NCC Hosts Climate Imprints and Selected Works from the Robert Blackburn
Printmaking Workshop Archive
BETHLEHEM, PA – Northampton Community College (NCC) is pleased to present two concurrent exhibitions organized in collaboration with the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop at the Elizabeth Foundation in New York City. The exhibitions, Climate Imprints and Selected Works from the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Archive, will be featured on Bethlehem campus in the Communications Hall Gallery until December 5. Meet two of the curators featured, Chakaia Booker and Justin Sanz, and see the exhibition at the reception on Thursday, November 20, 4 – 6 p.m.
On Friday, November 21, while the exhibitions are on-view, join NCC for a small-group workshop in the Communications Hall Room 121 print studio with Sanz and Booker. Featuring the printmaking technique, collagraphy, this workshop will take participants through building their own printing plates and then making prints using NCC’s intaglio presses. There will be a morning session from 9 a.m. – 12 p.m. and an afternoon session from 1 – 4 p.m. Sign-up is required here as space is limited to 20 participants per session. Each participant is limited to one session.
Climate Imprints features works by Rie Hasegawa, John Andrews, Sarah Sears, Essye Klempner, Ethan Tate, Anna Fiacco, Tara Sabharwal, Chakaia Booker, Justin Sanz, Edward Fausty, Yasuyo Tanaka and Shervone Neckles and is curated by Chakaia Booker, Tara Sabharwal and Justin Sanz. Selected Works from the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Archive features works by Elizabeth Catlett, Robert Blackburn, Seung-min Lee, Chakaia Booker, Ayana Evans, Faith Ringgold, Juan Sanchez, Romare Bearden, Al Loving, Betye Saar, Devraj Dakoji, Maren Hassinger, Mel Edwards, Raque Ford, Robin Holder and Reuben Kadish.
Climate Imprints features works related to the increasingly evident signs of the destruction of our livable environment. Artists collectively reflect the culture and thoughts of a society, and printmaking has historically been a medium that reflects on pressing current events. In this exhibition, artists examine their responses to the climate crisis through various printmaking techniques.
The Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop at the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts in New York, NY was founded in the 1940s by Blackburn, an artist with the goal to create a space for other artists to learn to make prints regardless of financial access and technical abilities. According to their mission, “It is with this spirit of openness and inclusion that Robert Blackburn’s vision of sustaining this welcoming, creative environment continues to serve as the backbone of the workshop today.” A broad range of emerging to highly established artists have made artwork at the RBPW. This exhibition showcases this breadth of reach the workshop has had by highlighting works made at the RBPW from the printshop’s archive.
The Communications Hall Gallery at NCC Bethlehem campus is open daily, 9 a.m. – 9 p.m. Learn more about The Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop: https://www.rbpmw-efanyc.org.
For questions contact Rachael Gorchov, rgorchov@northampton.edu or Jillian McLuhan, jmcluhan@northampton.edu.
About Northampton Community College
With an enduring commitment to the regional communities it serves and a focus on student success, Northampton Community College is an educational institution of extraordinary distinction, earning accolades at the state and national levels for innovative programs, outstanding faculty, and impressive student achievements. It counts among its successful alumni a four-time Pulitzer Prize winner and an Academy Award winning director, as well as a host of CEOs, presidents, and leaders of business and industry. Today, Northampton Community College has locations in Bethlehem, Southside Bethlehem, and Monroe County, serving 30,000 students annually from 53 counties, 42 countries, and 25 states. For more information or to apply, please visit northampton.edu. Follow NCC on LinkedIn, Instagram @NorthamptonCommCollege, TikTok @NorthamptonCC, and Facebook.
