California Society of Printmakers

= Introduction to California Society of Printmakers (CSP) =

California Society of Printmakers (CSP) is a non-profit arts organization with an international membership of print artists and supporters of the art of fine printmaking. CSP promotes professional development and opportunity for printmakers, and educates artists and the public about printmaking. New members are admitted by portfolio review. Friends and supporters of printmaking are admitted by fee.

Early History: American print clubs & California Society of Etchers (CSE)

Printmaking societies were prolific in the 19th century. Their impetus was primarily exhibition, technical exchange, and the promotion of etching and printmaking as a fine art, as opposed to a method of reproducing images. The invention of photography meant that reproduction of art works could be achieved photographically instead of through the graphic arts of etching, engraving, and lithography. Thus these methods of printmaking were freed from their reproducing role to develop as pure fine arts. In addition to the rise of printmaking societies/clubs, individual printmaking artists also sought to distinguish their work as a fine art, as opposed to a craft. Generally these artists from the 19th century were referred to as painter-etchers. Nineteenth century printmaking societies in the United States were the New York Etchers Club (1877), Boston Etchers Club (1880?), Philadelphia Society of Etchers (1880), Brooklyn Etchers Club (1881), Brooklyn Scratchers Club (1882), Society of American Etchers (1888), Cincinnati Etchers Club (circa 1890). Early 20th century printmaking societies were the Chicago Society of Etchers (1910), the California Society of Etchers (1912), and the Brooklyn Society of Etchers (1915).

The California Society of Etchers (CSE), now the California Society of Printmakers (CSP), is the oldest printmaking society west of the Mississippi, and the second oldest continuous operating club in the United States, after the New York Etchers Club, later reconstituted as the New York Society of Etchers. The California Society of Etchers (CSE) was founded in San Francisco in December of either 1911 or 1912, and announced the following month in January 1912. Several sources cite the 1911 date, such Marilyn S. Kushner's detailed chapter, "Genesis of the Twentieth-Century Print Club" without a citation. In addition, Robert S. Harshe, first president of California Society of Etchers when it got officially organized with officers, indirectly suggests via his chapter in the 1916 book, "Art in California", a 1911 date for the beginning of activity.

According to Mary Millman and Dave Bohn's biography of John W. Winkler, CSE was founded by four artists: [http://www.artic.edu/aic/libraries/musarchives/archharshe.html Robert B. Harshe, (1879-1938)] , himself an etcher and then art professor at Stanford University, Pedro J. Lemos (1882-1954) then etcher and professor at San Francisco Institute of Art, Gottardo Piazzoni (1872-1945) painter and muralist, and Robert Stackpole (1885-1973) a sculptor. The young organization began exhibiting immediately, with its first annual exhibition in 1913 at Vickery, Atkins and Torrey Print Gallery, 550 Sutter Street, San Francisco.

Admission of artist members to the Society was then, as now, by juried portfolio review. Artist membership was expanded beyond California to include artists throughout the United States in 1913, and later internationally. The primary purpose of the Society was exhibition and education, promoting printmaking as a fine art. Non-artist members, then as now, were accepted as Associate members. Membership in both artist and associate categories grew quickly. The four founding members grew to fifteen charter members, those who were members at the time of publication of the first Constitution of the CSE in 1915. By 1925 there were 41 artist members and 107 associate members. Among the most prominent associate members were the Moore S. Achenbachs, the Sigmund Sterns, Dr. Leon Kolb, the Milton Esbergs, the Zellerbachs, the De Young Museum, Oakland Public Library, the Print Club of Albany New York.

Merger History: CSE and Bay Printmakers Society

In 1955 two graduate students from Oakland's California College of Arts and Crafts (now the California College of the Arts) were eager for exhibition opportunities. According to [http://www.jeaneger.com| Jean Womack] , former CSP historian, [http://denverlibrary.org/about/art/strawn.html Mel Strawn] (1929-) and [http://www.oakton.edu/museum/pcpwill.html Will Petersen] (1928-1994) placed an ad in a national art magazine announcing themselves as the Bay Print Society hosting a national exhibition. Work was to be sent to the address cited even though a location for the actual show had not yet been established. As the work poured in, Paul Mills, then director of the Oakland Museum of Art, provided the venue, and remained a strong supporter during the next four national exhibitions. The first exhibition was juried by John Paul Jones, respected printmaker from UCLA. The jurying took place at the home of Eldon Mills, friend of Mel Strawn; it was monitored/observed by Sabro Hasgawa, a visiting teacher from Japan at CCAC.

Charter members of the Bay Printmakers Society included artists Beth Van Hoesen (1926- ), [http://www.printdealers.com/artist_template.cfm?id=1985 John Ihle] (1925-2002), Karl Kasten (1916-), and Nathan Oliveira (1928- ), among others. Their activities were focused exclusively on the national show. Between 1955-1958, Bay Printmakers generally had one person juries for their open national shows. After John Paul Jones, BPS jurors were printmaker Leonard Edmondson (1916-2002); poet Kenneth Patchen (1911-1972); and Director of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Ernst Gunter Troche (1909-1971).

Between 1959 and 1972 CSE created three person jury teams for their national print exhibitions. These generally consisted of one artist member, one critic, and one museum curator. In 1959 the jurors were Ernest Freed, John Winkler, John LaPlante. In 1960 the jurors were by Doel Reed, E. Gunter Troche, and Raymond E. Lewis. Other CSE national annual jurors were: 1961 Gordon Cook; 1965 Wayne Thiebaud, Alan Lynch, and Moses Lasky; 1972 Walter Askin, Charles D. Clark, Stefan P. Munsing.

Origins of California Society of Printmakers (CSP)

In the meantime, California Society of Etchers (CSE) had enjoyed the fruits of a dedicated executive secretary, Nicholas Dunphy (1896-1955), for more than 20 years, from 1932 to his death in 1955. Understandably, Dunphy’s death created a huge hole in CSE's leadership. Nonetheless, annual membership shows continued except for the year of his death, with Elizabeth Ginno (1911-1991) becoming secretary after Dunphy's death. Ginno, John W. Winkler, aka Winks (1890-1979), and Mark Luca (1918-), were active CSE members between 1955 and 1968. In 1968 Ginno invited Bay Printmaker member John Ihle to join CSE, probably the first dual member of both organizations. Ginno then approached Bay Printmaker president Karl Kasten, who had started the printmaking programs at San Francisco State in 1949 and then joined UC Berkeley's art department in printmaking, about the possibility of merging CSE and BPS. Kasten took up the suggestion immediately. Both organizations met at the Oakland Museum in 1968 and approved the merger, electing Kasten as the first president of the new society, which they named California Society of Printmakers. A new constitution was created, and exhibitions, education of members and the public, and publications continued.

Today, CSP has over 200 artist members, 19 honorary members, and 12 associate and patron memberships. It published the annual "California Printmaker Journal" and the semi-annual "California Printmaker Newsbrief".

Officers and Members

To be completed

Exhibitions

To be completed

Archives

California Society of Printmakers maintains two separate archives: one of its records, the other of prints. The California Society of Printmakers Records were given to The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley by the California Society of Printmakers in January 1988. Additions were made in 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2007. A finding aid to the Records may be found at the [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/ Online Archive of California] .

The CSP archive of prints is maintained by CSP at members' studios. An inventory and history has not yet been created.

References

* "Art in California: a survey of American art with specific reference to California painting, sculpture, and architecture past and present, particularly as those arts are represented at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition". San Francisco: R.L. Bernier, 1916. Especially the chapters “The California Society of Etchers” by Robert B. Harshe. pp. 116-120 and "California and its etchers – what they mean to each other” by Pedro J. Lemos, pp 113-115.

* California Society of Printmakers: "85th Anniversary Catalogue of Prints". "85th Anniversary of the CSP" by Sylvia Solochek Walters, pp. 3-5.

* Kushner, Marilyn S., "Genesis of the Twentieth-Century Print Clubs, and its major importance to the field of graphic art", in " American Identities: Twentieth-Century Prints from the Nancy Gray Sherrill, Class of `954, Collection". Wellesley, MA : Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College, c2004. 310 pages.

* Millman, Mary and Dave Bohn, "Master of Line: John W. Winker, American Etcher". Capra Press: Santa Barbara, 1994. 190 pages.

* CSP Historian

* California Society of Printmakers Records, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley

External links

*Home page [http://www.caprintmakers.org California Society of Printmakers]

*Finding Aid to CSP Archives [http://www.oac.cdlib.org/findaid/ark:/13030/tf2g5002s7 Online Archive of California]