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| American Printmakers Society | |
|---|---|
| Name | American Printmakers Society |
| Formation | 20th century |
| Type | Arts nonprofit |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Region served | United States, international |
| Membership | Artists, collectors, institutions |
American Printmakers Society The American Printmakers Society is a United States–based nonprofit arts organization dedicated to the practice, preservation, and promotion of printmaking. Founded in the 20th century, the Society has connected practicing artists, academic programs, museums, galleries, and collectors through exhibitions, publications, workshops, and juried awards. Its activities intersect with major art institutions and cultural movements, fostering dialogue among makers associated with studios, universities, and civic arts initiatives.
The Society emerged amid shifting 20th-century arts networks linked to institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bibliothèque nationale de France, and regional centers like the Walker Art Center and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Early membership and leadership included practitioners trained at schools such as School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Yale School of Art, Rhode Island School of Design, and Royal College of Art. It operated alongside movements associated with figures represented in collections of the Art Institute of Chicago, Tate Modern, and National Gallery of Art. During mid-century expansions the Society collaborated with workshops and presses connected to names like Tamarind Institute, UCLA Hammer Museum, University of Iowa School of Art, and Cranbrook Academy of Art. Conferences and symposia were held in cities such as New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, and Philadelphia.
The Society’s mission emphasizes advocacy for printmaking media among institutions such as the Smithsonian Institution, Getty Research Institute, Morgan Library & Museum, and regional art councils. Its organizational structure typically includes a board composed of curators from the Whitney Museum of American Art, directors from nonprofit galleries, faculty from institutions like Columbia University School of the Arts and Pratt Institute, and studio leaders connected to workshops such as Cleveland Institute of Art and Corcoran School of the Arts and Design. Committees coordinate exhibitions, juries, publications, and educational programs with partnerships involving foundations like the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.
Membership spans professional printmakers, emerging artists, student affiliates, collectors, and institutional representatives from museums including the National Portrait Gallery, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Brooklyn Museum, Philadelphia Museum of Art, and university galleries. Notable members and affiliated artists have included individuals whose careers intersect with institutions such as Guggenheim Museum, Stedelijk Museum, Walker Evans Archive, Brooklyn Academy of Music, and the Metropolitan Opera for collaborative projects. Educators and studio directors associated with the Society have held posts at Indiana University Bloomington, SUNY Purchase, University of Michigan School of Art & Design, and Texas Christian University. Curators and critics from outlets like Artforum, Art in America, The New Yorker, and The New York Times have participated in juries and catalog essays.
The Society runs annual conferences, juried salons, traveling exhibitions, and residency exchanges linked to print workshops such as P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center, LaMaMa Experimental Theatre Club collaborations, and artist residencies at centers like Yaddo and MacDowell. It administers studio exchanges with international partners including the British Council, Goethe-Institut, Japan Foundation, and institutions in cities such as Berlin, Tokyo, Paris, and Mexico City. Workshops have featured master printmakers who have taught at Cooper Union, Parsons School of Design, Carnegie Mellon University, and the University of California, Berkeley. Public programs include panel discussions with curators from the National Gallery, London, symposiums in partnership with the Council on Foreign Relations cultural initiatives, and community print events with municipal arts offices.
The Society curates thematic exhibitions showcased at venues like the National Arts Club, Brooklyn Academy of Music, regional museums, and university galleries including Duke University Museum of Art and University of Texas at Austin. Catalogs and periodicals produced by the organization have featured essays by scholars connected to the Frick Collection, Courtauld Institute of Art, Royal Academy of Arts, and critics from The Guardian and Los Angeles Times. Monographic catalogs have profiled artists whose work appears in the collections of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Cleveland Museum of Art, Detroit Institute of Arts, Denver Art Museum, and San Diego Museum of Art.
Instructional programs cover techniques such as intaglio, relief, lithography, screenprint, and digital print practices taught by faculty from Princeton University, Brown University, University of Pennsylvania, and conservators from the Getty Conservation Institute. The Society’s outreach includes collaborations with public school arts programs administered by boards like the New York City Department of Education and community arts organizations such as Community Arts Partnership and Alliance for Young Artists & Writers. It also partners with conservation labs at institutions such as the British Library and National Archives to promote preservation of printed works.
The Society administers juried awards, fellowships, and purchase prizes supported by patrons and foundations including the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Lannan Foundation, and corporate sponsors. Recipients have been featured in major museum acquisitions at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Tate, and honored by municipal arts commissions in cities like San Francisco, Chicago, Seattle, and Houston. The Society’s prizes often lead to solo exhibitions at regional institutions and scholarly recognition from academic presses and university departments across the United States.
Category:Arts organizations in the United States