This week is filled with stellar things to do, if you’re in San Francisco (most weeks are…) Would you happen to be interested in printmaking? Artists’ books? Discovering artists who are working with ink, paper, and alternative printing techniques? Then look no further. The Southern Graphics Conference International kicks off this week.
SGCI is a national conference which rotates to different cities every year; SF is the lucky host for 2014. Over the course of four days, nearly one hundred different events, openings, and lectures will take place — something for everyone! I’m super-excited about a few specific events, so I thought I’d share those with RLD readers.
The Shift-lab Collective is comprised of five incredibly talented book artists; their latest show “Shift” is currently up at the SF Center for the Book. Each book in the exhibition can be handled; delicate colors, spot-on letterpress work, and thoughtful writing make each book sing. There will be a reception on Friday, March 28th from 7pm – 9pm.
Friend and colleague Macy Chadwick of In Cahoots Press left me a message last week: “I’m carving fog,” she explained, “and it’s really exciting!” If you live in San Francisco, you understand that fog is a unique component of city living, a phenomena that can’t easily be pinned down. Wanting to know more about this fog-carving, I pressed for photos (see above).
That’s how I found out about Span, Macy’s artist book collaboration with printmaker Carrie Ann Plank. As the name suggests, Span is a project about both bay bridges: the “new” one (which debuted last year) and the “old” one (which hasn’t been torn down yet). Both bridges link San Francisco to the east bay.
With multiple press runs and die cuts, this three dimensional beauty has all the surprise of a traditional pop up book and the craftsmanship inherent to top notch artists’ books. On March 29th, the public is invited to stop by and see Span “in process” – the presses will be rolling, many sets of hands will be sewing, and copies will be available for sale. Details can be found here.
The bay area has always been a safe haven for rubber stamp folks, regardless of which side of the fence you fall on (the cute vs. quirky battle still rages…) John Held Jr. has played an integral part in making the San Francisco mail art scene happen, ever since moving to the city in 1996. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of local rubber stamp lore and correspondence art history, he’ll be sharing that knowledge (along with a performance or two) at his “Rubber Stamping: Bay Area History and Applications” event at City College on Thursday, March 27th.
For a full listing of all SGCI events, head over and take a look at the schedule. The conference promises to be an action-packed four days of print, paper, and non-stop inspiration. Bringing together artists and printmakers from across the country, this a wonderful opportunity for the public to see world-class printmaking on display throughout the city.
–JH
PS: I have five artists’ books in the “Activate” exhibition, which opens tomorrow night at the Atelier Gallery (79 New Montgomery, Academy of Art University). Stop by and say hello if you get the chance — 6pm – 9pm!
So of course I know you love both sides of the stamp debate but which stamps do you tend to lean toward the cute or the quirky?
Miss Rose —
Quirky all the way! And in fact, the weirder the stamp, the better… 🙂
–JH