About:
The Contemporary Print Media Research Center fosters a multidisciplinary research framework and develops integrative research and innovative projects in print media.
The Contemporary Print Media Research Center is located in the Baskin Art Department at the University of California Santa Cruz.
The landscape of contemporary print media today is evolving rapidly. Multidisciplinary art practice creates a growing community of print image-makers more and more closely joined by shared involvement in forward thinking research agendas with a keenness to adapt new techniques. These amalgamations have collectively encompassed other artistic modes and fields of visual study in the humanities, biology, science, engineering, and more. We envision participating in and facilitating this stimulating new global dialog and contributing to the future of developing print media practices.
The center will focus on practice-led research and a visiting artist/scholar program. It will build a contemporary arts digital archive and a permanent collection of works produced in multiples (prints, photos and book arts).
Projected goals;
- Foster a multidisciplinary research framework that extends far beyond traditional studio art practice
- Develop integrative research and innovative projects in print media that impact other artistic modes and disciplines
- Endeavors to publish new limited print editions created by and in collaboration with visiting artists & scholars
- Exchange information and knowledge in both theoretical and technical developments of projects through publications
- Collaborate with other individuals, industries and research entities, finding new materials and processes to push forward new possibilities in the field of contemporary print media
- Promote funding from grants, scholarships and donor support from local national, and/or international entities
Our campus:
Our campus lies on 2,001 acres of rolling hills with clusters of redwood forests and meadows overlooking Monterey Bay, along California’s Central Coast in close proximity to Silicon Valley and the Bay Area. It boasts natural wonders like Porter Caves, hiking trails and an open space reserve called Pogonip, and multiple views of California’s trademark Redwoods. The UCSC campus with world-class facilities, has one of the most visually spectacular settings in higher education in the country. In 2015, the Princeton Review listed UC Santa Cruz among the top greenest schools in the country.
Our Center is proudly a part of this beautiful campus and it will be an integral foundation for our creative inspiration.
UCSC Print Media
The UC Santa Cruz Art Department offers an outstanding undergraduate print media Program. Our curriculum introduces students to a full spectrum of traditional and contemporary print media practices. The concepts of multiplicity and reproduction are explored through new approaches to an ancient artistic practice that incorporates contemporary social contexts. It is one of the most popular and vibrant programs in the arts at UCSC, exploring the relationship of contemporary print practice to visual culture. Our program develops depth beyond the mere mastery of specific printmaking methodologies, moving from technical skill toward a conceptual grasp of issues and trends.
Students are given access to state-of-the-art digital facilities as well as a wide range of traditional printmaking equipment for intaglio, stone and plate lithography, relief and mixed media, photo-based printmaking, screen printing and digital printmaking. Through lectures, class discussions and individual contact with Printmaking faculty and staff, students receive a grounding in the history of the media, contemporary theory, and encouragement to develop their own ideas.
The UCSC print studio is considered one of the finest on the West Coast. Our two large studios accommodate working facilities in all forms of printmaking with views of the breathtaking Monterey Bay.