Town and Gown: Printmaking as Agent of Discourse and Collaboration

In the current academic climate of prioritization, budget cuts, and program restructuring, printmaking and book arts programs often need to defend their missions, prove viability, and increase enrollment. This panel will focus on recruitment, retention, enrollment, and community engagement as vital components of the academic sphere. Printmaking and book arts are highly interdisciplinary art forms that frequently utilize techniques from other art disciplines and are well suited to cross-pollinate with other academic departments. This allows printmaking and book arts to be integrated into a variety of courses throughout multiple departments and often include team-taught classes, learning communities, and honors programs. These interdisciplinary partnerships positively impact art programs through increased enrollment, appreciation, involvement and overall visibility. Art departments can also use these partnerships to share valuable resources within a university including joint grants, multi-department funding, and a divided workload. Of equal importance, printmaking and book arts contain a history of collaboration and engagement with the public and we seek to continue this through active campus programming and events. Activities such as steamroller printing with area high schools and art centers, print carnivals, and visiting artists build positive community association and support for our programs and can also be used as a recruitment tool. Individual panelists will explore various ideas and strategies to engage freshman, promote campus and community involvement in the arts, and increase enrollment in printmaking/book arts programs