What is Political Printmaking? (+ A Free Class!)
Examples of printmaking appear in our everyday lives in many forms: we see it when we handle dollar bills, RSVP to letterpress wedding invitations, or view works of art, such as Shepard Fairey’s iconic OBEY images.
But did you know that the artistic form of printmaking has inherently political roots? In this post, you’ll learn about what printmaking is, where it comes from, and, best of all, you’ll get to sign up for a free political printmaking class, presented by Art School and artist Kate Laster!
Die Mütter [The Mothers], Käthe
Kollwitz
, Woodcut, 1922. Kollwitz is known for her work depicting the effects of war (such as the death of loved ones, poverty, and hunger) on the working class.
Image description: A black and white image of a group of feminine figures embracing each other.
What is Printmaking?
Printmaking is an art form that encompasses a wide range of techniques, which generally involve transferring ink from a plate or a block onto a substrate (such as paper). Printing plates absorb ink in some places and resist ink in others, often either due to physical relief of the block, as in a woodcut or engraving technique, or chemical reactions, such as in lithography.
There Was Perhaps a First Vision Attempted by the Flower, by Odilon Redon. Lithograph, 1883. Original from the National Gallery of Art.
Image description: A black and white, surreal-looking image of an eye rising from an atmospheric background.
Sumerian Cylinder seal of First Dynasty of Ur Queen Puabi, found in her tomb, dated circa 2600 BCE, with modern impression.
Author: By Nic McPhee from Morris, Minnesota, USA - British Museum with Cory and Mary, 6 Sep 2007 - 185, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=10605639
Image description: An ancient Sumerian cylinder with relief carvings, displayed next to an impression of the seal on a slab of clay.
History of Printmaking
The first known prints date back to 3000 BCE Sumeria, and were made using carved cylinders that were rolled onto slabs of soft clay to create impressions. Thousands of years later, the printing press was created using this same mechanical principal.
Printmaking also has historical roots all over the world. Japan, for example, is well-known for its tradition of woodcuts, and Egypt is believed to be where the first wood-blocks were printed onto textiles.
Woodcut, Sotoori Hime by Eishi Hosoda, 1756-1829
Image description: A traditional Japanese Ukyio.e style illustration of a traditional Japanese princess; a Sotoori princess catching a spider with a fan. Original from Library of Congress.
Printmaking as Activism
Because of printmaking’s ability to yield multiples of the same image, it’s often associated with the widespread dissemination of information. Before modern means of communication, prints were used to get information out to the public efficiently. A common example is the broadside, a type of print that functions like a poster, used to get ideas and information out quickly.
One of the most famous broadsides is the United States Declaration of Independence.
Image description: United States Declaration of Independence
José Guadalupe Posada, Calavera Oxaca, ca. 1903. Posada popularized the art form of the woodcut in Mexico, and is known as the country’s father of graphic art and printmaking.
Image description: A black and white woodcut image of a crowd of Day of the Dead skeleton figures. A large figure in the center of the image runs with a knife in hand.
In Mexico, prints became an important means of conveying political unrest during the early to mid twentieth century. After the Mexican Revolution (1910-20), activists needed a quick, cheap, and easy way to distribute visuals during protests. Images were a democratic way of spreading messages, as many people were unable to read during this time. The Taller de Gráfica Popular (or People’s Graphic Workshop), founded by artists Leopoldo Méndez, Pablo O'Higgins, and Luis Arenal, was a prolific print shop that was primarily concerned with advancing political causes through printmaking. Other influential printmakers include José Guadalupe Posada Aguilar, who created widely seen images depicting satirical and cultural critique.
Elizabeth Catlett, an American and Mexican graphic artist and sculptor, worked with the Taller de Gráfica Popular on a series of prints that became her most widely recognized body of work. Her grandparents were enslaved African Americans, and her work often depicted African American subjects. She once said her work’s purpose was to “present black people in their beauty and dignity for ourselves and others to understand and enjoy.” Her work blended both abstract and figurative elements with social themes, and included well-known figures such as Angela Davis, Malcom X, and Harriet Tubman, in addition to other subjects, such as mothers and sharecroppers. She explained she wanted to make art “for the people, for the struggling people, to whom only realism is meaningful.”
Later, printmaking became an important tool of the Black Panther Party, which used the power of images as a tool for outreach. Artist Emory Douglas, who was the Black Panther Party’s Minister of Culture, created several prints that were used in widely-circulated Black Panther Party newsletters and flyers. As a teenager, he worked in the print shop of the Youth Training School in Ontario, California, a prison where he was incarcerated as a teenager. In this interview with contemporary artists Jordan M. Casteel and Fahamu Pecou, Douglas elaborates on his work with the Black Panther Party.
The See Red Women’s Workshop was a London-based collective screen-printing workshop that also used printmaking as a tool for spreading ideas about social justice. The workshop, founded by three ex-art students, created prints and posters that tackled issues such as reproductive rights, poverty, racism, domestic labor, sexuality, and misogynistic portrayals of women in advertising and the media.
Today, the JustSeeds collective is a decentralized cooperative, whose artist members are committed to social, environmental, and political engagement. Printmaking is a central part of their work and the practices of their artists. Their graphic-centered programming includes producing imagery for social justice causes, wheat-pasting prints and posters in public spaces, and creating gallery installations. They also have a repository of free, downloadable graphic images that they describe as an “activist toolbox,” available on their website.
Strike While The Ink Is Hot - A FREE Class by Art School!
We’re proud to announce that Art School’s first Community Education class will be a FREE / donation based political printmaking class. Strike while the Ink is Hot, taught by local Bay Area artist Kate Laster, will begin on September 28 and runs for 6 sessions. Students may enroll in Strike While The Ink is Hot at no cost, or may choose a donation amount. 80% of all donations will benefit G.L.I.T.S (Gays and Lesbians Living in a Transgender Society).
Below, Kate shares some information about her work, her printmaking practice, and Strike While The Ink is Hot.
Art School: How would you describe your artistic practice?
Kate: My art is about the people we carry with us. Whether working monumentally large or intimately small in figurative woodcut, installation or generative intervention— I use my background as a printmaker to disperse and proliferate the personal as political and public.
AS: What printmaking methods do you use in your own work?
KL: Relief carving is the most present form of printmaking in my work— I grew up in Alaska where wood carving is very vital and narrative: that was a huge inspiration. I have newly discovered my adoration for Risograph (the perfect zine printmaking method!) and also love screenprinting in my garage studio!
AS: How many times have you run Strike While The Ink is Hot?
KL: This will be the 2nd session of Strike While the Ink is Hot! I’m working on launching the third iteration for a social justice nonprofit in Virginia called The Bridge. I love researching and continuing to expand on this class in which I have built my own curriculum from the ground up.
AS: How much money have you raised? Which organizations have you donated to so far?
KL: Our first cohort raised $831.65 towards the Okra Project! This Art School cohort has raised over $600 and counting, of which 80% will go to G.L.I.T.S. Both of these organizations are Black trans-led and help people to secure housing and food.
The free and open to all format of the class is essential as needs of accessibility are not always met in learning spaces.
AS: What are your hopes (or goals) for Art School's upcoming session of Strike While The Ink's Hot?
KL: I was so moved by the community that the first cohort built, and I’m excited to meet this new class! This is a space where many different viewpoints, artistic focuses and skills connect people through free learning and constructive workshare.
I’m thrilled to facilitate a cumulative zine of this new cohort’s work and to see what continues to be urgent as our timeline escalates towards the election and continual events happening globally.
AS: Do you have any upcoming projects you're excited about? Where can people see your work?
KL: Right now you can see my art in person (by appointment!) at two exhibitions, opening this week:
“CONNECTIVE TISSUE” at Pirate Contemporary Art in Denver, Colorado.
"I’m looking forward to tomorrow" at Good News Gallery in High Springs, Florida.
Kate Laster, Passport Project, Linocut (ongoing).
Image description: An open passport with two black and white portraits printed over the passport text.
To see more of Kate’s work, check out her website. If you’re interested in learning more about this course, please contact us. And if you’d like to snag your spot in Strike While The Ink’s Hot, click here!