PRESSING MATTERS

This project was conceived of and founded by Erin Benay, esteemed public humanities and art history professor at Case Western Reserve University. In collaboration with Case, the pilot program launched in Spring of 2022. Benay designed and taught an interdisciplinary course wherein CWRU students developed curriculum to be used in the Summer 2022 Pressing Matters workshop. Open to advanced undergraduates and graduate students, this course contained elements of art history and the humanities, with one third of the class time spent at Zygote Press gaining hands-on printmaking experience. Case students simultaneously learned about Cleveland’s own history with printmaking and how the medium has interacted with politics and racial justice. The culmination of this course was a 72-page book, created entirely by CWRU students, which contextualized the project and laid out a curriculum for the summer workshop. 

The Summer 2022 Pressing Matters workshop took place at the Community Arts Center in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood over the course of seven weeks. Each week, participants met for a three-hour session that wove together the history of printmaking with printmaking skill development, supplemented by visits from guest artists who spoke about their use of art in effecting social change. Over the course of the summer, participants envisioned and created prints that depicted issues important to them, and put together a final exhibition that was open to the public. Proceeds from art sales went to nonprofits of the participants’ choosing. 

Cohort of up to 12 students from area schools will come to Zygote once a week for nine weeks of printmaking learning. Through hands-on workshops and mentorship, students will be introduced to working printmakers in the community, fostering meaningful connections and a deeper appreciation for the printmaking discipline. Sessions explore the overlap between printmaking, civic engagement, and humanities overlap, engaging students with the practice of printmaking alongside its history. Each session begins with a brief history lesson and discussion, followed by a talk from a visiting humanities professional or artist, and concludes with an art making activity. As a part of their experience, the cohort will also have the opportunity to visit the Cleveland Museum of Art for an exclusive viewing of its special collection of prints. Each student will received a stipend for the completion of the program as well as a opportunity to show your work in a gallery.