Print Courses

Printmaking courses at Wellesley present various methods of traditional hand printing with an eye towards the ongoing development of media culture. The central introductory print courses, ARTS 219 and 220, address entirely different techniques but consider similar questions, namely:

Why make images in a repeatable form?
What can images do when separated into layers or put together sequentially?
How might antique printing methods yield new insights and creative options?

Students are encouraged to relate graphic concepts to various modes of creative inquiry, including architectural design and media arts. Working in a lively, collaborative print studio helps students gain a deeper understanding of materials as well as the many ways that the creative process unfolds. We frequently host visiting artists who show examples of their prints, demonstrate processes, and conduct studio critiques. We make active use of the print collections on campus, including the Sherrill Print Collection in the Davis Museum and Special Collections in Clapp Library.

 
Course Descriptions

ARTS 219 Introductory Print Methods: Lithography / Monotype
This class explores planographic methods of making prints, i.e using chemical tensions on flat surfaces to generate repeatable images. Students learn the basics of stone lithography as well as newer adaptations, such as photo litho and polyester plate lithography, and photocopy transfers. Several projects explore multiple color printing, digital/photo manipulation, and monotype (one of a kind) printing.

ARTS 220 Introductory Print Methods: Intaglio / Relief
This class explores the way that high, low and textural surfaces may be used to generate repeatable images. Students make multiple color relief prints from linoleum and/or wood blocks, and learn basics techniques of copper plate etching and drypoint. Some projects involve photo/digital manipulation as well as photopolymer and collagraph (collage) plates.

NOTE:
Students must complete ARTS 105 (Drawing I) or ARTS109 (Two Dimensional Design) before taking the more specialized print courses. Those interested in MFA programs in printmaking are encouraged to elect ARTS 219 and 220 before graduation, but only one is required before taking ARTS 322.

ARTS 322 Advanced Print Concepts
Offered every third semester, this studio encourages advanced students to share a sustained creative dialogue while pursuing semi-independent projects in the print studio. Our readings, discussions and projects consider issues of photo mechanical and digital reproduction, as well as the use of multiplicity, appropriation, and reciprocity in contemporary art. Many ARTS322 students pursue interdisciplinary projects, including handmade books, installations, collaborative works and digital projects. A portion of the semester is devoted to professional engagement beyond Wellesley, such as attending a printmaking conference or the NYC print fair, organizing a print exhibition, and/or corresponding with professional artists in the field. Students with extensive photography, book arts, or digital imaging experience may be admitted to ARTS322 through a portfolio review.

ARTS 350 Independent Study in Printmaking
Students who have demonstrated strong aptitude and creative momentum in at least two Wellesley print courses may pursue a semester of independent research in the print studio. Selections from this body of work are presented at the Ruhlman Conference at the end of the Spring term.

ARTS 360/370 Senior Thesis project in Printmaking
Advanced print students who qualify for honors in the studio major may propose a senior thesis project using the print studio. A studio thesis project includes a formal paper as well as a full year of self directed studio research developed in consultation with an advisor and critiqued by the full studio art faculty. This two-unit investigation culminates in a thesis exhibition in the Jewett Arts Center Galleries and is reviewed by an orals committee of four Wellesley professors.

 
Related Offerings

ARTS 107 The History and Art of the Book
This half-credit course introduces the creative possibilities of ancient craft and contemporary art in book form. Lectures and discussions explore Wellesley’s Special Collections, providing a historical context for studio exploration. In the Library’s Book Arts Lab, students learn to set type by hand and print on hand presses, creating limited edition broadsides and artists’ books.
Co-taught in Clapp Library by Ruth Rogers, Special Collections Librarian and Katherine McCanless Ruffin, Book Arts Program Director

ARTS 109 Two-Dimensional Design
A foundation for many visual majors, this course focuses on the issue of composition in two-dimensional imagery. It examines the elements of design (e.g. line, shape, value, space, color) and their function in the process of composition. Weekly studio projects emphasize formal problem-solving skills as a means of achieving more effective visual communication. Students use digital media and work in the print studio to solve certain problems. When offered in the summer, this course is taught in the Book Arts Lab of Clapp library. Offered every semester.
Reponsibility for this class rotates between members of the studio art faculty.

ARTS 221 Digital Imaging
This course is an introduction to artistic production through electronic imaging, manipulation, and design. Emphasis is on expression, continuity and sequential structuring of visuals through the integration of image, type, and graphic motion. Hands on production techniques of image capturing, lighting and processing are explored in conjunction with digital print and screen output methods. Lectures and screenings of historic and contemporary uses of technology provide a background and context for the coursework. Offered every year.
Taught in the Jewett Media Lab by David Teng-Olsen, Visiting Lecturer in Studio Art

ARTS 222 Book Arts Studio II
This summer course explores the relationship between text and image through relief printing techniques and innovative book structures. Studio projects l include the production of limited edition artist’s books that focus on the interplay of two and three dimensions in the book form. Emphasis is placed on creative problem solving within the limitation of technology, and on the importance of the act of revision. Class sessions in the Papermaking Studio and Special collections augment intensive studio work in Clapp Library’s Book Arts Lab.
Taught by Katherine McCanless Ruffin, Book Arts Program Director

EXTD 240 Papyrus to Print to Pixel
The electronic revolution wasn’t the first: written communication changed radically from the papyrus rolls of the ancient Greeks and Romans to the codex manuscripts of the Middle Ages, again with the invention of printing from moveable type, again with the development of industrial, mass-market, low cost printing and the paperback, and again with the development of electronic texts. Through lectures, discussions, and weekly studio labs, this course examines how previous and contemporary revolutions in the technology of written communication have affected society, from religion to economics to politics. Assignments involve the use of Special Collections, the Book Arts Lab, the Knapp Media Center and field trips. Weekly labs include making papyrus, an illuminated manuscript on parchment, rag paper, typesetting, letterpress printing, and a digital design project.
Co-taught by Ruth Rogers, Special Collections Librarian and Katherine McCanless Ruffin, Book Arts Program Director

ARTH 305 Seminar: History of Prints: New Media of the Renaissance
A history of printed imagery in early modern Europe, offered in conjunction with the spring 2008 Davis Museum and Cultural Center exhibition, “Grand Scale: Monumental Prints in the Age of Dürer and Titian”. The focus of ARTH 305 shifts each time it is offered, but always centers upon a special topic in Print History.
Taught in the Davis Museum by Elizabeth Wyckoff, Curator of Prints and Drawings

ARTS 317 Studio Seminar: Special Topics
This intermedia seminar provides an opportunity for juniors and seniors from a variety of studio majors to participate in a sustained creative dialogue while pursing advanced projects. Although ARTS 317 is based upon a topic rather than medium, it is nonetheless run as a studio, integrating hands-on creative work with readings, field trips, interactions with visiting artists, and opportunities for personal reflection. Students with comprehensive printmaking background are encouraged to use the print studio as part of their work for ARTS 317.
This seminar rotates between members of the studio art faculty. A new topic is announced each year.

 
Non-credit workshops and open studio events

Thanks to a specially endowed program in the Art department and support from the Friends of the Library, a variety of short, non-credit workshops are available each semester, often covering topics in book binding, letterpress printing and papermaking. These events are free and open to all members of the Wellesley College community. Upcoming workshops and special events with visiting artists are announced throughout the year through electronic distribution lists and by posting on “Community,” “Art” and other First-Class® conferences.

Extracurricular Workshops in the Book Arts