OPENING June 23: Hartford Prints!
Hartford Prints! is a letterpress studio located in Hartford, Connecticut. Through the support of two Hartford Arts & Heritage Jobs Grants, artist Adrienne Gale has been able to employ students from Hartford Public High School to work in the studio and create art.
Displayed here is the work created by the students hired for the 2009-2010 academic year. Throughout their time at Hartford Prints! these students were presented with four projects and charged with creating art prints that met the requirements of each project. First, the students were asked to consider what they most enjoyed about living in Hartford and how they could represent Hartford in a positive light. A trip to the Hartford History Center inspired images for the second project, based on the collected history of the public parks. For the third project, Adrienne challenged the students to create work utilizing the lead and wood type in the studio, as a break from so much image-heavy work. Finally, a shared love of food inspired the theme of the fourth project.
Created and run by Adrienne Gale, Hartford Prints! is made possible by the City of Hartford Arts & Heritage Jobs Grant Program, Eddie A. Perez, Mayor. Starting in October 2009, students from Hartford Public High School have been given part-time jobs learning the craft of letterpress. The ephemera created by the students, e.g. art prints, greeting cards and blank books, calendars, promotes the city of Hartford and the proceeds are used to support other Hartford businesses. Thanks to a second grant, the program continues to run today. Currently, there are three students employed at Hartford Prints! and the focus has shifted to a balance of custom orders and student generated projects.
Adrienne comes from a long line of Hartford residents. She, her grandparents, her father and her three siblings are all graduates of Hartford Public High School. After receiving a BFA in Painting from Boston University Adrienne later went on to receive an MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from the University of the Arts in Philadelphia. This was followed by two years of teaching college art in Venice, Italy and one year teaching as a resident artist at the University of Pennsylvania. Adrienne is thrilled she was able to return to her hometown to found Hartford Prints! and provide opportunities to students from her alma mater.
For more information about Hartford Prints!
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