Milwaukee was a printmaker’s paradise this spring. From March 20–23 this year’s Southern Graphics Council International Conference was hosted by the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) and Peck School of the Arts (PSOA). Prominent in both the Awards presentation and the Publisher’s Fair was Anchor Graphics, whose staff manned a well-attended booth, fielding questions from collectors, curators, and faculty and students from colleges around the world.

The SGCI Conference has traditionally provided an targeted opportunity to feature the work and philosophies of a program’s faculty and students, and Anchor capitalized on all the opportunity by representing the Interdisciplinary Arts graduate programs and undergrad classes; InterArts and CBPA’s progressive work in the area of print media and culture; and the many urban connections and community initiatives that InterArts/CBPA spearheads in the Chicagoland area. For Chris Flynn and David Jones, it was easy to represent all aspects of the programs, since their roles at Columbia encompass being faculty, staff, and MFA candidates in the InterArts graduate program. Jones, who serves on the SGC Board, was awarded the 2013 Print:Maker Award by the organization.

Chris Flynn working on the Margo Humphrey limited edition print series.

Besides representing Anchor Graphics and its special publishing arm, Jones and Flynn also presented to conference attendees a plethora of information about the Journal of Artists’ Books, including the latest issue JAB33 + ROOM. They also talked to SGCI attendees about the many exhibitions and events at the Center for Book and Paper Arts, and the latest in the Anchor Graphics Columbia Multiples series, Margo Humphrey’s limited edition print “Black Madonna or Hold on I Gotcha.”

Steps in the gold leafing process: application, delicate removal of excess, and final resulting print proof.

This newly completed limited fine art lithographic print, which is composed of 11 colors plus gold leaf, was on display at MIAD’s Frederick Layton Gallery, as well as at Milwaukee’s Peltz Gallery, a contemporary art exposition space housed in a Victorian landmark on Milwaukee’s East Side.

The 42nd SGC International Printmaking Conference will be held in the San Francisco Bay Area March 26-29, 2014. The conference theme is Bridges: Spanning Tradition, Innovation, and Activism. Proposals for projects, demonstrations, exhibitions, panels, and themed portfolios are due June 15th, 2013. More details can be found here.