Funds For A New Community Printmaking Studio!

My name is Brandie Grogan. I am an artist who works in printmaking, sculpture and installation art and I have over 20 years of university teaching experience. My work is included in both private and public collections including the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts, the Brooklyn Art Library, Guanlan Print Art Museum the Museum of Contemporary Art Jacksonville.

The landscape of higher education has shifted. The gradual elimination of full-time and tenured instructors has been replaced with part-time, contracted, adjunct roles. When I started my teaching career 40% of teachers were adjunct. It is now at 74%. This has left many educators with years of knowledge and experience in their field pivoting in new directions.

I have decided to launch a new venture and would like to open a community-centered printmaking studio with two fellow colleagues based in the Santa Cruz, California area.

Our mission is to give artists and art lovers alike a place to expand their knowledge of the print medium. We will offer classes open to the public based on traditional and experimental print techniques.

The art of printmaking involves the use of large equipment like printmaking presses, oversize table surfaces for printing, drying racks, a darkroom and exposure unit for silkscreen as well as a deep utility sink. This makes working in printmaking tough for most people who don't have access to the specialized equipment.

This new studio would serve as a workplace for beginning, emerging and professional artists that would offer the space, equipment and tools needed to continue developing their personal work. Courses will also be offered in all levels of printmaking including intaglio, monotype, lithography, silkscreen and relief printing.

We have made arrangements for the purchase of several pieces of equipment from a local university.

-Conrad Lithography Press

-American French Tool Etching Press

-Silkscreen Exposure Unit

-Oversize Drying Rack for Large Prints

Studio buildout will include:

-Oversize Work Tables

-Deep Utility Sink and Pressure Washer

We hope to raise funds that will allow us to purchase some of the equipment to get our studio started. This will include the equipment listed above as well as transport costs for the oversized machines.

I want to thank you for reading and considering a donation for a great cause in arts and education! We hope to create a studio that supports artistic development and creativity in a collaborative environment open to all.

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