Dr Helen Smith- Valuing the Social Qualities of Printmaking
Dr. Helen Smith- Visual artist with a studio in North Shields www.helensmith.co.uk and Lecturer in Printmaking at University of Sunderland, UK.
‘Community activism is an important aspect of my participatory social practice; seeking out opportunities for long-term, creative relationships as a method of making public the shared cultural interests and concerns of communities.
A recent example is ‘Tyne & Wear Music/Youth Collectivism’ Tyne & Wear Music / Youth Collectivism from the 1980s and beyond… — Newcastle Contemporary Art (visitnca.com)
Although music is the primary artform of this research I noticed the role of zines in how these young musicians connected with other Punk communities throughout the UK. I love the immediacy of this art form. It is the ultimate in DIY – affordable and easy to reproduce, but full of skill and a visual language that became an important element of Punk aesthetic. Listening to how they were made collectively by drawing, collage, photocopying, cutting and glueing reminded me of the printmaking students I teach. Sitting together while they carve lino, or make separations for screenprints, they work, for hours at a time, while they listen to music and chat. Printmaking, it seems has social and aesthetic value. I am curious to know if other printmaker/researchers have noticed this too.
What value might we place on the social qualities of printmaking?
How might these characteristics generate change in participants and their communities?
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