Sustainable Printmaking

A virtual Exhibition curated by Melanie mcCarthy

This exhibition features artwork created by various students in The New School’s printmaking program. The show demonstrates the quality of work that can be constructed by creating fine prints with recycled fabric and water-based ink. All prints were made on fabric sourced from FabScrap, a non-profit organization that collects pre-consumer textile waste from a variety of companies. Fabric as a substitute for paper works seamlessly — you can soak and blot it for etching of practice printing on fabric before moving to a T-shirt or bag. The fabric also allows for reuse, rather than the one-time use of paper. Along with fabric, water-based ink allows for faster clean up and allows test fabric to be washed. The versatility of work in this show speaks to the wide possibilities sustainable printing presents us with: the future is sustainable printmaking and it’s time the printmaking community embraces safer practices.

In this video, you can see multiple angles of the exhibition on a 3-dimensional plane. The video slowly shows closer views of the room, eventually describing the detail of the pieces on each wall. This allows for a dynamic representation of the works as they interact with each other in one room.

Wall 1

The pieces on the wall (left to right, top to bottom):
Tan Clown Test Print by Andy Sun, Suspended Plaid Plants by Melanie McCarthy, Green Etching by James Tonra, Barely There by Melanie McCarthy, Blue Silkscreen by James Tonra, Girl in the Shadows by Melanie McCarthy, Green Stamp by Swanswan Myint, and Pink Silkscreen by Mikaël Choukroun.

Wall 2

The pieces on the wall (left to right, top to bottom):
Sparkly Plant by Melanie McCarthy, Green Stamps by Swanswan Myint, Lace Flowers by Melanie McCarthy, Shooting Stars by Danny Gurung, Lace Leaves by Melanie McCarthy, Leaf Swatch by Melanie McCarthy, Decked Out by Melanie McCarthy, and Red Mesh Plants by Melanie McCarthy.

Wall 3

The pieces on the wall (left to right, top to bottom):
Red Clown 1 by Andy Sun, Red Clown 2 by Andy Sun, Stripe Clowns by Andy Sun, Parsons Plaid by Andy Sun, Parsons Stripes by Andy Sun, and Blue Clowns by Andy Sun.

Wall 4

The pieces on the wall (left to right, top to bottom):
Stripes Plant Stamp by Tonya Pavlenko, Red Plant Stamp by Tonya Pavlenko, One Blue Clown by Andy Sun, Red Stamp by Apurv Rayate, Overlapping Blue Clown by Andy Sun, Woven Plant by Melanie McCarthy, Calvin Klein by Melanie McCarthy, Pink Parsons by Andy Sun, and 3 Stamps by Siri Lee.