The Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis is proud to host the 2011 SGC International Conference. After more than a year of planning, we are ready and excited to have the printmaking community descend upon St. Louis and reunite to enjoy the extensive program of conference exhibitions, lectures, demos, and events. We also have planned special events to help you experience the diversity of our local arts community and the city.
As a printmaker, I like to fondly say that I understand delayed gratification; however, as the pace of production, methods of transmission, and our interconnectedness through print and other social media change, I realize this may be an old-fashioned notion of physical process and labor. Fifteen years ago, when we hosted the SGC Conference, Remote Sensing, at West Virginia University, printmakers were already pondering the impact of the information highway and a new paradigm that was changing the nature of production and location. This year’s conference theme, Equilibrium, acknowledges the amazing ingenuity of print artists to respond to constant change and to innovate expanded practices reflecting the dynamic condition of the field. We are pleased to highlight such an outstanding range of practices and to contribute to the ongoing discourse that has defined SGCI, all while celebrating the breadth of work being done today.
Without question, the annual SGCI Conference is one of the most significant gatherings of printmakers worldwide—and a considerable undertaking. I want to express my thanks and recognize our many collaborative partners, our faculty, my print colleagues, and our staff who are making this conference possible. Lisa Bulawsky, this year’s conference chair, has tirelessly focused on putting together an exemplary program and event. I commend her for her dedication and leadership.
We are almost ready to roll, and on behalf of the Sam Fox School and the greater St. Louis community, I look forward to welcoming you to our campus and city. I hope you enjoy the programming we have planned, and am confident you will enjoy the usual camaraderie that has come to define the SGCI Conference. Have a great time!
Best,
Carmon Colangelo
Dean, Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts
E. Desmond Lee Professor for Collaboration in the Arts
Printmaking has always been much more than just a lineup of production methods. In recent years, the separate matrices of printmaking's traditional practices (stones, plates, screens, and blocks) have been supplemented, or even replaced, by new materials (various plastics, alloys, glass, and ink chemistries) and new film and digital technologies. It now makes more sense to describe printmaking as a zone of activity than as "this, that, and another way" of making images. This zone, then, is responsive to the tectonic shifts generated by new physical and virtual creations, and equilibrium is found through more expansive ways of thinking about how printmaking brings meaning from the studio to the public.
The annual SGC International Conference provides a tremendous opportunity for inspiring dialogue about the field of printmaking and its value in the world. The College and Graduate School of Art faculty, staff, and students are excited to contribute to this conversation by sharing their expertise and enthusiasm with conference participants.
Buzz Spector
Dean, College and Graduate School of Art
Jane Reuter Hitzeman and Herbert F. Hitzeman, Jr. Professor of Art
Washington University in St. Louis is pleased to serve as the host of the 2011 SGC International Conference. I join the faculty, staff, and students in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts in welcoming you to our University. I hope during your time in St. Louis you are able to explore the rich art and architectural traditions of our campus and surrounding city. Aside from the historic Gateway Arch, St. Louis is a region with many outstanding artistic cultural assets, ranging from Citygarden adjacent to the Arch, to the Saint Louis Art Museum in nearby Forest Park, to the Mildred Lane Kemper Art Museum on the Washington University campus.
This year's SGCI Conference promises to bring together a talented group of artists and scholars who share a commitment to the field of printmaking. The diverse conference program will provide numerous opportunities for you to meet and interact with colleagues.
We look forward to seeing you in March, and I wish you every success for a productive and rewarding conference.
Mark S. Wrighton
Chancellor, Washington University in St. Louis