Erik Brunvand, Good Dog, woodcut.
Stefanie Dykes, Little Misplaced Ambassadors, woodcut.
Saltgrass Printmakers interview continued. To go back, click here. McClain's How do you see the role of the co-op? How far beyond a workspace does it reach? Saltgrass Printmakers Our mission statement is: to provide educational programs, open community access to professional printmaking facilities, collaborative and individual opportunities for fine art printmakers and to engage the community to increase the appreciation and understanding of printmakers' art. As you can see, it goes far beyond just providing a workspace. We don't use the co-op word, though. We like to say "open access" instead to indicate that the benefits of Saltgrass are not just for the members, but for the whole artistic community. We certainly serve the function of providing workspace, but equally important is our educational mission, both to offer classes to teach people how to make prints, but also to educate the public (and artists!) about prints as fine art. We do this through our classes and gallery exhibits. We also try to collaborate with other community non-profit organizations like Art Access/VSA arts (Teen workshop, ArtPostive, and Partners Mentoring program), the Utah School for the Deaf and Blind, and with the Utah Museum of Fine Art (participating in offsite panel discussions and workshops). We will sponsor our first visiting artist in residence this summer (May 2007). Our visitor will teach a three-day master class and be working in the studio for two weeks in residence. We will also use that opportunity to offer lectures open to the public on the subject of prints and printmaking. We hope to continue to expand the residency program in the future. |
Erik Brunvand, Good Dog, woodcut. |
Stefanie Dykes, Little Misplaced Ambassadors, woodcut. |
McClain's How are you utilizing safer printmaking techniques at Saltgrass? Saltgrass Printmakers We are trying to make the shop less and less toxic, but we aren't completely 'green' yet. We use ferric chloride as an etchant which is much less toxic than nitric, but we still use oil-based inks and mineral spirits for some cleanup tasks. We have used Nature Wash as a less-toxic solvent which is great, but expensive, and are now using vegetable oil based solvents and Simple Green for most basic cleanup. We brought Dan Welden to Saltgrass in July 2006 for a Solarplate workshop and are using more photopolymer plates now that we’ve seen his workshop and also have an exposure unit. We would also like to experiment with water-based inks and other safer materials to see how they work compared with the materials we're used to. We'd love to hear from other shops that are using 'greener' printmaking techniques!
McClain's If you could have one new piece of equipment, what would it be? Saltgrass Printmakers Probably a screen printing vacuum table and press. We recently had a very nice old exposure unit donated to Saltgrass which we're using to make photopolymer plates for relief and intaglio printing, so the next obvious thing to add would be screen printing capability. Another thing on our list is a vented spray booth and large hot plate. We use spray enamel for aquatints and currently have to spray outside which can be chilly in the winter. |
Sandy Brunvand, Extended Obscured Line, mixed media with relief, etching, and staples . |
McClain's What things are covered with a membership? For example, I understand that artists supply their own ink, paper, and plates? Saltgrass Printmakers Monthly studio membership ($150/month gets you 24/7 key access) includes use of all the facilities, etchants, solvents, rags, blotters, newsprint, and other basic supplies. We do have some basic ink on hand that members can use, but artists usually want to use their own once they get to the point that they have their own preferences. Members also have locker space in the basement where they can store their own supplies, and a drawer in a flat file to store their paper and prints. Saltgrass stocks paper, copper, and other supplies that members can purchase.
McClain's Do you find that you need to advertise yourselves to gain new memberships? Are you at capacity? Saltgrass Printmakers We are nowhere near capacity at the moment. One of our biggest challenges in the near future is to grow our base of studio members. Our classes and openings are well attended, but we would really love to have more studio members taking advantage of the shop.
Right now we have only four to six studio members in any given month. We can easily support twice that number, and probably quite a few more. There's a limit to how many artists can be working simultaneously in a shop with only two etching presses and one letterpress, but given that the members would not all be working at the same time, and we could institute a reservation system of some sort if required, we would love to have more members! Having too many people wanting to be members is a problem we would love to have. |
Sandy Brunvand, Tribute to a Bug, collagraph. |
John Hitchcock, Second Piatto Print Exchange submission. |
McClain's What are the criteria for being accepted into Saltgrass Printmakers? Must one have had a little bit of print experience previously to joining? Saltgrass Printmakers As an open-access facility, the only criteria for membership are that you know how to safely use the equipment in the shop. Potential members can demonstrate this by meeting with the shop manager, or by taking classes at Saltgrass. Persons who have demonstrated that they know how to use the shop safely can become members, or can use the shop during our periodic open-press nights.
Being accepted for a show in the Gallery depends on the nature of the show. We have juried shows that are selected by a jury which is selected by the gallery manager and the board. We have open exchanges and invitational exchanges throughout the year that provide more open opportunities for artists. We also have bins in which members can put work for sale in the gallery independent of the shows in the gallery.
McClain's Can non-members print in your studio? Saltgrass Printmakers Yes. We have open press times every month when non-studio-members can use the studio for an hourly rate.
McClain's How would you assess the art community in Salt Lake City? Is it growing? Saltgrass Printmakers We think the arts community in Salt Lake City is both thriving and struggling! It's thriving in the sense that there seems to be a growing number of really talented and committed artists out there making great art. Some of the new work we've seen at Saltgrass, in the other galleries in town, and especially in some of the less formal and funkier venues in town is just stunning.
On the other hand, probably like anywhere else, the appreciation for contemporary art in the community isn't where we think it should be. We've seen great artist-run galleries go out of business. They were getting great crowds at openings, but people just weren't buying original contemporary art. Some arts events are well attended and well supported, but many are not. It would be great to figure out how to make the arts a more vital part of the community as a whole. That seems to be a hard problem everywhere! |
Michael Gaffney, Trifecta Print Exchange submission. |
Jennifer Watson, Trifecta Print Exchange submission. |
McClain's Are the people of Salt Lake City generally informed about the art of printmaking? Saltgrass Printmakers Not really, but it's probably no better or worse than most places. Prints, the idea of multiples, and the idea of fine-art prints versus reproductions are all subjects that we try to address in our community education events. We're had a show in June 2006, for example, at the Salt Lake Public Library that showed prints in a wide variety of processes along with the matrices and tools used to make those prints. It really seems to help people understand the idea of matrices and process to see the tools "behind the curtain" that enable those prints to be made. In a world of "limited edition" reproductions offered as real art in magazines and malls, and Giclee reproductions of paintings offered in galleries, it's a constant educational battle to inform people about how we view fine-art printmaking. There are always exceptions and grey areas (which makes the dialogue interesting!), but in general we feel that an original print is produced when the artist generates a matrix specifically for the purpose of making a print, and each print is produced through direct contact with that matrix. In general, Saltgrass is also very supportive of the idea of artist-pulled prints where the artist personally pulls each print of the edition.
McClain's What was the most successful interaction with the community to date? Saltgrass Printmakers In the three years that Saltgrass has been around, we've had an invitational fundraiser print exchange each November to benefit Saltgrass. Our first in 2004 was titled "First Impressions,” our second in 2005 was "Secondo Piatto," and our third in 2006 was titled “Trifecta.” The print artists that we've asked to participate have all done fantastic prints for these events, and the openings for each of these events have attracted huge crowds to the studio. (you can see images from these shows on our web site www.SaltgrassPrintmakers.org).
Another great event happened when Saltgrass was asked to write gallery notes and give a demo for the Utah Museum of Fine Arts in conjunction with their exhibit of a traveling show from the Southern Graphics Council. It was great to work with the Museum staff and talk about prints and printmaking to the Museum visitors during that event.
McClain's How about grant writing. I know you've been awarded a few grants recently. Do you think you could sustain a good group momentum without this outside seed money coming in? Saltgrass Printmakers Grants have been really helpful for us, especially as we look for a more stable membership base. We have been lucky to receive grants from the State of Utah (Utah Arts Council), Salt Lake County (Zoo, Arts, and Parks [ZAP] program), and Salt Lake City (CityArts). These grants have really made a huge difference in keeping Saltgrass running, and are making it possible to expand our offerings to the community. For example, we used grants from Utah Arts Council and CityArts to bring Dan Welden (author of Printmaking in the Sun) to Saltgrass in July 2006 to do his first Solarplate workshop in the state of Utah. It was a great success! We’ll be using these sorts of funds to bring outside artists in for workshops and to help support our artist residency program in the future. |
Joey Behrens, Trifecta Print Exchange submission. |
Erik Brunvand, Little Black Mountain, woodcut. |
McClain's Do you have any pitfalls to report? How about success stories? Saltgrass Printmakers Success Stories (we'd be happy to help other print studios going through or considering these sorts of things!):
Building our own etching press: Erik bought plans for an etching press from Doug Forsythe on the web, and we were lucky to have friends who could fabricate the rollers for materials cost alone, and who could help machine some of the parts for free. The result was, after a bit of work, we have an excellent good-sized (32”x60”) etching press for a lot less than the cost of buying a new one.
Getting our 501(c) (3) status: Dealing with the IRS regulations and application procedure for non-profit status is not easy. It takes perseverance as well as attention to detail. We were initially denied, but were awarded non-profit status on appeal. Our status was back-dated to January 2004, the data of incorporation of Saltgrass. As with all 501(c)(3) cases we have provisional status that will be reviewed five years after being granted.
Offering classes: Our classes have been very popular and are providing much of the general operating revues that come in to Saltgrass. We're teaching a bunch of people about printmaking, and the students are great fun to work with.
Collaborations: We have greatly enjoyed collaborating with other arts-related non-profits in the Salt Lake area including Art Access, the Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Art Works for Kids, and Salt Lake and Jordan school districts. Print Exchanges: Our fundraiser and our open exchanges have been well received and the artists have really put in good effort to make great prints! The fundraisers have also been extremely well attended. Grants: We've been quite successful in getting grants from the state, county, and city to help support activities at Saltgrass. A good mission statement and a strong commitment to community and education have been essential, as well as attention to details of the applications, procedures, and deadlines. We hope to continue to be active in grantsmanship in the future, and explore more opportunities. It turns out that many foundations require that a non-profit be in existence for 3 years before they can apply. Our three year anniversary was in January 2007...
Pitfalls and Challenges:
Membership: We need to attract more artist members! We have some members, but the shop can support many more. We'd like to build the printmaking community in Salt Lake by getting more artists involved. We're trying to get the word out, but we need to figure out how to get more artists willing to sign up for memberships.
Funding: With our class revenues, current members, gallery sales (Saltgrass keeps 30% of gallery sales), and grants, we’re breaking even for all the shop expenses. This is actually a success because we didn’t break even for our first two years! We feel that we’re at a good turning point in the financial picture. However, we'd like to be truly in the black and be able to offer (small) salaries for the very time-consuming jobs of shop manager and gallery manager. For that we need more revenue. That means either more grants and contributions, or more members (we currently offer about all the classes that we can support).
Fundraisers and gallery sales: While our fundraiser prints have been very well received artistically, people haven't been buying them in as large numbers as we hoped. For our first two exchanges we were offering the prints for $150 and although we sold some, we have many prints left to sell! We're currently looking for more and different fundraising techniques to help generate more support for Saltgrass. If anyone has great fundraising ideas, we'd love to hear them!
Collaborations: We continue to look for opportunities to collaborate with other printmaking organizations. It would be great to have joint exchanges or shows with other like-minded groups in other parts of the country or other parts of the world. Of course, this is partly what our panel at SGC is all about! |
Steve Lockett, First Impressions Print Exchange submission. |
Stefanie Dykes, Second Piatto Print Exchange submission. |
McClain's In the end, how does belonging to a print group affect your work personally as opposed to working in a private studio somewhere else? Saltgrass Printmakers Stefanie Dykes: Without Sandy and Erik, I wouldn't have the great shop that I have to work in today! Saltgrass is a collaborative vision that couldn't have happened without such strong partners. I've never worked in a private studio. I've been a printmaker from the get go and love the interchange that happens between printers while we are working whether it's sharing technical tricks or intellectual pursuits. This past year, it really hit me just how valuable the collaborative nature of the printshop is. I've watched as participants in printmaking classes open up creatively. They start rather timid, but quickly begin sharing what they are doing and the ideas and concepts in their imagery. I've had students tackle personal health crises in their prints, develop friendships in the shop, or simply, enjoy the creative release from their daily work routines. Sandy Brunvand: I find the bustling atmosphere of Saltgrass inspiring. Not only is it a beautiful space to work in, but the people who create here are fantastic. I am a painter as well as a printmaker, and am a very insular painter with a studio tucked up in the attic of our home. When I come to Saltgrass to print I am inundated with great energy, ideas and prints that have been created by my Saltgrass partners, Stefanie and Erik, and our students or other members. Stefanie is a prolific printmaker and does a great job of sharing her ideas and new techniques with all the members. There is a true sense of community here. I really enjoy seeing what others have printed and hearing about the processes they have utilized or a concept they have created. I especially like to see our new students discover the power of printmaking. There is a certain air of excitement when students begin to realize the potential of the images they create.
Erik Brunvand: Working in a collaborative environment is fantastic! I'm not a trained printmaker like Sandy and Stefanie, but I love learning about new processes and techniques. I’m a computer engineer in my day job, so as an engineer I am naturally drawn to the process aspect of printmaking. I love seeing how other printmakers solve their problems. I am also learning to trust my instincts about image. My classroom is the Saltgrass studio where I get to learn all sorts of amazing things from the other artists. Too much fun!
McClain's How can people find out more about Saltgrass Printmakers? Saltgrass Printmakers The easiest way is to look at our web site at www.SaltgrassPrintmakers.org. Our e-mail addresses can be found there on the 'About Us' Page. Please contact us as we'd love to hear from you! _____________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
