It’s there.” Her methods consist of printmaking and other mixed-media, collage elements. Some of it’s insidious, some of it’s innocuous, some of it’s invisible. Mutu says, “A lot of my work reflects the incredible influence that America has had on contemporary African culture. Her work is influenced by race, gender, art history, and personal identity. Wangechi Mutu is a Kenyan-American artist whose work focuses on the stereotyped images and cultural bias of African women. Elizabeth Catlett – Sharecropper, 1952 2. As the granddaughter of slaves who raised her, the themes of slavery, Black culture, and women are often depicted in her work. While attending the University of Iowa, her painting teacher, Grant Wood, encouraged her to find inspiration from what she knew. She is often an artist we look to when teaching our students about linocuts and block printing. Elizabeth CatlettĮlizabeth Catlett’s powerful work is well known. 9 Printmakers You and Your Students Will Love 1. Remember, it is always important to investigate the work to ensure the messages and artwork are age-appropriate for your students. When planning for your next printmaking lesson, you may consider sharing these artists with your students.

Below is a list of nine printmakers who utilize various techniques and subject matter in their work. While many printmakers use their voice to send political messages and awareness to certain issues, not all printmakers focus on activism as their main message. This fits hand-in-hand with art related to activism and propaganda because of the opportunity to bring awareness to many people.Īn Inspired and Simple Printmaking Lesson for All Levels Before the modern-day printer, printmaking was viewed (and still is) as an easy way to mass-produce an image and message. Printmaking has long been the vehicle to spread ideas, share messages, start a conversation, and effect change. When exploring printmaking techniques with our students, it’s not uncommon to encounter powerful messages around the themes of social justice, social issues, and activism. Let’s take a look at a few ways this exciting process can make its way into your classroom! Printmaking and Activism This is just a glimpse of printmaking history.

In the early 20th century, screenprinting was invented and popularized by Pop artists like Andy Warhol, Peter Blake, and Robert Rauschenberg. The creation of the aquatint method and lithographs would come in the late 1700s through the mid-1800s. By 1477 Flemish artists produced the first intaglio printing, and by the 1660s, the Germans invented the mezzotint process. While it wasn’t the first book ever printed, he would infamously print the Gutenberg Bible.ĭifferent printmaking techniques evolved from there. Johannes Gutenberg invented the first printing press with movable type in the 1440s-50s.

By printing with woodblocks, books were produced for the first time. In 1423, printmaking made its way to Europe. The first instance of woodblock printing came from China in 868 when creating the Diamond Sutra book. The art of printmaking has a lengthy history. Whether you are exploring basic printing techniques with your elementary students or advanced processes with secondary students, there is something for everyone to learn. Printmaking has been around for centuries and is still prevalent in the modern-day classroom.

African american minimalist artists