PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) — At Brandywine Workshop and Archives, you can literally see an artist’s vision reveal itself.
“The mission of Brandywine Workshop and Archives is to promote the art of printmaking, which is an ancient technology, but we are modernizing it through fine art prints,” says Rebecca Morrison, Executive Director of Brandywine Workshop and Archives.
And now, those prints are on view in a new public space.
“This is our Firehouse Gallery,” says Morrison. “We’re all about the democratization of art and making fine art accessible.”
Works on view are from both local and international artists who’ve made prints there, including El Anatsui.
The gallery’s name is a nod to the building’s history as a former fire station.
“The Firehouse Gallery is a collection of artwork from our staff that we all really like and appreciate,” she says.
There is work from artists Syd Carpenter, E.J. Montgomery and John Dowell, just to name a few.
Artist and school teacher, Allan Edmunds, started the original Brandywine Workshop in 1972 in the Spring Garden neighborhood of North Philadelphia to help underrepresented artists in print.
“We still keep the underrepresented artist spirit alive, but as a print publisher, we just want to tell stories. And we want artists who have interesting stories to come to Brandywine and tell them here,” she says.
Today, the nonprofit hosts artists-in-residence from around the world who work with their in-house master printers.
“I’m a woodcut artist myself,” says Alexis Nutini, one of the master printers at Brandywine Workshop and Archives. “I used to teach, and sometimes I like to explain it as a very sophisticated series of stamps.”
Creating a print is a multi-layered process.
“I’ve worked with muralists, painters, sculptors,” says Nutini. “This is a Haitian-born artist, Didier William. This is a very technical print in that it has 15 printed colors, and it’s passed through the press 9 times.”
“Part of our story is really educating people on printmaking. A lot of people think that prints are posters, but they’re not. They’re actually fine art pieces,” says Morrison.
Master printer Justine Ditto works in lithography at the Brandywine Workshop and Archives.
“And the piece you create is really a harmony between the printer, as a technician and a guide, and the artist and their vision,” says Ditto.
The prints they create are limited edition and available for purchase on site.
“Now, we only do editions up to 30, and then, what makes Brandywine special is, we give 50% of the run to the artists,” says Morrison.
“We’re still doing things hands on and touching it, and I don’t think, you can’t really replace that experience for experimentation, especially artists that want to push their work in other directions,” says Nutini. “There’s different price points and there’s more access, and more people can get to see your work.”
Admission to Brandywine Workshop and Archives is free, but by appointment only.
For more information:
Brandywine Workshop and Archives
To Schedule Your Visit
Brandywine Workshop and Archives
730 S. Broad Street
Philadelphia, PA 19146
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