Conference Outside of the Box 

These conference programs are exactly what they sound like: unique offerings that don’t fit neatly into a single category. They may blend multiple formats, such as a talk and exhibition, or incorporate a performance element into its concept, for example. See Outside of the Box descriptions below. 

 

Setting Seed

Organizer/Artist: Margaret Craig

Location & Open Hours: Hilton Caribe, during conference

The tragedy of climate change, species extinction, habitat destruction, the predominance of plastic waste, and the intrusion of non-native species is a problem for all people, particularly those whose cultures are island-based. Setting Seed offers an opportunity for engagement on the topic of the ecology humans have created. In this scenario, the “Seeds” have adapted to a polluted environment. Having plastic as a part of their bodies, they have no natural predators and are spreading uncontrolled like an invasive species.

Look for seeds installed on a surface, wall, or pedestal that look like a flock of birds or butterflies settling for the night. At this location, there will be brief instructions. Hidden and dispersed around the grounds will be more “seeds”, mimicking a dispersal. Conference participants should go out and collect these colonizers to keep the infection from spreading.

The Seeds are made from cast acrylic etching and recycled materials. They are a reminder of the human toll on the environment and an illustration of first world countries spreading their pollution for local profit but affecting the whole planet.

Ponte Gráfico

Organizer: Dareliz Alayon

Location & Open Hours: TBA

“Ponte Gráfico” is a group exhibition of prints that are erotic in nature. Its title roughly translates to “get graphic” which is pun/play on words because in spanish another way to say printmaking is “artes graficas” (graphic arts). This show will be curated by my group Punto y Línea and will be held in the gallery La Lineal that is located in the center of Río Piedras, which is an important cultural and artistic center in Puerto Rico’s metro area. As part of the programming of the event, we would like to host a body printing night where participants can use different tools and techniques in the event to print designs on themselves. We will be including stamps, relief printing, screenprinting and stencils among other techniques to be discovered during our ongoing research. This is a unique approach to engage the viewer with printmaking in a way that is not commonly done on the island.

Print Kite

Organizer: Koichi Yamamoto

Location & Open Hours: Castillo San Felipe del Morro, April 4, 9am-5pm

 
Project Statement:
For PRINTKITE, 38 artists were invited to create images for a Rokkaku kite. The Rokkaku kite is a traditional Japanese six-sided kite, typically made with bamboo spars and washi paper, often featuring hand-painted images of Bodhidharma.
For this project, the kites are crafted using modern materials such as carbon fiber rods, Tyvek, and a Velcro fastening system that Yamamoto designed. Each artist was sent a sheet of Tyvek to create their artwork, which was then mailed back to Knoxville for fabrication.
While the Rokkaku kite is traditionally used in kite fighting, its large surface area and simple design make it suitable for aerial photography and atmospheric research.
The participating artists in this project include: Miguel Aragon, Gianna Bentivenga, Maria Pina Bentivenga, Pietro Desirò, Justin Diggle, Stefanie Dykes, Matt Egan, Bill Fick, Bob Fleming, Umberto Giovanini, Jon Goebel, Jean Grumpper, Dusty Herbig, Karla Hackemiller, John Hancock, Raluca Iancu, Anna Kenar, Jun Lee, Mike Lyon, Beauvais Lyons, Emmett Merrill, Heather Muise, Tim Musso, Karen Oremus, Simone Philippou, Steve Prince, Nick Ruth, Jenny Schmid, Mizin Shin, Jon Swindler, Humberto Saenz, Jennifer Scheure, Jeff Sherven, Taro Takizawa, Chiho Ushio, Joseph Velasquez, Erik Waterkotte, Sangmi Yoo, and Koichi Yamamoto.
During the conference, they will be flown as part of a special event, Out of the Box, at the Castillo San Felipe del Morro.

 

Decolonizing Printmaking: Sketching an Alternate Art(World)

Organizer: Imar Lyman [Hutchins]

Location: TBA

Perhaps the most common question on the minds of printmakers (and artists of all kinds) is how they create an economically sustainable practice for themselves. What I call the “art predation industrial complex” has historically worked against us, creating a so-called “art world” that can be likened to a form of colonialism. It is a system which benefits a select few and is in general cruelly extractive of the value created by artists. Simply put, it is a system that is actively anti-artist and in which the best interests of the artist are often hardly even a consideration.

Printmakers could and should be at the forefront of deploying our creativity towards creating alternate commercial models, business practices and ways of moving through the world that center us–-rather than buying into the inherently exploitative system that is the status quo. 

Day Inking 

Organizer: Claudia Wilburn

Location: Hilton Caribe, Session 1: April 4, 3:30-5pm, Session 2: April 5, 1:30-3pm 

A lively combination of day drinking, a bit of history—SGCI was founded during a whisky-fueled conversation—and the conference hotel’s claim to have invented the Pina Colada.

This event will be a conversation on the future plans for SGCI, topics may include future conference ideas and locations, fundraising opportunities, general brainstorming, changing perceptions, mid-year programing, and the new digital realms….

This is an open forum for questions and ideas.  What do you as the membership want to see, what opportunities would be useful? It will run in the style of an incubator session and will be chaired by current SGCI President Claudia Wilburn.  We will have additional board members and volunteers designated as scribes to record the conversation and ideas generated during the event.