Thursday's Three on Art

This post introduces Thursday's Three on Art, my new series about art museums or other gallery spaces (including the virtual) that you might not know about and artist opportunities that deserve a shout-out. Today's three selections are dedicated to printmaking.

★ Washington Printmakers Gallery ~ If you're new to art collecting, you might want to consider starting, as I did many years ago, with purchases of etchings, lithographs, monoprints, woodcuts, or other still-affordable works on paper. In the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, one of the go-to places for work by local and national printmakers is Washington Printmakers Gallery, a cooperative located in the Pyramid Atlantic Art Center in Silver Spring, Maryland. Founded in 1985, WPG sponsors monthly a group exhibit of members' work and a solo show. Its bins and flatfiles are replete with artist-pulled fine art prints that are exemplary in technique and represent many styles. WPG's juried National Small Works Exhibition, now in its 16th year, is not to be missed. The gallery also conducts a lively series of lectures and artist talks, as well as demonstrations in printmaking techniques. WPG's roster of exceptional printmakers includes Rosemary Cooley, Jenny Freestone, and Martha Oatway. Its online newsletter DCimPRINT is always informative. If you are a printmaker and interested in membership opportunities, go here.

WPG on FaceBook and Twitter

★ Los Angeles Printmaking Society ~ LAPS is a national nonprofit devoted to increasing public awareness of and education in printmaking and to promoting the interests of artists who make prints. A member of the American Print Alliance, LAPS publishes Interleaf, a quarterly journal; sponsors a biennial, The National; and awards LAPS Foundation grants to students to encourage their interest in and exploration of printmaking media. The organization's Website includes a members' gallery (organized alphabetically and worth your time to browse) and an extensive menu of printmaking resources that benefit both artists and enthusiasts.

LAPS on FaceBook

★ Arquetopia Printmaking Residency ~ Mexico's independent, nonprofit Arquetopia Foundation for Development, which uses the arts to promote social transformation and sustainable development, sponsors an international Printmaking Special Artist Residency of four weeks to 24 weeks that is open to experienced printmakers age 25 and older. Artists chosen for a residency in any of a number of techniques (intaglio, woodcut, silkscreen, among others) may work either at a professional printmaking studio in Oaxaca or at a printmaking museum and studio in Puebla. For a list of other residency opportunities, go here.

Arquetopia on FaceBook

Arquetopia Blog