Expanding Contemporary Printmaking Practices

Researcher
Paul Croft

The Overview

Through practice-as-research, exhibitions, masterclasses, print portfolios and international collaborations, Paul Croft has provided new opportunities for public audiences to experience and engage with contemporary printmaking. His projects have enabled British printmakers to achieve recognition in China, Australia and the USA, while assisting Chinese artists to exhibit and network beyond China, opening up their work to global markets. Globally and regionally, his initiatives benefit professional artists and art students, museums and galleries, print collectors and the general public.

The Research

Since the publication of his influential technical manuals Stone Lithography and Plate Lithography, Paul Croft has continued to communicate his knowledge of printmaking through the curation of international exhibitions, workshops and print festivals worldwide.

His collaborative work in China led to two of these exhibitions; Contemporary Chinese Printmaking (which investigated the practice of three generations of printmakers from Hunan Province) and The Xiaoxiang Exhibition of International Printmaking (which created international contexts for Chinese printmaking by displaying over two hundred prints by ninety artists from Australia, Canada, Chile, China, Ireland, the UK and USA).

The Impact

Generating New Opportunities that Expand Professional and Creative Practices

The Xiaoxiang Exhibition of International Printmaking (2015) was recognised in China as the most ambitious exhibition ever to have been hosted in Hunan Province. The project was deemed by Chinese officials to be of great cultural significance and was awarded funding by government agencies including the China Artists Association and the China Printmaking Society.

Contemporary Chinese Printmaking, which toured the UK in 2015-16, offered international audiences a context for contemporary practice in China. For many of the artists involved, it constituted the first opportunity to exhibit outside China.

Enriching Public Appreciation

Paul has exhibited his prints in solo and group shows both nationally and internationally, and has devised and contributed to major print portfolios. In so doing, he has provided new opportunities for public audiences to experience contemporary printmaking, and has enriched appreciation for and understanding of printmaking as a key form of artistic expression.

Impact in Wales

In Wales, Paul has fostered awareness of printmaking in his capacity as founder member of the Print Council of Wales, and Chair of the regional cooperative Aberystwyth Printmakers, for whom he equipped a print workshop and developed touring exhibitions, masterclasses, and a community education programme. He connects members of the cooperative with the renowned practitioners who visit, to make prints under his supervision: Anne Desmet RA, Shani Rhys James MBE, Mary Lloyd Jones, Wuon Gean Ho, Marcelle Hanselaar, John Duffin RE, and Stuart Pearson Wright.

The Xiaoxiang Exhibition of International Printmaking (2015) was recognised in China as the most ambitious exhibition ever to have been hosted in Hunan Province. The project was deemed by Chinese officials to be of great cultural significance and was awarded funding by government agencies including the China Artists Association and the China Printmaking Society.

Get in touch

As a University, we’re always keen to share our knowledge and expertise more widely for the benefit of society. If you’d like to find out more or explore how you can collaborate with our researchers, get in touch with our dedicated team of staff in the Department of Research, Business and Innovation. We’d love to hear from you. Just drop an e-mail to:

research@aber.ac.uk

Research Impact Case Studies | Research Theme: Culture