As the saying goes, April showers bring May flowers, and then the long-awaited summer finally arrives in the Inland Northwest. For some, though, April is even more magical: a celebration of paper, ink, books and art.
Spokane Print & Publishing's sixth annual Print Fest is a monthlong event of all things printmaking. This year's schedule is jampacked with workshops by local and regional artists as well as special celebrations of various facets of printmaking like letterpress and screen printing. The following are a few highlights of Print Fest 2024; see the complete schedule at spokaneprintfest.org.
ENIGMA
What better way to kick off a monthlong celebration of print than by highlighting local artists who are leading the movement? This art show features graphic works created by Spokane Print & Publishing members that showcase a wide variety of printing techniques. The show aims to emphasize the strange and ephemeral nature of printmaking through relief carving, book arts, collage and much more. (MP)April 5-27, daily from 11 am-7 pm • Free • Liberty Gallery • 203 N. Washington St.
RECEPTION: EXODO
Featuring 33 artists from the U.S. and Mexico, "Nexos: Entre Racies" is a portfolio of prints that explores traditions."So what does that mean to be Mexican?" says Marco Sanchez, artist and curator of the show. "It's very different for everybody, right, so what traditions do we keep?"
The exhibition showcases various printmaking techniques, such as linocutting, woodcutting, lithography and aquatinting. Sanchez says there's even a piece that used chine collé, a form of collaging where a super thin paper the size of a printing plate is placed on top of a thicker paper, both of which are run through a printing press and thereby adhered together.
"They'll see various themes — there's a lot of food within the show, there's certain sort of pre-Columbian Mesoamerican themes within it, some deities or monoliths," Sanchez says. "Myself and a few others that are here from El Paso that are part of the portfolio, we're confronted with that wall on a daily basis, and so you'll see some of those things on there as well." (SSa)
Opening reception Fri, April 5 from 4-7 pm; also open Fri from 4-7 pm and Sat from 10 am-3 pm through April 13 • Free • Gonzaga University Urban Arts Center • 125 S. Stevens St., 3rd floor
PRINT FAIR
If you're not creatively inclined or can't draw to save your life (like me), don't worry, you can still participate in Print Fest! The Print Fair at Spokane Public Library's nontraditional branch, the Hive, is the place to find incredible pieces made by local and regional print artists. But, the Print Fair doesn't stop at just prints. You can also watch demonstrations, meet the Hive's current artists in residence, and view art displays from Jon Deviny, Mel Antuna Hewitt (Librobuch), Reinaldo Gil Zambrano (RGZPrints), local university students and more. (MP)Sat, April 6 from 2-6 pm • Free admission • The Hive • 2904 E. Sprague Ave.
BOOK REPAIR WORKSHOPS
Sophia Bogle isn't a bookbinder or a book artist. She's both.She's crafted a title for herself that she says describes what she does perfectly.
"I call myself a book restorationist," Bogle says. "It combines restorer and artist. Because I do a bit of everything."
For Print Fest, Bogle is traveling to Spokane from Oregon to spread the good word of book restoration through three workshops. The Inland Northwest has its fair share of book artists — artists who use books in their art or create books that are works of art — but book restoration is a whole other ballpark.
"I was going to school at the University of Minnesota studying English," Bogle says. "I knew I wanted to be in the book world, but hadn't quite pinpointed my niche."
That's when Bogle learned about the university's book rebindery.
"I learned that books come apart," she says. "And they go back together again."
After teaching herself about bookbinding and book repair for many years, Bogle began attending classes at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Because, she says, before you can repair a book, you have to know how to create a book. She also has a diploma in book conservation from the American Academy of Bookbinding and has been restoring books professionally for over 30 years. Now, she's sharing her knowledge with the book enthusiasts of Spokane.
Bogle's workshop "Book Damage Treatment Options: Is Restoration Worth It?" is free and open to the public. She invites participants to bring in damaged books for evaluation and discusses how to fix books and how to find someone who can repair one.
She's also hosting two basic repair classes that teach participants simple ways to repair books in minutes. From loose spines to torn pages, all books can be fixed and returned to their former glory.
"The workshops I'm holding break down book repair in manageable, bite-sized pieces," she says. "They're geared toward beginners. At its core, it's kindergarten stuff: cutting, gluing and putting things together." (MP)
Book Damage and Treatment Options: Is Restoration Worth It? • Fri, April 19 from 7-8 pm • Free • The Hive • 2904 E. Sprague Ave.
Basic Book Repair Classes • Sat, April 20 and Sun, April 21 from 9 am-2 pm • $85 • Spokane Print & Publishing Center • 1921 N. Ash St.
ROCK & POP ART SHOW WITH ITCHY KITTY
To celebrate another year of Print Fest, the event comes to a close with one final gallery showcase also featuring live music from local punk band Itchy Kitty.Print Fest's final week focuses on screen printing, and Spokane Print & Publishing Center's screen print instructor Derek Landers says this event encapsulates the multifaceted media.
"I got into screen printing because of concert posters, gig posters, and even some movie posters and things like that, and I've always been a big champion of that kind of artwork," Landers says. "It'll be a grungy, kind of urban art show that's kind of rough around the edges, but it features a lot of concert posters or event posters and movies."
Landers says other styles of art will also be displayed, including photographs by local photographer Alicia Hauff, plus prints by Chris Bovey and the Inlander's own graphic designer Derrick King.
"It's a chance to kind of mingle and look at artwork," Landers says. "This won't be quiet and proper — this is a rock and pop art show that has a bunch of just really kind of off the wall stuff."
As the show's curator, Landers tried to feature as many artists as possible, whether they're well-known printmakers or just starting out.
"There'll be music and people will be talking, and there's beer and wine, so in that respect, it is kind of like just a normal gallery showing, but just the vibe in general is a lot more laid back," he says. "We're hoping that a lot of the people enjoying the entire Print Fest month will want to come and help kind of shut it down with this fun party." (SSa) ♦
Fri, April 26 from 7-10 pm • Free • 21+ • Hamilton Studio • 1427 W. Dean Ave.
