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History of Printmaking

Printmaking is the art of transferring images from a template (matrix) onto another surface. Thought to have been first tried during the Han Dynasty of China between 206 B.C. and 220 A.D., it has been recognized for both its aesthetic and practical purposes. It also was a huge technological advancement, giving people the ability to print literature and art in a cheaper way. This made art more accessible to the lower class, influencing the rate at which culture moved and developed. Printmaking paved the way for mass printing, lithography, intaglio, and other print based art forms. While the rise of digital printing has made the art form less relied upon, the scene has grown to produce more visual art. The link below provides a more full overview of the eras of printmaking and the impacts on modern practices. Come see some modern adaptations of this ancient practice at the Schneider Museum of Art’s winter exhibition Pushing the Press.

https://www.tribecaprintworks.com/history-of-printmaking/

Dennis McNett

Owner of Wolfbat Studios, Dennis McNett graduated from Pratt Institute in 2004 with an MFA degree. He went on to teach there until 2012. With his work shown both nationally and internationally at prestigious and high scale institutions, McNett’s work can also be found in windows of Antihero skate shops and murals decorating the streets of New York City, Philadelphia, and Richmond. Linked below is McNett’s website for Wolfbat Studios, showcasing some of the art he has produced over the years. Come see some of his dynamic, graphic prints for yourself in Pushing the Press at the Schneider Museum of Art.

http://wolfbat.com/

Kathryn Polk

Best known for her work with the lithograph, Kathryn Polk uses her Southern upbringing as inspiration for her work. Born in Memphis, Tennessee, she studied Fine Art at the now Memphis College of Art and University of Memphis. Her prints largely focus on women and the expectations on them within the household, shedding light on the often untold stories of domesticity, labor, and sacrifice of homemakers. With bold motifs and a distinct art style, Polk’s work leaves every line up for interpretation. Learn more about her in the link below, and come see some of her work at the Schneider Museum of Art in Pushing the Press.

https://www.instagram.com/onechair

The Schneider Museum of Art is located within the ancestral homelands of the Shasta, Takelma, and Latgawa peoples who lived here since time immemorial. These Tribes were displaced during rapid Euro-American colonization, the Gold Rush, and armed conflict between 1851 and 1856. In the 1850s, discovery of gold and settlement brought thousands of Euro-Americans to their lands, leading to warfare, epidemics, starvation, and villages being burned. In 1853 the first of several treaties were signed, confederating these Tribes and others together – who would then be referred to as the Rogue River Tribe. These treaties ceded most of their homelands to the United States, and in return they were guaranteed a permanent homeland reserved for them. At the end of the Rogue River Wars in 1856, these Tribes and many other Tribes from western Oregon were removed to the Siletz Reservation and the Grand Ronde Reservation. Today, the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon (https://www.grandronde.org) and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians (http://www.ctsi.nsn.us/) are living descendants of the Takelma, Shasta, and Latgawa peoples of this area. We encourage you to learn about the land you reside on, and to join us in advocating for the inherent sovereignty of Indigenous people.

History of Printmaking

Dennis McNett

Kathryn Polk

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