ART:


• Gallery
• Production Space
• Visiting Artists Program
• Sales Program


Our vision is intrinsically linked to the philosophy of “access to the arts” for all members of our community and support for artists as cultural workers. The ecology of our artistic vision – connecting print media to contemporary art, education and community – is the key to our success.

The Print Studio’s artistic vision is implemented through our gallery exhibitions by guest and member artists, our professional development workshops and lectures, and our outreach, education and public engagement activities. In the critical framework of a post-medium artistic era, we locate print media at the intersection of historical processes and new practices.

PRODUCTION SPACE

The Print Studio is housed in a two-storey building with a functional basement, totaling 9,000 sq. ft. of creative space. With the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation, Turkstra Lumber, Dofasco and many individuals, Phase I opened its doors to the public in 2005 with a long-term lease, two storefront galleries, classroom, press areas and state-of-the-art exhaust room. Thanks to the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Department of Canadian Heritage, Phase II in 2009 saw the completion of our Digital Studio in partnership with the Hamilton Camera Club. Phase III is scheduled to begin in September 2010 with the development of screen-printing and textile facilities. The sophistication and high professional standard of our equipment, which occupies three floors, positions The Print Studio as the largest print media facility in Canada.

Intaglio and Relief Area:
• Charles Brand etching press 32” x 52” • Praga etching press 24” x 40”
• British Starwheel etching press 15” x 40” • 1 Vandercooke Universal relief press

Lithography Area:
• Charles Brand press for stones and plates 30”x 50” • Praga press 30” x 42”
• Various sizes of stones • Graining sink • Levigator, drying racks and leather rollers

Silkscreen Area (Still in Development) :
• 23.5” x 29.5” vaccuum table • 37” x 55” vaccuum table with squeegee arm
• 48” x 60” Sharpline Exposure Unit • 4 Colour Carousel T-shirt Press
• 15” x 15” Heat Press for Textile Printing • Various sizes of screens and squeegees
• Worktables and drying racks

Digital Lab:
• Three Apple Mac Pro Computers with Nec 30” Monitors
• Epson V500 Pro Scanner
• HP Designjet Z3100ps GP Photo Large Format 44” Digital Printer
• Epson Stylus Pro 4880 Printer
• Three 6” x 11” Wacom Drawing Tablets
• Adobe CS4 Design Premium Software
• Adobe Lightroom

VISITING ARTISTS PROGRAM

The visiting artist program invites artists from different countries to take part in a residency at
The Print Studio.

2006 Elspeth Lamb - Glasgow, Scotland
2007 Eva Pietz - Berlin, Germany
2009 Yoshiko Shimada - Tokyo, Japan

Visiting artists are encouraged to create new work, to exhibit and to conduct an artist’s talk or a community-based workshop. The Visiting Artists Program is designed to connect our visual artists and community to international practices in art and culture while promoting mutual understanding between other countries and our own. Turkstra Lumber has been a proud supporter of this program and to date has sponsored artists from Scotland, Germany and Japan.

SALES PROGRAM

Our Sales Program supports artists in the promotion of their work and fosters opportunities for art-based enterprises in the wider Hamilton community.

There is increased attention paid to the concept of the creative city and the knowledge economy. But while artists and their work are viewed as key ‘cultural assets’ in the ‘creative city’, few resources are devoted to assisting artists to benefit financially from their work – and yet the success of individual artists is a key predictor of the success at the community level of the arts-based economy. Through the Sales Program artists will learn how to market, sell and generate income from their art. Efforts will begin with the direct sale of product in the newly established sales area on the main floor of The Print Studio.

EDUCATION:


• Artists in the Schools & Schools in the Studio
• ECO Art
• Adult Courses and Workshops


The Print Studio is driven by the belief that everyone has the potential to be creative and the ability to express themselves visually. Our educational goal is to engage and empower children, youth, and adults through the visual arts. The Print Studio’s instructional workshops in printmaking for all age groups support traditional skills development, as well as exploration of new directions. Through the Art Education Program, The Print Studio hires artists from our studio membership base who have an interest in teaching and mentoring. Arts Education builds an appreciation of the importance of art and culture within the educational community.

ARTISTS IN THE SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLS IN THE STUDIO

- Helps students discover their artistic voice and the surrounding artistic community.
- Develops diverse skills - critical and analytic thinking, fine motor skills, and team building.
- Encourages creative thinking and problem solving.

Artists in the Schools and Schools in the Studio offers accessible, professionally structured artistic programming to education communities in the Hamilton region that expose, engage and challenge students in the visual arts through stimulating in class and studio visits. Over the course of a school year, The Print Studio brings professional artists into the schools and brings the schools into the studio to create age/stage appropriate print art. Students participating in Schools in The Studio enjoy an enhanced experience of the arts by working in a professional print studio alongside practicing artists. In addition to helping students to discover their artistic voice and the surrounding artistic community, our education program is instrumental in developing diverse skills including critical and creative thinking, problem solving, fine motor skills and team building.

ADULT COURSES AND WORKSHOPS

We enable creativity in our city by providing a space for artists to work and for the public to freely explore the world of art.

We provide formal artistic instruction to adults on a weekly basis through our hands-on workshops. These courses and workshops create an increased capacity for student and artist learning and provide opportunities for personal and professional skills development.

Through the production and presentation of community-engaged, process-driven artistic work, artists and community members work together to express their unique identities.

PARADOX OF THE VOCATION

Paradox of the Vocation is a community-based art project between The Print Studio and the Juravinski Cancer Centre in Hamilton. In Phase I, professional artists collaborated with health care staff, in a media specific art practice. This project enabled healthcare staff to engage with artists in order to visually express themselves and their experiences. Both communities share the phenomenon of the “paradox of vocation” in that artists, like healthcare professionals, are intricately connected to their work practice. Their sense of identity is inseparable from their profession, which some would refer to as their vocation, or calling. On conclusion of the project, both communities worked together to create a collective exhibition at the Juravinski Cancer Centre.

Paradox Phase II links professional artists and medical staff with people living with cancer in a ‘media specific’ project. Linking medical staff and cancer patients in a collective creative experience with artists challenges the emotional, physical and professional relationship between medical staff and patients while creating a potentially healing experience through the arts. Paradox links healthcare and the visual arts, and will contribute to the understanding of the arts and its social benefit to the community.

TEXTURES IN MY CRIB

The Print Studio’s community arts vision is to connect and collaborate with local community groups and organizations via creative experience.

Textures in My Crib invested and increased The Print Studio’s commitment to diverse artistic activities by linking professional artists with three at-risk youth groups in downtown Hamilton. Professional artists, who have specialized training in print media and experience collaborating with youth groups, explored how works of art can affect perceptions of self. The three youth groups were: Threshold School of Building’s Ready to Work Program, Notre Dame Youth Services, and Re-Create Open Studio, with each group appealing to a different sector of youth development. Threshold’s Ready to Work Program draws students by referral from social services; Notre Dame Alternative School students have the potential to be at-risk; and Re-Create provides a drop-in studio for youth with no fixed address. The artistic process was as important as the final outcome for cultivating a sense of personal accomplishment as participating youth witnessed their ideas moving from mind to plan to completion. This creative collaboration builds self-esteem and team spirit through the development of valuable skills and critical thinking, all while providing a valuable forum for the expression of opinions, emotions and ideas.