Taking place over 6 weeks in autumn/winter 2021 starting from 6 October, ‘The Art of Printmaking’ produced by Edinburgh Printmakers reflects back on our exhibitions programme during the summer festival period, and ahead to our forthcoming programming.
This series will run on Wednesdays at 5pm each week. A series of online conversations, each artist will discuss the impetus for their work and the technical production processes underpinning the printing of the works at Edinburgh Printmakers studio at Castle Mills. They will reflect on the role of printmaking within their exhibition and wider practice in dialogue with some of Scotland’s most experienced curators and producers and Edinburgh Printmaker’s newly appointed chief executive Janet Archer.
The series will close with an in depth insight into the role EP’s studio plays in supporting different types of printmakers. This first instalment of the series spans work produced via processes including screenprinting, embossing, lithography, and digital prints. These hour-long conversations will be moderated, and following the artists’ presentations opened up to audience questions.
SPEAKER BIOGRAPHIES
Janet Archer was recently appointed Chief Executive for Edinburgh Printmakers. Prior to taking up this role she was Executive Producer for The New Real and Director of Festivals, Cultural and City Events (2019-21) at the University of Edinburgh. Her roles included producing AWEN, a self- guided climate walk with the Edinburgh Science Festival and Edinburgh Culture Conversations which brought artists, academics and cultural leaders together to discuss how culture can contribute to society during Covid-19. Before joining the University, Janet was Chief Executive of Creative Scotland [2013-2018]. She was Director, Dance for Arts Council England (2007-2013), working as part of the national Arts Strategy team from a dual base in London and Newcastle. She produced State of the Arts: Artists Shaping the World 2010, a national symposium for the arts attended by artists and key cultural leaders. Her career includes a 16-year period as CEO and Artistic Director for Dance City, the National Dance Agency, where she developed an £7.6m capital project with Malcolm Fraser Architects from Edinburgh, which opened in 2005. Board membership includes The Work Room, Audiences North East, Phoenix Dance Theatre, the Saltire Society Trust, balletLORENT and Ionad Hiort - St Kilda Centre advisory board. Janet studied in theatre and dance at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff followed by the Rambert Academy and London School of Contemporary Dance. Her family background is from Allahabad (Prayagraj) in India, Dumfries and Galloway, and Derby in England. She has worked internationally for much of her working life, forging producing and project partnerships across Europe and more widely.
Alastair Clark is the Studio Director at Edinburgh Printmakers, having worked for the organisation since 1992. His role involves working collaboratively with artists, initiating projects and assisting each artist in the generation of their image, he also editions their work as part of the Edinburgh Printmakers print publishing programme. He has worked as lithography specialist, collaborating with artists and producing all Edinburgh Printmakers published lithographs for the past fifteen years. Teaching stone and plate lithography courses, alongside digital imaging courses, he previously taught printmaking at Edinburgh College of Art. Alastair trained in drawing and painting at Edinburgh College of Art working with mixed-media and printmaking. He became increasingly involved in the medium of printmaking and in 1995 went on to train at the Tamarind Institute of Lithography, New Mexico. He exhibits widely and is a professional member of The Society of Scottish Artists. He is currently working with Victoria Crowe on a new print.
