Print Exchanges

One of my favorite things about moving back into the arts world is discovering print exchanges.  While I have not done many, (I just completed my 4th last night), they are great and a no-brainer to participate in.  Not only do they get you working, they are a nice line on the CV, generally low in cost, and you get a stack of artwork in exchange for yours...as I said...a no brainer.


The image here is for an exchange put together by La Calaca Press with a Day of the Dead theme.  Click on the image to see other work from the exchange on work La Calaca's website.

Each group that puts an exchange together does it a little differently.  Many do not have an explicit theme like La Calaca's, and many have different sized prints and edition numbers.  The image above was 7x9, whereas the one I finished last night for the Printmaking Center of New Jersey is 11x11 and in an edition of 12.  PCNJ will keep 2 (one for their collection and one for the traveling show) while the other 10 are distributed randomly to other artists.  In turn for my twelve, I will get 10 prints back.

This past year, one of my former fellow students organized a print exchange of North Dakota printmakers with an edition size of 20ish and a size of like 11x17.  This series of prints is now traveling through North Dakota on the NDAGA circuit of galleries.  So, in these cases, not only did I get stack of wonderful prints, I got a significant traveling exhibition as well for my CV.  

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