This was our first significant project following the impact of the Covid pandemic. With the focus of future-proofing not only SPW and our facility, but also printmaking within the wider creative community in Wales, our priorities were to attract a more diverse community, re-engage existing members, increase our membership, and develop community and creative partnerships.
The small-scale format of the project – creating prints within an area of 10cm x 10cm – not only provided the overarching theme of the project but emphasised the accessibility and versatility of printmaking.
We welcomed five experienced artists to lead the project workshops – some of the selected printmakers were known to us, others were new to working with SPW – and all brought their individual and interesting approaches and different techniques. Across the programme, varied learning opportunities were provided to participants at beginner, intermediate and advanced level in community settings and at our studio facility.
Andrew Baldwin led workshops in BIG safe etching, Flora McLachlan in relief collagraph and monotype transfer; Mark Pavey ran workshops in letterpress, Judith Stroud in multiblock vinyl-cuts and Vinita Voogd, collagraph printing with chine collé.
It was fantastic to see the studio so busy again with creative activity. The majority of participants found the workshop experiences inspirational and felt their printmaking practice had developed substantially. Over half expressed their intention to continue with their printmaking journey after the project, underlined by significant increase in our membership during this time.
In the community we were supported by a number of partner organisations in achieving our aims of attracting a more diverse audience and printmaking community.
Through our education partners – Coleg Sir Gâr, Gower College Swansea and UWTSD Swansea College of Art – we saw a significant proportion of younger participants (65% were aged 17-25) who engaged in printmaking activities, and have become regular users of our facilities. We were also able to actively encourage the partners to reach learners with specific learning needs and protected characteristics.
With the support of Mission Gallery we engaged with new audiences in the community groups, Chinese in Wales Association and Goleudy. Both groups have since requested follow-up sessions.
Additional top-up funding allowed us to add discounted and free events to our workshop programme to re-engage members and other low-income participants.
We were delighted to work with Mission Gallery and to have the opportunity to showcase the work in this prestigious Swansea venue.
From almost 300 pieces of work created during the project, 180 were selected for exhibiting at the gallery with many artists exhibiting for the first time.
The month-long exhibition, which included live printmaking demonstrations, was very well-received with a high number of visitors and sales of work.
A bilingual publication, designed by Morwenna Stewart, accompanied the exhibition showcasing all the selected work alongside profiles and work by the lead artists.
You can view selected work from MiniPrint Wales 2023 on our dedicated online exhibition site, MiniPrint Wales, 2023, Swansea Printmakers.
The MiniPrint project has set SPW on a strong forward path.
It gave SPW a platform to discuss and promote partnership development and collaboration to achieve our aim of creating a national forum to give the printmaking sector a collective voice. We made positive progress with Aberystwyth Printmakers and together, developed a draft strategy for a Welsh Print Collective.
Through the Collective, we hope to further establish MiniPrint Wales and transform it into an international event working in collaboration with other print facilities and exhibition venues across Wales.
During the exhibition period, we were approached by the Royal Cambrian Academy of Art to take MiniPrint Wales to Conwy, giving us another opportunity to connect with printmakers and printmaking facilities in North Wales.
We will also continue to collect data to identify gaps in our demographic, so we are able to further develop and improve our provision.
Alongside the MiniPrint Wales project and in conjunction with Brecknock Art Trust we established the Rosy Ind Award, a bursary and training opportunity for emerging printmakers aged 17-25 from diverse backgrounds. Rosy Ind was a dedicated member of Swansea Print Workshop and through the generous support of friends and colleagues the Award was set up in her memory.
Isobel Porch and Wanesa Kazmierowska taking part in a letterpress, monotype and screenprinting workshops
The inaugural Award was promoted to participants of MiniPrint Wales in that age-group, and two young printmakers were selected in 2023 for the 2023/24 award, one of whom had work selected for the MiniPrint Exhibition in Mission Gallery.
Visit the Rosy Ind Award for more information on the award and the experiences of the young artists.
MiniPrint Wales took place in 2023 and was made possible by the Arts Council of Wales and Brecknock Art Trust.
