Printmaking – Island Press – Meet the Printer

Island Press is a research-based printmaking workshop and publisher committed to education and innovation in contemporary print editions and artist projects. Visiting artists work side by side with the master printer and students in the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis. The result is high quality print editions of technical complexity created in a unique setting where artists and students share skill sets and ideas.

Island Press is a project-driven press, tapping into the place where the artist’s creative research intersects with the all of the possibilities of the print studio. Experimentation with new modes and technologies is a natural part of this, resulting in the creation of original works in a wide range of media including but not limited to etching, lithography, relief, collagraph, silkscreen, and monotype.

Island Press brings in only two or three artists per year for one-week residencies that are woven into the curriculum and life of the Sam Fox School. Artists reap the benefits of dedicated, energetic student assistants to help push to new levels of complexity and originality in their projects. At the same time, undergraduates and graduates gain access and insight into both the technical and conceptual challenges that make each artist’s project unique.

Recent featured artists at Island Press have included Radcliffe Bailey, Chakaia Booker, Squeak Carnwath, Willie Cole, Chris Duncan, Tom Friedman, Ann Hamilton, Trenton Doyle Hancock, Nina Katchadourian, Shaun O’Dell, and James Siena. 

Island Press was founded in 1978. Past visiting artists include Hung Liu, Jaune Quick-To-See-Smith, Joyce Scott, Juan Sanchez, Nick Cave, and many other great artists.

Island Press staff:

Lisa Bulawsky, Director
Lisa Bulawsky is the current director of Island. She is an associate professor and coordinator of the Printmaking area in the College of Art where she has taught since 1996. She is widely recognized for her work in print media spanning installation, works on paper, and temporary public art. Her exhibitions include IPCNY, the Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Dalarnas Museum in Sweden. Lisa’s work in mixed media monoprint is featured in the book, Printmaking: A Complete Guide to Materials & Processes by Grabowski and Fick, and her work in the public sphere is recognized in Printmaking at the Edge, by Richard Noyce, 2006. Lisa received her BA from the UC Santa Cruz and her MFA with honors in 1995 from the University of Kansas. 

Tom Reed, Master Printer
Tom Reed is the master printer at Island Press, and comes from Landfall Press in Chicago, where he served as an intaglio printer with Jack Lemon. A practicing artist, his work has been the focal point of several solo and group exhibitions. He received his MFA from the University of Iowa.