EXPLORE PRINT MEDIA AT PNCA
OUR MFA IN PRINT MEDIA
THE PRINT MEDIA PROGRAM SUPPORTS THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY EXPLORATION OF A WIDE ARRAY OF TRADITIONAL AND EMERGING PRINTMAKING TECHNIQUES AND METHODOLOGIES.
From letterpress to 3D printing, students have the opportunity to experiment with different technology as they discover their creative voices.
Throughout their time in the program, students engage in both individual and collaborative work. We encourage experimentation, challenging students to push the limits of what a print can be and how print media can impact the world. This often involves engaging with the community, leading to deep ties and meaningful connections.
Focus on traditional printmaking techniques or combine printmaking with painting, video, installation, sculpture, performance, or any other artistic medium. Whether you aspire to create prints for the fine art or commercial spheres, our program will equip you with the skills and expertise needed to set yourself up for a successful printmaking career.
GILKEY CENTER FOR PRINTMAKING
Experience one of the largest and best-equipped academic printmaking studios in the country. The Gilkey Center for Printmaking supports a wide array of printmaking techniques, from the oldest approaches to the newest. Students have the opportunity to explore these varied techniques as they develop a unique printmaking style.
WATERSHED CENTER FOR FINE ART PUBLISHING AND
RESEARCH
The Watershed Center facilitates meaningful learning opportunities for students by inviting visiting artists, researchers, and professional printers to collaborate on projects and special editions. The Center also fosters community engagement by partnering with local organizations and nonprofits on printmaking projects. Through the Watershed Center students gain professional experience working with artists, galleries, and museums as well as working printmakers.
DUAL MA/MFA
Students in the dual degree program earn both an MFA in either Print Media or Visual Studies and an MA in Critical Studies in three years. By combining the academic skills of an MA with the rigorous creative practice of an MFA, students develop a well-rounded perspective on art and culture. Students learn to think critically about their work and the work of others and gain an understanding of the cultural, social, and historic context of contemporary art.
HALLIE
LABS, TOOLS & EQUIPMENT
• Letterpress and book arts lab with wood type, metal type, and polymer plate options
• Lithography stone and plate
• Exposure room and darkroom lab for multiple print processes
• Intaglio/relief presses with traditional aquatint box and ferric acid for copper plate etching
• Publication studio with multiple risograph machines
• Digital print studio with large format inkjet printers
• 3D printers
• Laser cutter
• Vinyl cutter
• Print archive
• Screenprinting stations with both traditional and vacuum tables
• Exposure unit
• Yardage/fabric printing table
• Paper making room
• Print publishing space
• 5x10 ft relief press
GLASS BUILDING
Housed in a former glass fabrication warehouse, our 3D workshops in the Glass Building include a woodshop, metals shop, soft sculpture studio, sewing room, and ceramics studio with glaze room and mold-making room.
STUDENT GALLERIES
Throughout the year, students mount public exhibitions of their work in student galleries, the Atrium, and the Commons in the main campus building, our dedicated graduate galleries in the Glass Building, and with community partners including PLACE gallery.
CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY LAB
The Lab offers opportunities to explore emerging technologies, augmented and virtual reality, (digital) fabrication and prototyping, creative coding, data science, systems-thinking, the internet of things and smart technologies, creative entrepreneurship, STEAM, and privacy and security.
JORDAN D. SCHNITZER EXHIBITION & VISITING ARTIST SERIES
EXPLORE THE VIBRANT WORLD OF CONTEMPORARY PRINTMAKING AS VISITING ARTISTS CONNECT WITH STUDENTS, ENHANCING EDUCATION AND CREATIVITY THROUGH ENGAGING LECTURES AND HANDS-ON EXPERIENCES.
During the annual curated exhibition of prints from the Jordan D. Schnitzer Family Foundation on campus, an artist with connection to the exhibit is invited to campus to engage with Print Media students. As a nonprofit, the Foundation promotes education and the accessibility of contemporary prints. Through lectures, studio visits, and collaborations, the artists present opportunities to enrich our students’ educations.
PROGRAM TRIPS
Through the Print Media program, aspiring printmakers have the opportunity to gain inspiration through travel. PNCA sponsors trips to international print conferences including SGC International, Mid America Print Council, Rocky Mountain Printmaking Alliance, and the NY Print Fair. These trips give Print Media students the chance to meet with professional printmakers, build their network, and gain industry insights.
FACULTY HIGHLIGHT
MATTHEW LETZELTER
Chair of MFA in Print Media Director of Watershed Center
Matthew Letzelter is a printmaker whose extensive experience and mastery of the craft offers students meaningful insights. His work explores printmaking through a variety of media including paper, paintings, and photography. He previously served as the Master Printer at Stinger Editions at Concordia University in Montréal, Quebec and has worked as a printer for Derrière L‘Étoile Studio, Petersburg Press, and Suitcase Press in New York City.
ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT
HARRY SCHNEIDER
Harry Schneider is a printmaker and educator who splits his time between Portland and San Francisco. Currently, he works as a printer at Mullowney Printing and frequently leads kite building workshops – a continuation of his thesis project. He has served as an artist-in-residence at LeLand Ironworks and has had work exhibited in IPCNY’s Edging Forward: New Prints 2018/Winter. He has also worked as an adjunct professor at San Francisco State University.
