Printmaking Community Exchange Initiatives: Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) Ad Hoc Committee for Community Exchange

Members: Associate Professor Hannah Sanders and Instructor Blake Sanders of Southeast Missouri State University with committee chair Assistant Professor Joseph Velasquez of Florida Atlantic University

Ad Hoc Committee informally formed April 2019 at the SGCI conference in Dallas/Ft. Worth, officially sanctioned October 2019

Over $2,500 of internal grants written and received to fund this work (Grants Research and Funding Committee and Art & Design Faculty Research Award), which ultimately hopes to help evolve the academic conference model to one of service learning, with a paper planned to be written and published at the conclusion of the project in an academic journal.

The Universities and community print shops we are working with are the University of Puerto Rico Pierdas in San Juan; St. John’s School, a private art high school; Liga Estudiantes de Arte; University High School, Rio Piedras; Taller Malaquita, an all woman-run print shop and ceramics studio; Escuela de Artes Plasticas Diseno; and El Centro para el Grabado y los Artes del Libro.

3 Major Initiatives designed for Community Exchange:

…to purchase a new press for University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras

…to create a printmaking supply registry for 8 organizations (ranging from community to high school to university print shops) around San Juan

…to create a lecture/visiting artist/exhibition program for San Juan area institutions around the April 2020 SGCI Conference.

Leave a Press in Puerto Rico: Indiegogo Fundraising Campaign to purchase a new press for University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras

https://www.sgcinternational.org/lets-leave-a-press-in-puerto-rico/ or @lets_leave_a_press on Instagram

Fine art prints, tools, etc. donated from over 36 professional artists and print shops around the country ranging from $75 to over $1,800 in value as perks for the fundraising campaign. Perks added daily at 5pm EST

$11,000 of thee $15,000 goal reached along with additional funds amounting to approximately $1,700 on the SGCI website: https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/let-s-leave-a-press-in-puerto-rico#/

Printmaking Supply Registry

Use the sokindregistry.com site to create a printmaking tool/supply registry (like a wedding or baby registry but for supplies print shops in and around San Juan are in need of due to damage from Hurricane Maria, lack of funding, and the prohibitive shipping costs due to the Jones Act (1920) that adds extensive cost to all goods shipped to Puerto Rico.

Puertográfico Community Exchange

Call for Demo/Event Proposals: https://www.sgcinternational.org/puertografico-community-exchange-call-for-demo-event-proposals/