The Lower East Side Printshop, established in 1968, is a New York City non-profit art center that supports contemporary artists of all creative backgrounds by offering them studio space, career services, and expertise in printmaking to develop new work.  Artists can experiment, explore new ideas, and collaborate with experienced master printers to create important new work and broaden their practice in a supportive and professional environment. In addition, a diverse audience of art enthusiasts and professionals alike can learn about and collect prints in our classes, lectures, and exhibitions.

The Printshop is the largest openly accessible print studio in the city. It offers independent and collaborative residencies for artists, free and fee-based, contract printing services for small and large publishers, educational opportunities in all aspects of the print field and at all levels of expertise, and affordable collecting opportunities. The Printshop supports innovation and experimentation with the medium, and promotes non-toxic materials and processes.

Background
The Printshop was founded in 1968 by artist and educator Eleanor Magid determined to offer full access to prints and printmaking to all, without physical, financial, and technical barriers. It soon became part of the alternative space movement of the late 1960s, and it continued to be a major resource for printmaking, with its groundbreaking 24-hour studio access and other services.

In spring 2005, the Printshop moved from East Village to a five times larger facility in the Garment District. The Printshop also expanded its programming to offer more opportunities and superb services. It is now the largest openly accessible printmaking facility in New York City, and it is growing into the major center for fine art printmaking, serving a diverse local, national, and international audience.

The Printshop is a founding member of the New York State Artist Workspace Consortium, a member of the Alliance of Artists Communities, and a participant in the New York City’s annual Editions Fair and Print Week.

Artists
Many established artists have worked at the Printshop, often in the earlier stages of their careers, including Kiki Smith, Nancy Spero and Leon Golub, Philip Taaffe, Robert Longo, Barbara Kruger, Juan Sanchez, Luis Jimenez, and Tomie Arai, and groups such as Colab, Group Material, PAD/D, Anti Utopia, and Bullet Space, among many others.

The Printshop has recently collaborated with artists such as Ghada Amer, Sebastiaan Bremer, Zana Briski, Paul Chan, Amy Cutler, Dread Scott, Lynne Yamamoto, Joanne Greenbaum, Matthew Day Jackson, Glenn Ligon, Ryan McGinness, Carrie Moyer, Amy Sillman, Sheila Pepe, Bruce Pearson, Jean Shin, Kara Walker and William Villalongo.

Collections
Artworks produced at the Printshop are included in permanent collections of major museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museum of Modern Art, Brooklyn Museum of Art, Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Public Library, Rhode Island School of Design Museum, RI, Corcoran Museum of Art, DC, and the Walker Art Center, MN.

The Printshop houses an archive collection of thousands of print works created in its studio over the past 38 years. The collection is an important resource for print professionals, scholars, and art enthusiasts alike.

Staff
Executive Director, Dusica Kirjakovic joined the Printshop’s staff in 1993 as a part-time manager. Since becoming the Executive Director in 1996, Kirjakovic has upgraded studio equipment, catalogued the artwork collection, established the http://printshop.org website, dramatically expanded programming for artists, and led the recent expansion.

Studio Director and Master Printer James Miller has over 25 years of professional experience in printmaking. He specializes in waterbased silkscreen, relief printmaking, lithography, and monotype. He has collaborated with artists such as James Rosenquist, Robert Longo, Red Grooms, Claes Oldenburg, Willie Cole, and Kara Walker.

Master Printer Doug Bennett holds a MFA from Columbia University School of the Arts in New York.  He has over ten years of professional experience as a master printer from the renowned shops such as United Llimited Artist Editions (ULAE), Two Palm Press, and the LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies at Columbia University.  He specializes in intaglio and digital printing. Bennett has worked with numerous renowned artists, such as Terry Winters, Carroll Dunham, Kiki Smith, Cecily Brown, and Dana Schutz.