The Association of Print Scholars (APS) is currently accepting applications for the second of its two-part series of intensive hands-on printmaking workshops for emerging scholars and curators, which is generously funded by The Getty Foundation’s initiative, The Paper Project: Prints and Drawings Curatorship in the 21st Century. This five-day workshop will be dedicated to intaglio techniques (etching, drypoint, engraving) and will be hosted in Minneapolis, MN, in partnership with the Highpoint Center for Printmaking and the Minneapolis Institute of Art.
A thorough comprehension of various printmaking methods is critical to producing scholarship and exhibitions on these media. Yet, many early-career print curators and scholars lack such practical experience as they embark on their careers due to competing professional and academic demands that make it difficult to enroll in a semester-long printmaking course. With the technical intricacies of printmaking difficult to grasp through text alone, an intensive workshop provides an invaluable technical and material knowledge of printmaking that will not only contribute to, but also enhance, a print curator and scholar’s understanding of a work’s content, intention, and aesthetic. The aim of this workshop is to further prepare participants to better communicate these complex techniques in an accessible language to a general museum audience and contribute new personal insight to the field.
Ten early-career curators and scholars will be selected to participate in the workshop, which will be held in Minneapolis, MN, between July 24 and July 28, 2023. The intensive program will include a visit to MIA’s Herschel V. Jones Print Study Room to examine a selection of intaglio prints from the museum’s collection. Participants will also engage in hands-on work in drypoint, engraving, and etching at the Highpoint Center studio as well as explore the Highpoint’s facilities, library, galleries, and print room. A day will be devoted to print identification, including a second visit to MIA's Study Room to scrutinize variant intaglio techniques (aquatint, mezzotint, etc.). The workshop will conclude with Highpoint staff leading demonstrations of other intaglio techniques as informed by participant projects and a final seminar and reflection led by APS organizers.
Applications to the workshop are open to candidates who have a graduate degree (or equivalent experience), but must be within 10 years of receiving their terminal degree.
Preference will be given to early-career curatorial professionals (curators, curatorial or research assistants/associates, postdoctoral fellows), although advanced graduate students and independent scholars with a long-held demonstrated interest in printmaking and curatorial practice will also be considered.
APS is committed to supporting the professional development of a diverse and inclusive community within the field of print scholarship and strongly encourages candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.
Travel, accommodation, and meal expenses will be covered.
To apply, please submit the following documents via an online application form (https://printscholars.formstack.com/forms/aps_getty_workshop_2023), which requires:
- A brief statement (500 words max.) describing your research and how it would be enriched by a workshop on intaglio techniques,
- A current CV or resume,
- One letter of reference (sent directly to workshopsprintscholars.org).
Please note that for full consideration, all materials, including the reference letter, must be received by the workshop organizers no later than November 1, 2022.
Successful applicants will be notified by December 1, 2022.
The workshop will be organized and led by current APS President, Dr. Elisa Germán, and APS Workshop Coordinator, Dr. Sarah Bane.
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About the Association of Print Scholars:
The Association of Print Scholars (APS) is a non-profit organization that encourages innovative and interdisciplinary approaches to the history and practice of printmaking. It aims to promote the dissemination of print scholarship and to facilitate dialogue and community among its members. It sponsors collaboration and publication grants, as well as article prizes for emerging scholars, and hosts public programs on printmaking throughout the year. APS hopes to bring together the diverse print community of curators, collectors, academics, artists, conservators, critics, independent scholars, dealers, and graduate students. Membership is open to anyone.
About the Getty Foundation:
The Getty Foundation fulfills the philanthropic mission of the Getty Trust by supporting individuals and institutions committed to advancing the greater understanding and preservation of the visual arts in Los Angeles and throughout the world. Through strategic grants initiatives, it strengthens art history as a global discipline, promotes the interdisciplinary practice of conservation, increases access to museum and archival collections, and develops current and future leaders in the visual arts. The Getty Foundation carries out its work in collaboration with the other Getty Programs to ensure that they individually and collectively achieve maximum effect.
These workshops are made possible with support from the Getty Foundation through its Paper Project initiative.
Reference:
CFP: Printmaking for Curators and Scholars (Minneapolis, 24–28 Jul 23). In: ArtHist.net, Oct 3, 2022 (accessed Apr 22, 2025), <https://arthist.net/archive/37573>.