals on school buildings, and worked with Philadelphia Mural Arts to add ceramic tiles to city murals.

Philly Under the Blue Moon, by students from Martha Washington
Elementary School, with artist Doris Nogueira-Rogers

Environmental Tree, by students from William M. Meredith
Elementary School, with artist Heather Pieters

This year, in honor of Philagrafika 2010, the students undertook a collaborative printmaking project, creating posters for display on bus shelters throughout the city. The students worked on collaborative prints with various themes under the teaching artists of the Delphi After School Art Club. They then collaborated with PMA's Graphic Design and Editorial Departments to design the layouts of the posters. The posters will be livening up the following bus stops from March 1 - March 14:

1. Northwest Corner Broad and Locust
2. Southeast Corner, Broad and Spruce
3 Walnut and Broad
4. Walnut and 7^th
5. Walnut and 19^th
6. Chestnut and 19^th
7. Chestnut and 20^th
8. Mid-700 block, north side of Market
9. Mid -800 block, north side of Market
10. Mid-900 block, north side of Market
11. Southwest corner 10^th and Market
12. Southeast corner of 21^st and Market

Try to Remember, by students from Russell Byers
Charter School, with artist Ben Volta

Wall of Voices, by students from Cook-Wissahickon
Elementary School, with artist Roslyn Don

Open Book Event at the Print Center Opens Minds

Report by Dan Haddigan, artist and Philagrafika 2010 intern

In our super fast world of websites and blogs and tweeting and instant information and jagtags and chatroulette, it can be pretty easy to forget about the status of the book in contemporary culture and its place in the art world. The Open Book event held at the Print Center last Saturday, March 20 reminded everyone just how awesome the book is.

For anyone interested in the history of the book as an art object, the Print Center offered a crash course in the history of the artist’s book. Whether you were an artist’s book connoisseur, or just a book newbie, there was plenty of information to be gleaned from the presentations of famed Philadelphia collective Space 1026, Chicago printers, publishers, and provocateurs Temporary Services and New York artist’s book heaven Printed Matter. (Transatlantic New York-based collaborative Dexter Sinister’s books were on display, but unfortunately the artists were not able to attend the event). Attendees wandered throughout both levels of the Print Center, perusing the books on display and meeting and talking with the artists.

Temporary Services checking out the people checking out Temporary Services' books

While the artist’s book has lost some of the radical, populist pizzaz it boasted at it’s birth in the 60’s, it remains as an important, if overlooked, avenue for artists to distribute their artwork en masse, and it still remains as the most wallet-friendly way for the common person to collect their favorite artist’s work and for the artist to get their art in the hands of as many people as possible. Space 1026 takes this to heart, as Roman Hasiuk, Leah Mackin and Mike Gerkovich explained how the collective’s artists regularly make and distribute inexpensive zines and artists books, many of which were on display and for sale at their table.

Salem Collo-Julin shows off a copy of the Temporary Conversations interview with Austin hardcore band The Dicks

Temporary Services artists Brett Bloom, Salem Collo-Julin and Marc Fisher explained their history as a collective and how they continued in the tradition of using the book as a for-the-masses communication tool. In answering questions from the crowd about their work, they shed some light on their collaborations with other artists (such as a book about prison inventions with an artist incarcerated in California and their Temporary Conversations interview series), their desire to expose the artist in everyone (and art that isn’t shown in a gallery).

Max Schumann from Printed Matter talks about their selection of artists books on display

In the gallery shop, a selection of books from the Printed Matter accompanied a lesson on the history of the artist’s book from its very beginning to its place now. Max Schumann’s presentation tied together the common theme of the day: the celebration of the book as the true art form of the people. Printed Matter even operates a submission program, so not only can the average Joe art fan own a work by the Richard Princes and Ed Rushas of the world, but they can share the store’s shelf space with them as well.

Books galore in the Gallery Shop

The artist’s book still has, and always will have its place in contemporary art. The physical presence of a printed object will always win over the fleeting, transitory and intangible nature of the website or blog. (“Book” even sounds better than “blog”, doesn’t it? Not that blogs don't have their place, though, keep reading this one!) Exciting artists like the ones featured at the Print Center continue to extend and enhance the book’s changing life.

Take some time to check out Space 1026, Temporary Services, Dexter Sinister and Printed Matter, and if you haven’t been to the Print Center yet, you don’t even have an excuse. Just go already.

Brett, Marc and Salem hiding with staff from Philagrafika and the Print Center

First Friday in the snow: Gallery Joe & Space 1026

Report from Miriam Singer, artist and Philagrafika 2010 volunteer

Philagrafika Independent Project venue, Gallery Joe had a terrific turn-out on first friday despite the snowy winter storm.(top image) A promise is a promise, etching with chin colle' by Samantha Simpson printed by Jim Stoud at Center Street Studio. (above image) A crowded vault gallery... Artist, Adam Carlton Carrigan is on the right . His exhibit, Big Bang was curated by Marianne Bernstein. Big Bang is a very interesting multi-media exhibit that focuses on the seven theoretical ideas of the exploding forces of the universe.

In the Front Gallery; Prints by Gallery Artists ... An impressive show of prints by the following artists: Martin Wilner, Sharon Louden, Stephen Robin, Winifred Lutz, Jeanne Jaffe, Samantha Simpson, Lynne Clibanoff, Mark Sheinkman, Charles Ritchie, Kate Moran, Linn Meyers, Rob Matthews, Mary Judge, Marilyn Holsing, Christine Hiebert, Emily Brown, and Astrid Bowlby.

This show is hung salon style and it features a variety of printmaking techniques; from woodblock, etching, letterpress, digital to silkscreen. Some artists have printed on their own, or with assistance.This show also includes artists who have worked with printers to name: Lily Press, Center Street Studio, Chris Creyts, C.R. Ettinger Studio, Silicon, Post Editions, Corridor Press, Wildwood Press, and Elizabeth Gross.

Martin Wilner, Joural of Evidence Weekly, Vol.138, 2008 printed by Amber McMillan, Post Editions, Letterpress on Rives

Marilyn Holsing, Young Maria takes it with her, 2009, Etching, C.R. Ettinger Studio

...After Gallery Joe I headed to another Philagrafika Independent Project Venue,

Space 1026, It Was Good While It Lasted . Terrific show with two artists: works on paper, mixed printmaking media, and installation:

Blake E Marquis & Justin Van Hoy

Above: Artist, Justin Van Hoy standing next to Seattle #1 and Milwaukee #1.These are made with LA Smog ! Screen print, WD40, spray paint, coffee, coke, and LA smog on paper.

Above: Blake E Marquis. Two Pieces (1) , Two Pieces (2), Sell Short. Acrylic on Handmade paper.

Note: There is still time to see these shows before they come down! Gallery Joe and Space 1026 are up through February 27th.

Bearing Witness

A Studio Report from Caitlin Perkins, Philagrafika 2010 Program Manager

I was in Cindi Ettinger's printmaking studio this morning working on an Out of Print project for Philagrafika 2010, and while we were waiting for the artist to arrive, Cindi showed me the new package that Daniel Heyman created for his Bearing Witness print project (images below.)



First, this is a truly important body of work that he has created, and I would encourage you to visit his website to learn more at www.danielheyman.com.

The package, including two softcover books in a slipcase, is a stunning package weaving together his prints, paintings and writing about the war in Iraq, specifically the abuse and torture of innocent Iraqis at Abu Ghraib and other prisons.



As I flipped through the books, the bold graphic images of eagles immediately caught my eye. Incredibly, these are intaglio images printed onto plywood! Cindi pointed out to me that on the opposite wall, hanging above the inking station was a proof on paper, from this series.


Proof of etched zinc plate with spit bite text

Never one to take the easy road--Cindi explained the complicated process she developed with Daniel, to realize his project. This included selecting the "perfect" wood to serve not as the matrix, but as the surface for the printed image (this meant the most knotty plywood.) Working at Penn Campus, where the printer and artist had access to two large presses, side by side - they printed the etched zinc plate onto dampened paper and then quickly move to the second press, where the image was then transferred to the wood substrate.

Daniel will be installing these wood prints at the List Gallery for his show opening in March as part of Philagrafika 2010. Visit www.philagrafika2010.org/node/105 for more information on his solo show, Bearing Witness at the List Gallery and the Printmakers Go to War exhibition at the McCabe Library on the Swarthmore College Campus.

When Photographers are Blinded, etching on plywood, 10'x14', 2010

Bearing Witness
March 4th-April 9th, 2010
Opening reception and artist's lecture:
March 4th, 2010, 4:30-7pm

Printmakers go to War
McCabe Library, Swarthmore College
March 4–April 9, 2010
Opening reception:
March 4th, 2010, 12-1pm

Symposium: Artists in Wartime: bearing Witness/Shaping a Response
March 20th, 2010
9:30am-Noon
Reception:Saturday, March 20, Noon-1 PM

List Gallery at Swarthmore College 500 College Ave. Swarthmore, PA 19081 Phone: (610) 328-7811 Web: http://www.swarthmore.edu/Humanities/art/Gallery/

Printmakers Open Forum hosts La Ceiba Grafica

Alyse Bernstein sends us a report from The Midwives Collective & Gallery, where the Printmakers Open Forum curated a show for Philagrafika 2010. Alyse and her boyfriend Marc attended a lithography demo as part of the festivities at the gallery this past weekend. Alyse teaches lithography at the Fleisher Art Memorial.

Marc and I were grateful to discover that despite two feet of snow on Saturday The Midwives Collective and Gallery was open for business-thank you Nora! On display is one of the Independent Projects of Philagrafika 2010 entitled Recognition: The legendary tradition of contemporary printmaking in Mexico along with lithography demonstrations by Per Anderson and Martin Vinaver who are also participating artists in the exhibition.

Per and I met in the summer of 2001 at the Tamarind Institute and quickly discovered we possessed a mutual commitment to lithography and the martial arts. These topics fed many conversations about the differences and similarities of marble to limestone and Tai Chi to Aikido. Per practiced Tai Chi every morning and drew with his homemade litho crayons, pencils, and tousche wash, producing a print a day. Per encouraged me to pull a lithograph from marble while in New Mexico and was full of advice on graining, drawing, and processing the marble for printing.


Per drawing on a marble stone at Tamarind Summer 2001

Per and Martin are a part of the graphic art center La Ceiba Grafica. Together they drove to Philadelphia with a car full of demonstration materials from the Mexican state of Veracruz. One of their travel companions is a portable wooden press with a 20” x 16” bed, which was produced at the center. La Ceiba Grafica is a unique place that draws from the natural wealth and
resources found in the area.

The artists have overcome the expense of imported goods by acquiring marble from a nearby quarry, while local beaches provide silica sand employed in graining the marble, local hotels provide discarded cotton bed sheets and towels that are transformed into pulp to create handmade paper for printing, and orange peels from local groves create the turpentine used for cleanup. The center offers workshops in several disciplines beside lithography: etching, Japanese woodblock, and papermaking.


A print pulled at the Midwives Collective on Saturday from a marble stone

Marc observed that the opportunity to see the process that produces the artwork in a gallery is rare. Take advantage and stop by the Midwives Gallery on Monday, February 8, 2010 at 4:30 to see Per and Martin in action and learn more about La Ceiba Grafica and the art of lithography from marble stones.



Promotional materials from La Ceiba Grafica