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Buy this Now: Prints and Consumerism _friday, march 12_14:30–16:00 (eastern us)_
In response to our ever-growing era of 2-day shipping, consumer immediacy and collective culture, this session will explore themes of prints in relation to contemporary consumerism. The multiplicity of print is inherently tied to consumerism and its history in the field of advertising and propaganda lends itself to manipulation, similar to the manipulation of a print matrix. The influence of the printed multiple has been impressed into our collective cultural subconscious for centuries, a legacy that includes Lautrec’s posters, Warhol’s “Brillo Boxes,” and Shepard Fairey’s OBEY campaigns. Whether you are starting your own print business, exploring high camp through printed art, or grappling with capitalism and systems of power, you too are most likely a participant in consumerism. This panel will feature talks from individual artists Olivia Fredricks, and Aubrey Roemer, as well as print shop collectives Grafik House and Tiny Splendor, which will delve into the nitty-gritty business of opening a collective shop and being an accessible staple to artistic communities. The session may include some intermittent “ad-breaks,” so stay tuned!
Zoe Brester-Pennings _Panel Chair_
MFA student, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Zoe Brester-Pennings is a first year Printmaking MFA student at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In 2018 she received her BFA with an emphasis in Printmaking from Sonoma State University graduating cum laude and with department distinction. Prior to starting her graduate studies, she worked as a part- time elementary school art instructor in her hometown of Healdsburg, California. Zoe’s work is interdisciplinary, working in print, sculpture, and video art. She has exhibited and shown works throughout central and Northern California. www.zoebp.xyz
Olivia Fredricks recent BFA graduate, University of Arkansas
"Selling Prints High and Low." I will discuss participation in multiple kinds of markets as an artist through the lens of my own practice. My work up to this point has been a mix of zines, commercial illustrations, works on paper, and installations. I am a printmaker who sells work in galleries, on social media, and at zine conventions. These different platforms come with their own particularities and pressures. It feels like my practice has been split between two different markets—fine art and inexpensive objects for mass consumption. Printmaking itself exists between the two ends of the continuum between “high” and “low” art. And while print has the potential to be democratic and accessible, it is only so through the efforts of individuals to ensure that a majority of people can access and afford the work. I am grappling with how to make work that intellectually and materially stimulates me while avoiding making art that only the rich can afford. From the huge disparity in price expectations to the type of work that gets noticed, there is a litany of elements to consider between these different art economies. I hope by sharing my observations in my own practice, I can connect to other artists who see themselves in a similar position.
Olivia Fredricks is a printmaker, zine-maker, and illustrator currently based out of Portland, Maine. She graduated from the University of Arkansas and then went on to an internship at Anderson Ranch Arts Center before taking a position as a studio technician and artist in residence at Maine College of Art. Her work has been exhibited at the Screenprint Biennial, IPCNY’s New Prints, and the Print Austin EXPO. She also participates in zine fairs and has work in numerous zine libraries and collections around the United States and abroad. www.oliviamfredricks.com
Emmett Merrill recent MFA graduate, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
"Grafik House." At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, artist collective and fine art print shop Grafik House took over a storefront in Downtown Saint Louis. Over the course of the following nine months, with little money and limited materials, we built a fully functioning print shop and developed an online personality and following. In this panel, I will discuss the collective experience of acquiring materials on a minimal budget while creating and selling affordable art online, self-branding utilizing multiple platforms, and surviving as independent artists outside of academia.
Emmett Merrill is an independent artist printmaker hailing from Kansas City, MO. His work uses lithography to explore topics including ghost stories, the American Highway system, and art history. He currently self-publishes his work at Downtown Saint Louis print shop, Grafik House, where he acts as Shop Manager. He received his BFA in printmaking from the Kansas City Art Institute and his MFA from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. His work is included in numerous public and private collections, including The China Printmaking Museum, The Sager Braudis Gallery, The Library of Congress and The Janet Turner Print Museum. www.evilprints.com/grafik-house
Aubrey Roemer PhD student (Anthropology), University of Tennessee, Knoxville
"Pitching Art Projects through Social Media" The age of the internet has allowed artists and entrepreneurs to leverage their social media presence to raise money for projects, causes, residencies, etc. There are those who create print editions and donate the proceeds for social justice, those who raise funds to make films, those who sell art or experiences to pay their creative way through life. This model of Kickstarter, GoFundme, Indiegogo, Patron, etc. gives agency to the individual artist to make their visions become a reality through digital campaigns.
Aubrey Roemer is a visual artist and academic whose work focuses on the intersection of art and archaeology. Currently, Roemer is a PhD student in Anthropology from the University of Tennessee, studying archaeology, specifically focusing on prehistoric cave art in the southeastern United States. She received her BFA and MFA degrees from Pratt Institute. Roemer has exhibited work nationally and internationally, including exhibitions at Guild Hall in East Hampton, the Piramal Art Museum in Mumbai, the Long Island Museum, Pratt Institute, the University of Vermont, Taiwan Children’s Museum, and more. Roemer has pursued a variety of creative projects for work; an Americorps Scholar; a journalist for Art Observed, specializing in covering the NYC auction season and was an Assistant Art Collaborator with NYU Tisch’s The Season Comedia Del’Arte in Florence, Italy. She has held residencies in the USA, Europe, and Asia: at Vermont Studio Center, in England at 42 Acres, and at Kio-a-Thau Sugar Refinery Artist Village in Taiwan. Roemer has received grants from Pratt Institute in 2017, COPE NYC in 2018 and 2019, Do Your Part & Paddlers For Humanity in 2016, World Connect in 2015, and ARTwerk in 2014.
Prior to pursuing her Ph.D., she completed projects in Greece volunteering with Desmos and Metadrasi during the Refugee Crisis, with La Isla Foundation addressing the CKDu epidemic in Nicaragua, and worked on environmental initiatives as the Oceans Care Director of Art and Communications in Indonesia. Recently, she illustrated and published her first children’s book with author Patrick Gilmour entitled The Flowerdrops. www.aubreyroemer.net
Max Stadnik & Sanaa Khan special guests, Tiny Splendor | Max's Garage Press
"Accessibility & Print." Our presentation will focus on the importance of opening up art and culture to more people and to more kinds of people. Using what you have and doing what you can to create space for what you want to see in the world. Embracing the look of commercialism and the technology involved. Feeding the fetish for the printed page in the virtual world.
Max Stadnik was born in San Francisco in 1987, founded Max's Garage Press in 2011 & Tiny Splendor Press in 2012. Currently operating presses in both Berkeley and Los Angeles CA, focused on printing and publishing while specializing in lithography and Risograph printing.
Sanaa Khan was born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, and now operates Max's Garage Press & Tiny Splendor Press. Sanaa is an illustrator and uses Risograph as an affordable and approachable vehicle for sharing and selling her work with the world. www.tinysplendor.com | www.maxsgaragepress.com