Tucked away in the middle of the infamous Chelsea galleries this week was Printfest, one of the exhibitions taking part in Print Week. While the Chelsea galleries are usually occupied with art enthusiasts who come to view the latest exhibits, this weekend viewers were able to see the art of not just professional printers, but the work of students from 15 different schools in the city.
Located in the Robert Miller Gallery, multiple tables are set up for students selling their artwork. Above the walls behind them hang their proudest, most precise and clean prints for sale. Students sat eagerly as potential customers strolled past their tables, staring intently at illustrations and going through piles of prints.
“The school doesn’t help us with exposing our work,” said Sofia De la Parra, 20, a product design student at Parsons. “Everything and the marketing of the school revolves around the fashion program, which is great. They work really hard, but we also work really hard and we don’t get the same amount of resources.”
Advertisement for PrintFest was not distributed university wide, instead small posters were hung around the print shops at Parsons, students said.
A number of schools such as School of Visual Arts and Hunter College were provided with resources, like sleeves for prints and canvas bags to protect their work as they transferred them from the studio to the gallery. “I was actually asked and given the opportunity to bring my work here,” said Lizzy M., a student at SVA. “I’ve only been printing for a few months, but I actually didn’t seek the opportunity to sell my work. It was given to me.”
De la Parra, who is also one of the head students in charge of the Parsons print club, explained that the students had very little resources to put together their own table but a large amount of responsibility. “I’m very grateful that the school facilitated this gallery for us but we were in charge of collecting students works, protecting them, travelling with them, and putting them up for display,” De la Parra said. “It feels weird to have all these responsibilities as a student and very little support from the university.”
By the end of the festival on November 5th, the students will be in charge of cleaning up the space and taking back other students valuable work to school.
Prints ranged from multiple techniques such as silkscreening, lithography, and etching. The three day event hosted over 15 schools, two printmaking demos, and a panel discussion. While prints are typically made in sets, they were sold individually. Prices of pieces ranged from $10 to over $100.
“Unless the school proactively gives us more resources and opportunities, it’s our responsibility to seek out opportunity to sell,” Melissa Peralta, a student at Parsons said.
Photo courtesy of the International Print Center New York
