Conference FAQ

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Conference Programs

What is the Call for Participation?
What is a Panel?
What is a Demo?
What is a Themed Portfolio?
What is a Pop-Up Exhibition?
What is an Inkubator?
What is a Career Mentoring Session?
What is a Mobile Event?
What is the Vendor, Publisher, Programs Fair (VPP)?
What is the Member Print Exchange?
What is Open Portfolio?
What are the Open Portfolio Exhibitions?

Registration

Online registration opens during the fall of the year prior to the conference.

Visit this page for an overview of registration.

An SGCI Membership is an annual membership that supports the operations of SGC International. In addition to discounted rates through online registration to the annual SGCI conferences, members have the opportunity to submit articles, reviews, and artwork to be published on the website, participate in SGCI member exhibitions, and receive news about opportunities within the print community and the art world at large. You must be an SGCI Member to register for the conference online, but you do not need to be a member to register on-site, or attend the Vendor/Publisher/Program Fair or other activities that are free and open to the public during the conference.

The SGCI Registration fee covers the costs of conference programming such as Inkubators, Themed Portfolios, Demos, Panels, and Special Exhibitions.

SGCI Members have the benefit of registering for the conference online, and thus receiving discounted rates. The most economical rate is the Early Bird rate. The Regular online registration rate is a discounted rate for student members & professional members, and runs through the end of online registration at midnight. You must be an active SGCI Member to register for the conference online. Anyone may register for the conference on-site at full value. There are no Early Bird or Regular discounted rates for the Daily Registrations.

No, the Vendor, Publisher, Programs Fair is free and open to the public.

Yes, SGCI Membership is required to register for the conference on-site. Please note that certain conference options such as Open Portfolios, the Member Print Exchange, and Mentorship meetings will only be available for members who pre-register for the conference online.

SGCI has often given members who are participating in conference panels and demonstrations a conference waiver of some percentage. This varies from conference to conference, but the majority of past conferences have had a system of waivers. The SGCI Board works with the Conference Steering committee to decide on how many half-waivers are available, and it is based on the financial needs of that particular conference. More recently we have not been able to offer many or even any waivers in an effort to keep costs down for the membership at large. In the future, we are looking into finding outside support to help finance partial waivers for presenters.

The Call for Participation is the official call made by SGCI for members to apply to be a presenter at the annual conference.

Learn about Call for Participation Criteria & Evaluation here!

A Demo is a demonstration of a printmaking technique, material, tool or process by an SGCI Member, utilizing the presses, equipment, spaces, and/or materials available at the local conference venues.

Individuals submit an application during the Round 1 Call for Participation. Often, they may need to bring their own specialty supplies or tools. Based on the space, equipment and press availability for the conference venues, the local steering committee makes selections that showcase as much novelty, breadth, beauty and innovation as possible!

Demos can be challenging to access after they begin due to their popularity; therefore it is highly recommended to get to a Demo early for a good spot and commit to the entire demonstration. Hand-outs and PDF forms may be made available to conference-goers during or after the conference.

Themed portfolios are curated by SGCI Members, and are based on the conference’s theme. There are a number of different Themed Portfolios that are displayed during the conference.

In the Round 1 Calls for Participation, individuals who are interested in curating and collating a Themed Portfolio (based on the conference theme) are invited to submit an application. The local steering committee selects Themed Portfolios based on space availability, applicability and interest. Artists who are interested in having their work considered for a particular Themed Portfolio submit an application during the Round 2 Call for Participation.

Selected participants in the Themed Portfolios create an edition of prints; one complete set of prints are exhibited during the Conference, and the participants receive a portfolio with a full set of prints. One set from each Themed Portfolio is added to the SGCI Archives at the Zuckerman Museum of Art.

Read this Guide for details on how to organize or participate in a Themed Portfolio.

Pop-Up Exhibitions are works by and/or curated by SGCI Members, and are based on the conference’s theme. Please note that these are ONE-DAY exhibitions! The work will need to be unframed, the exhibition proposer will be responsible for bringing the artwork to be exhibited to the conference, and installing and deinstalling the exhibition on the day of the Pop-Up Exhibition. Available space will vary with each conference, so please allow for some flexibility within your proposal! The steering committee will be in touch with each Event Organizer about their space in the months leading up to the conference.

In the Round 1 Calls for Participation, individuals who are interested in exhibiting or curating a Pop-Up Exhibition are invited to submit an application. The local steering committee selects Pop-Up Exhibitions based on space availability, applicability and interest. If the Event Organizer is accepting additional participants, they can make their Pop-Up Exhibition open to applicants. Artists who are interested in having their work considered for a particular Pop-Up Exhibition submit an application during the Round 2 Call for Participation.

Inkubators arose out of the desire for more informal, group discussions at the conference. They are set up as round table discussions, moderated by the organizer. Calls for Inkubator topics are requested during the Round 1 Call for Participation. Inkubators are scheduled for two hour increments, but typically last about an hour and a half. Unless otherwise indicated for a specific session, there are no pre-registration required to attend an Inkubator. Drop-ins are welcome.

Mentoring Sessions are one-on-one, and are available for individuals at all stages of their careers – whether you are an undergraduate student thinking about an MFA, a graduate student seeking career advice, an independent artist looking to start a press, or someone in a tenure-track position looking for advice about navigating academia. There are a limited number of spots, so sign ups will be first-come, first-served until sessions are full.

TOPICS: Mentoring Topics include (but are not limited to):
• Artist Portfolio Reviews
• Career Advice for Emerging and Mid-Career Artists
• Tenure and Academic Advancement
• Independent Presses, Non-Profits, and Community-Based Art
SESSION TIMES: Mentor sessions are 20 minutes in duration. Wifi is not guaranteed, so if you plan to show any artwork, documents, etc on your computer or tablet, it is recommended that you download PDF documents or other files that do not require wireless internet to see before you arrive for your session.
COST: Free! There is no cost for any SGCI Member to register for a Career Mentor Session.
MENTORS: Mentors are SGCI Members who are experienced professionals, and want to serve our membership and foster interest in our field. This is a volunteer service that they provide.

Mobile Events are demo kits, projects, discussions, performances, or talks intended to take place on conference buses while in transit between venues. Flexible and innovative, mobile events vary from year to year and include things like sticker exchanges, zine demos, artist talks, inkubators, and Pecha Kuchas on-the-go!

The VPP Fair is a showcase of leading businesses and individuals who specialize in printmaking presses, papers, and a variety of tools for printing, bookbinding, and papermaking. Individual and community print shops can display, promote, and support their organizations. Schools and residences can present and recruit for their programs.

The VPP Fair is part of every annual conference, and is free and open to the public. Learn more here!

This is a print exchange open to all active SGCI Members. SGCI Members create an edition that is turned in during the first half of the conference, and receive an exchange portfolio of 10 prints at the end of the conference to take home! Your work from this Member Exchange will be collected by the SGCI Archives at the Zuckerman Museum of Art, as well as local conference area institutions. There is no restriction as to the number of participants in this exchange.

Read this Guide for details on how to participate in the Member Print Exchange.

Open Portfolio provides an opportunity for conference delegates to present their work on tables alongside one another in 1-hour sessions. These displays are free and open to the public. There are a limited number of spots, so sign up with be limited to first-come, first-served until sessions are full.

Read this Guide for details on how to  participate in Open Portfolio.