This year will be the first time the Van Every/Smith Galleries of Davidson’s Visual Arts Center will have a fully in-person reception for our Annual Student Art Exhibition since 2019, pre-pandemic.
To commemorate, the gallery decided to print posters for the event with the printing press in Dr. Andrew Rippeon’s letterpress lab. Gallery interns Sarah Zhang ’23, Claire Begalla ’24, Molly Smith ’24, and myself worked with Dr. Rippeon, creating the background of the poster by arranging some “cuts” (the blocks with designs on them used in the printing process) that Dr. Rippeon has collected, including animals, plants, and instruments. We did multiple trial runs, and each color of ink required a different round through the press: neon yellow and magenta for the background and black for the text, which spelled out:
ANNUAL STUDENT ART EXHIBITION
ON VIEW APRIL 13th – MAY 5th AT THE VAC
RECEPTION: APRIL 27th, 7 – 8:30 PM
AWARDS, MUSIC, DINNER
With three runs through the press, we got acquainted with the methodical feeling of rolling paper through the machinery. The process of creating was almost reverent, and the posters turned out vivid and eye-catching: perfect for our student show.
Read the full article in The Davidsonian.
-Isabel Smith ’24