St. Michael’s Printshop
St.
Michael’s Printshop located in St. John’s Newfoundland is an artist-run studio
that has really made its mark in artistic communities on a local and global
scale. “From its inception in 1972, St. Michael’s
reputation as a nexus for printers and printmaking in Newfoundland has spread,
attracting artists from around the world,” describes the Association of Artist
Run Centres from the Atlantic. “Today, it is recognized as one of the
country’s premier visual arts establishments through which a forceful exploration
of the physical and spiritual landscape continues to take place.”
“We are an open space and are always happy to have
visitors,” says SMP’s Business and Events Manager, Erin Heys. Recently
we caught up with Heys to learn about the Printshop’s intriguing history, how
it supports emerging and established artists and some of its thrilling
creations and accomplishments throughout the years.
How
long have you been involved with St. Michael's Printshop and in what
capacity?
EH: I started at St. Michael’s last
spring, and at the time I really didn’t know much about the world of
printmaking at all. Since I was lucky enough to come onboard, I have fallen
completely in love with the organization. My colleague, Mike Connolly, is the
Studio Manager for SMP, meaning that he handles the artistic side of things (he
is a talented artist himself), while I am the Business and Events Manager, so I
get to handle the organizational/administrative side of things. Plus I am
getting to explore my own artistic side while I am at it! I believe SMP offers
something really unique and important to the artistic community in the city and
in the province. I got to come in right in the middle of SMP’s 40th
anniversary year, which meant a packed timetable full of special events. It
also meant I got the chance to meet all sorts of amazing artists from all over
the country and the world that came together to be part of the celebration!
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| The original shop |
How
did St. Michael’s Printshop begin and what was the inspiration?
EH: Artists Don Wright and Heidi
Oberheide founded St Michael’s in 1972 with the assistance of a grant from the
Canada Council for the Arts. At the time, Printmaking in a global context was
hugely popular, but the province was seriously lacking in terms of
infrastructure and facilities. Don Wright and Heidi Oberheide wanted to fill
this void and start a shop where professional artists could access quality
equipment and technical help, and students could come and learn. The Printshop
was originally located in the small fishing village of St. Michael’s on the
Southern Shore of the island, approximately 50 kilometers from St John’s. At
the time, Memorial University’s Extension Services, whose mandate was to
support cultural activity in rural communities, operated the Printshop.
St Michael’s Printshop remained in this location
for fifteen years, attracting a core group of local artists and hosting
visiting artists from across Canada. Memorial University withdrew from the
operations of the Printshop and transferred the assets to St Michael’s Artists
and Printmakers Association, the non-profit, artist-run organization that
currently operates the facility. In 1986, St Michael’s Printshop moved its
operations to a downtown location in St John’s, where we still operate today!
It might be a different location from the original, but it’s still a
spectacular one! I get to look out over the harbour from my desk every day.
What
have been some highlights for the Printshop throughout the decades?
EH: As of 2014, SMP is 40 years old –
that is a pretty big deal for any arts organization! To date, more than 3,000
editions of prints have been created at St Michael’s, by hundreds of artists
from Newfoundland, Canada, the USA, Europe and Great Britain. Prints bearing
the distinctive St. Michael’s Chop (embossed Puffin logo) can be found in
public and private collections around the world. We also have an amazing
archive of nearly all the prints that have been made at SMP over the years. It
really is an unparalleled resource for visual artists in the province.
In November 2001, St Michael’s Printshop was
inducted into Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council’s Hall of Honour. This
prestigious award was given “in recognition of St Michael’s Printshop’s
significant contribution to the Arts.” St. Michael’s was the first arts
organization to be inducted into the NLAC’s Hall of Honour.
In 2002, St Michael’s Printshop celebrated its
thirtieth anniversary. To mark this milestone, the Printshop partnered with the
Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador to present The Power of Place, an
exhibition that explored the influence that Newfoundland’s physical environment
has had on visiting artists and on the technical and esthetic continuum that is
documented in the Print Archives Collection. This exhibition was toured
nationally.
In 2009 St. Michael’s Printshop was awarded the
“Kippy Goins Award” by VANL-CARFAC for its continued support of local artists
in developing their careers.
2010 saw the purchase of a new portable etching
press, purchased from an endowment fund in the name of the late Anne Meredith
Barry. The Anne Barry Memorial Press is used
for outreach in schools, and in communities around the province.
And 2014, a milestone that I got to be a part of,
brought about a bunch of exciting things for the Shop! We commissioned five
beautiful works of art by talented artists who each have special relationships
with SMP: John Hartman, Scott Goudie, Christine Koch, Tom Hammick, and Veslina
Tomova. We also published a beautiful new coffee-table book, written and
curated by Kevin Major – Printmakingon the Edge: 40 Years at St. Michael’s.
The whole anniversary year was really a lot of fun.
For
those of us who don't know, what is printmaking?
EH: Printmaking is an art form that really doesn’t
seem to be very well understood in general – I certainly didn’t know enough
about it before I started working here! The problem is that when people hear
the word “print”, they often think you’re talking about a reproduction of a
painting – basically a high quality copy. In the context of St. Michael’s, this
is not what we mean by printmaking. These prints are not just reproductions,
but rather each print is an original, hand-printed by the artist. Basically,
the printmaker creates an image on something that we call a matrix; this can be
done by carving into wood or linoleum (relief printing), etching into metal
(intaglio), drawing with a grease pencil on a stone (stone lithography), etc. –
there are a ton of different techniques. Then ink is rolled onto this matrix,
paper placed on top, and the whole thing is run through a printing press. This
process is repeated for each print in the edition. For this reason, each one
will be a little different depending on the process, and each one is a labour
of love from the printmaker, lending originality to the print. It can be a very
complex process that requires a high level of technical skill.
It
sounds like the Printshop is a very encouraging and inspiring environment. How
has it fostered emerging artists and encouraged established ones?
EH: These
two goals are pretty central to our mandate. In terms of encouraging emerging artists,
one of the main ways we do this is with the Don Wright Scholarship. Established
in 1991 in memory of one of the founders of St. Michael’s Printshop, the Don
Wright Scholarship is offered to a recent graduate of a recognized
post-secondary Fine Arts program who demonstrates technical expertise and
innovation in the print medium. The successful applicant receives an artist’s
fee, and a twelve-month residency at the Printshop. This scholarship assists in
the professional development of emerging artists by serving as a bridge between
the academic environment and the professional open-studio environment. As of 2008,
the scholarship has included an exhibition at the end of the residency. In
2010, it was improved to aid in the transition from student to practicing
professional by offering informal feedback sessions with artists from the
community, as well as quarterly progress meetings. We also undertake projects
such as last year’s exhibit, Fresh Prints, which was an exhibit of work from a
print swap organized by SMP. Fourteen emerging artists from all over the world
each created a new work in an edition of 15, and then these prints were all
interchanged so that each of them received a full set, including a full set for
SMP. We exhibited these works at the QE2 library at Memorial University.
We
encourage established artists first and foremost by providing professional
printmaking facilities for them to access and a space for members to display
their work, should they chose to do so. We also run a Visiting Artists Program
each year. Established in 1992, this program is intended to recognize, promote,
and offer financial assistance to printmakers provincially, nationally, and
internationally. It offers professional fees to participating artists, as well
as the equivalent of one month’s rental in-kind. Artists are given 24-hour
access to the studio. This program has contributed substantially to the
development of a focused body of work by the participating artists. The cooperative and open-studio facility at
St. Michael’s provides an atmosphere conducive to the exchange of ideas and
information among artists. Each artist
is required to offer a workshop to the membership during their residency.
If
anyone is interested in applying for our Scholarship or the Visiting Artist
program, they should check out our website
for more details. Over and above these programs, we are always open to new
ideas and collaboration.
Are
there some works you yourself or the team have created that you're particularly
proud of?
EH: This past year, as part of our 40th
anniversary celebrations, a team of SMP volunteers worked together to create a
print called ‘Regatta Rowers’. It was the result of an event we organized
called the Steamroller Printmaking Spectacular. It happened last summer, the
night before the Royal St. John’s Regatta (an important civic holiday and
historical event in the city) next to Quidi Vidi Lake - a crowded, public
lakefront. Emerging artist, Steve Evans, had carved an image in a huge piece of
linoleum flooring – one way too large to put through a printing press. A team
of volunteers all worked together to print the image, using a real steamroller
as the press! It was quite the publicity stunt, drawing a lot of curious eyes
and media coverage. Our goal was to expose a different audience to what
printmaking is and how it works, and we accomplished this, in addition to
having a ton of fun and creating a beautiful print! A bit larger than life, it
is still on display at the shop! Anyone can drop by and check it out!
What's
happening at the Printshop in the next couple months?
EH: With our 40th
anniversary year just having drawn to a close, we are still reeling from all
the excitement! There will be lots more exciting things to come in the upcoming
year, however. We just picked and announced our Visiting Artists for the
2015-16 season – six incredibly talented individuals that we are super excited
to work with. Our Don Wright Scholar, Amery Sandford, is doing some very
interesting work already around the shop. We also have our Annual Vault Sale
coming up in the spring, and our Members Exhibit not long after. We will be
releasing a more comprehensive calendar of events for the year very soon, so to
stay up to date with what is coming up this year check out our website and sign up for our
mailing list!
Is
there anything you would like to add?
EH:Thanks so much for your interest
in SMP, and remember we are an open space and are always
happy to have visitors! Any time during open hours, pop by and check out the
space!
