P.R.I.N.T Press thanks Halee Hamm for serving as an intern in spring 2018. Halee is in her Senior year and is a Printmaking major. Here she writes about her role in this semester's projects:
In the spring of 2018 I had the privilege of working as an intern at P.R.I.N.T Press. It's not every day that an aspiring printmaker can walk into a massive and pristine printmaking studio with crisp white walls, housing countless presses, tools and endless supplies. Let's be honest, it's a dream facility; begging to be filled with passionate, thoughtful, and hardworking artists that can enrich the already overflowing creative atmosphere. In recent years P.R.I.N.T Press has hosted several visiting artists including Linda Ridgway, Kiki Smith, and Jeff Dell. . . .
These artists typically arrive at P.R.I.N.T. Press with sketch in hand and idea in mind, ready to unleash their techniques, processes and printmaking quirks onto the ready and willing students at the time. While this experience is undoubtedly priceless to the interns in this past position, my time at P.R.I.N.T Press has been equally fulfilling. Though I did not have the opportunity to work with a visiting artist as most interns before me, I was still able to gain a wealth of knowledge about maintaining the integrity of such a beautiful and renowned resource.
As a studio that has the capabilities to serve as a workshop for printmakers ranging from novice to master, it is crucial to create an environment that is organized in a clear, concise, and intuitive fashion. Director of PRINT Press, Lari Gibbons, wanted to utilize the transition year to organize the studio space with new labels, signs and storage options. Our first step to getting the space ready was to finish priming and painting any surfaces that would act as storage space for extra supplies. Once dry, the intensive task of labeling every section began. We were sure to make the placement of each tool or piece of equipment as intuitive as possible by placing items adjacent to other items that were likely to be used together. Once every tool was in its place, we began the process of labelling each section with the proper vernacular; again, thinking about the end user's ease of locating what they were in search of. This entire process was an attempt to marry functionality with the inspirational aesthetic that the rest of the space conveyed.
As a temporary break from organizing the studio we were given the opportunity to create promotional imagery from the upcoming 2019 SGCI Conference hosted by DFW universities including UNT. The 2019 SGCI theme is Texchange to celebrate the exchange of artwork as a good or service that is so prevalent in printmaking. We were able to enhance the branding and identity of the Texchange conference by supplying several icon drawings of various printmaking tools. With a wealth of reference materials around us in the studio we were able to create simplified line drawings and convert the drawings to vector paths in Illustrator. We passed these files along to the SGCI design team who utilized the images for the conferences postcards that will be distributed to promote the 2019 event. It was a great skill to learn how to properly convert scans to well-tailored digital files that could be used for a variety of different media.
I was able to gain a wealth of knowledge about maintaining the integrity of such a beautiful and renowned resource. I am proud to have helped organize P.R.I.N.T. Press and to have left my mark on the space for visiting artists and interns to come.
To finish up the semester, the last task was to replace all of the paper safety, informational and directional signs around the studio with laser cut wooden signs. Having these signs visible and distinct in the studio are essential to not only the efficiency of the space but the safety of everyone using it. We wanted to be sure to use a long- lasting material that would hold up under rigorous cleaning and incidental contact. We began this project by priming several pieces of masonite with a coat of white enamel paint. We used this type of paint with the forethought that it would be easy to clean and be durable over the years. Once dry, we cut the pieces down to size and used the Fab Lab to laser cut the different signs and messaging. We sure to use a clear design elements that would make the signs not only legible but distinguishable in such a large, vast shop; again, every decision made with the end users in mind. The signs were then placed and hung in their proper place amongst the studio.
While the semester was filled with several small tasks like hanging shelves, sweeping floors, and painting chalkboards, it was also filled with the experience of maintaining the well-oiled machine that is a print studio. I am proud to have helped organize P.R.I.N.T. Press and to have left my mark on the space for visiting artists and interns to come. I look forward to seeing the amazing work the surfaces from P.R.I.N.T. Press in the future.
An internship for fall 2018 is available! Click here for details.
