The Printmaking Department at SRISA offers one of the best-equipped and most comprehensive print facilities in Italy. Students can access technical options including Relief Printing, Etching, Photo-mechanical Processes, Oil and Water-based Mono-printing, Letterpress, Bookbinding, Papermaking, and Digital Technology.
The classes at SRISA incorporate a variety of mediums, allowing students to explore crossover techniques that involve using multiple processes. Our printmaking and photography workshop studios are arranged so students can seamlessly transition between letterpress, computer, printing press, and darkroom.
Course Structure
Courses meet twice a week during a semester for a total of 6 contact hours. Students receive one-on-one work with professors, open-studio time, and a multifaceted blend of demonstrations, art history, and critical theory presentations to support coursework.
Mid-term and final critiques are an important component of each course and students are encouraged to participate in discussions and engage with their peers. Classes leave campus to work on-site whenever possible to visit exhibitions and museums while engaging directly with the cultural landscape. Students have generous access to the art studios outside of class during evenings and weekends to work on projects. The best work made by each student is chosen after the final critique and presented at the final student show.
Facilities
The SRISA printmaking and book arts facilities are located in the San Gallo campus in a large open space with natural lighting and ample surfaces to spread out and create. The broad-ranging equipment includes; a Bendini motorized press with a 100cm bed, a Bendini hand press with a 70 cm bed, a Takach hand press with a 70 cm bed, a Conrad etching press with a 30 cm bed, and a Swiss-made letterpress with motorized inking and a 40×60 cm workspace. Along with the letterpress, the school has an extensive collection of lead fonts and a valuable collection of rare wooden type in large sizes. The studio has numerous inking stations set up for working with oil-based inks and water-based Akua inks. Additional tools available include a ferric chloride etching station, 2 exposure units (Printon and Egraf 90×80 cm), hot plates, a paper soaking bath, a plate shear, a print drying rack, flat files for storage, Plexiglass plates, and a silhouette laser cutter/printer.
