On View: March 31, 2006 – April 28, 2006
Friday, March 31, 2006 from 6:30 pm – 9:00 pm
Just in time for Spring, Highpoint is delighted to present an exhibition of contemporary prints from Scottish print studios. While attending the Artists/editions contemporary print fair in November 2005, HP’s Directors, Cole Rogers and Carla McGrath met a group of Scottish print shop directors. Impressed with the variety and quality of the prints on display in their booth in New York City, HP later proposed hosting a show of the work at HP’s Minneapolis gallery. Prints from the studios of the Edinburgh Printmakers and Glasgow Print Studio will be on display.
Join us as we welcome Scottish print shop director David Watt from Edinburgh Printmakers to Highpoint for the opening reception on Friday, March 31, from 6:30–9:00 PM. Mingle with our guests and view over 40 contemporary Scottish prints. The show will be on view through April 28. Exclusive for HP Supporting Members: call to reserve a ticket to attend a presentation by David Watt on Thursday, March 30 at 7:00 PM.
About the Scottish Print Studios*:
*excerpted from www.edinburgh-printmakers.co.uk
In 1967 the Printmakers Workshop (now Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop) was established in Edinburgh by a small group of artists, including Philip Reeves. This was the first open-access print workshop in Britain, and soon attracted the financial support of the Scottish Arts Council. Although less commercially oriented than the London studios, Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop followed them in establishing a new culture of shared experimentation and knowledge between artist and artist-printer, in contrast to the continental tradition where artists paid for printing services and rarely worked directly on the presses. During the 1970s the Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop model was followed by artist-run print studios which opened in other Scottish cities—Glasgow, Aberdeen, and Dundee. A network of artist-run print studios now exists throughout Scotland—a feature unique to this country. The larger Scottish studios have comprehensive facilities for etching, lithography, screenprinting, and relief printing; and in addition operate active programs in print-publishing, gallery and touring exhibitions, and education. As a result a continuous flow of artists from Scotland, England, and overseas, makes use of these facilities, and printmaking is now widely regarded as a major, accessible art form.
Similiar to Highpoint, the Edinburgh Printmakers Workshop goals are to promote the understanding of printmaking and pursue excellence in its practice by providing, maintaining and staffing an inexpensive open-access studio and free admission gallery.
To further promote contemporary Scottish prints, Contemporary Editions Limited (CEL) was formed: CEL is a collaboration between Edinburgh Printmakers, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Glasgow Print Studio and Peacock Visual Arts, Aberdeen. CEL exists to promote the understanding and appreciation of contemporary printmaking in Scotland on a National and International level.
Also, if you’re going to be in the New York area in March 2006, prints from the scottish shops will be on display at the International Print Center New York (IPCNY). For more information please visit IPCNY’s website at www.ipcny.org.