Other People's Prints 2025
I had the privilege of co-curating the second iteration of Other People’s Prints (O.P.P.) in 2025. This experience was even more hands-on and intense than the first time curating this show, and O.P.P. was incredibly rewarding. Claire Bond and I, along with the Exhibition Committee, wanted to bring printmakers outside our regular community and showcase a diverse range of printing techniques. Not only did we double the number of exhibiting artists, but we also had artists from across North America, including: Kansas, New York, Missouri, Colorado, Arkansas, Kentucky, and Canada. But wait, there’s more! We represented every printing process, as well as non-traditional methods like kitchen lithography, clay monotypes, and print installations.
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As with the first time around, I designed a program that incorporated the provided artist statements, bios, and an overview of the processes used by each artist for the works on display.
Featured artists: Eliana Calle Saari, Kristin Powers Nowlin, Dusty Herbig, Elizabeth Foley, April (Ape) Bleakney, Joey Leppo, Michael Whitehead, Javier Flores, Keith Dull, Tyler Thenikl, Nathan Pietrykowski, Cynthia C. Petry, Nicole Ballachino, Meryl Engler, Valerie Syposz, Bee Ferance, Ed Marthey, Maxwell Carrier, and Klaire Smith.
Along the side wall in our gallery, we invited artists to bring additional, unframed prints to sell. Printmaking is a medium for the people, and this gives patrons the ability to own original prints at a lower price point than what they see framed on the walls!
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In these pictures you can see prints from Tyler Thenikl, Bee Ferance, April (Ape) Bleakney, and Elizabeth Foley.
In conjunction with our opening reception this year, I organized and hosted a FREE printmaking event designed to be accessible to artists of all ages and abilities.
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The event featured three main stations: block printing, styrofoam printing, and fabric printing. At the block and styrofoam printing stations, attendees fell head over heels in love with printmaking and their sweetheart with Valentine-related prints. Participants could choose from pre-carved blocks, learn how to use a brayer, roll out ink, and pull a print. At the styrofoam printing station, they made Valentine’s cards by pressing into styrofoam, coloring it with washable markers, and using damp paper to transfer their image. The cream of the crop was our fabric printing station with none other than the best printing press, Willard! Printers could choose from a variety of pre-carved blocks to print on any fabric they brought, giving them a chance to use Big Willy (a.k.a. Willard)!
This FREE print event not only helped bring community members into our building but also helped create connections between the printing process and the works on display in the galleries.
As a curator, I was responsible for a wide range of tasks to bring O.P.P. to fruition. These included:
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Creating and distributing hand-printed posters
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Designing the program
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Printing promotional t-shirts and bags
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Assembling artist goodie bags (program, posters, and a name tag)
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Communicating and collaborating with artists
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Assisting with installation (creating labels, preparing walls, hanging art, etc.)
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Organizing an event (ordering supplies, finding and training volunteers)
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Leading printmaking demonstrations during the opening event
This iteration of Other People’s Prints created an exciting and challenging opportunity, in which I am proud to have played a role. Creating a cohesive layout and assisting with the installation of pieces outside of a frame was a great experience and pushed me to think outside of the box.
