Printmaking in America : collaborative prints and presses, 1960-1990 /

This is a hardcover catalog to an exhibition. There are 101 high-quality color plates printed, one to a page, on coated stock, along with essays by David Mickenberg, Joann Moser, Trudy V. Hansen, and Barry Walker on recent history of collaboration between artists and print studios. There are extensive endnotes and an excellent three-part bibliography on contemporary printmaking (part 1), printmaking workshops (part 2), and artists in the exhibition (part 3). The endnotes and bibliography will be helpful to anyone conducting research into collaborative prints and presses in the US over the past 35 years. In the endnotes to the Hansen essay, the reader will find a list of museums and universities around the country that house archives of collaborative presses. Related content is presented in The Contemporary Lithographic Workshop Around the World, by Michael Knigin and Murray Zimiles (1974), and in numerous other books/catalogs on individual print studios such as Gemini G.E.L., Tamarind, Landfall, ULAE, and Tyler Graphics. But this book adds an important inclusive dimension and a good broad historical background that extends and complements the specificity of these other texts. The essays are easy to read and written for the general reader, but the information is of interest primarily to art students (undergraduate and graduate) and professionals. C. Stroh; Kansas State University

Curators Hansen, Joann Moser, David Mickenberg, and Barry Walker chronicle the growth of American printmaking from early utilitarian works through the establishment of printmaking as a fine art. The work describes developments in technique but more importantly addresses the complex, cooperative process that was born in innovative printshops such as the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles. Mickenberg's chapter on nonprofit and university-affiliated workshops provides refreshing insight into how the financial support of large foundations helped found the nonprofit printshops. Not only did such workshops pool the talents of printmakers, but they helped create new markets for what had previously been considered a dying art. The authors also attribute the rebirth of printmaking in the United States to several women and minority artists and printers; however, the most recognized prints, created by the likes of Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein, have not been overlooked. The large, full-color plates have been grouped at the back of the book and therefore can easily be viewed apart from the text. As a complement to the many printmaking technique books available (e.g., The Encyclopedia of Printmaking Techniques, LJ 10/15/93), this work is highly recommended for all fine arts collections.‘Julie C. Boehning, "Library Journal" (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.