An excited crowd experienced the intricacies of bringing poetry and print together in the Janet Turner Print Museum.
On Thursday, Jan. 29, the exhibition, “Pressing Poetry: From Broadsides to Book Arts,” displays the blend of letterpress printing, paired with the art of printmaking. Featuring a variety of broadsides, which are large single sided prints, as well as smaller prints made using a range of techniques.
Some methods used to create the pieces in the show include lithography, where the image is drawn on a flat surface with a greasy medium that attracts ink while the rest of the surface repels it. As well as the process of impressing an image into paper to give it more texture, called embossing.
The reception was attended by Chico State students, faculty and other members of the Chico community. It was kicked off by an informative presentation given by director of galleries and Turner curator, Dr. Rachel Skokowski, featuring four special pieces that are showcased in the exhibit.
Dr. Skokowski said this show will provide a good opportunity to “combine literature and creative writing with the visual arts.” The exhibit was inspired by the donation of 55 broadsides from Black Rock Press in 2024. The museum now has over 4,000 prints in its collection including, for the first time, poetry broadsides.
At the conclusion of her presentation Dr. Skokowski invited Turner board member and former director of the Black Rock Press at the University of Nevada, Reno, Bob Blesse to talk more about letterpress printing.
Blesse explained the intricate techniques of letterpress printing, including the tedious process of placing the individual letters to make full sentences, getting the framing correct, and even selecting things like colors and typefaces.
Letterpress printing is a time consuming but rewarding art that can create desired lines of text, made from individual metal letters, that are then set in position to be rolled with ink and pressed into paper to create prints.
“I think letterpress printing is important for students to learn,” said Blesse. “And what I have found in teaching it is that they absolutely love type setting and printing and ya know its different than sitting in a classroom or that sort of thing, it’s hands-on and they really enjoy it. There’s problem solving involved and there’s design and all these different aspects of it.”
After the reception people were given the opportunity to look at the prints on display in the museum. Michael Robles, a Bachelor in Fine Arts student, is starting his first semester of print making, he expressed his opinion on the “pictorial aspect of text in paintings.”
“I personally have a little bit of distaste for it but I think this show has won me over a bit because it’s very well paired. The text is the text and the picture is the picture and they work beautifully together,” he said.
While Chico State does not offer Letterpress printing within the curriculum, The Janet Turner Print Museum is planning on having a “Make your own letter press print,” event. An opportunity with no experience needed to make your very own print to take home. It will be taking place on Wednesday, March 11, from 1-3 p.m.
“Pressing Poetry: From Broadsides to Book Arts,” is a technically impressive exhibit that will be displayed in the Janet Turner Print Museum until March 14. It uses letterpress printing, to accentuate the importance of both poetry and visual art coming together to explore a new medium.
Ky Rodriguez can be reached at [email protected]
