The centrepiece of Start the Press! is a vintage, flatbed printing press from Wolverhampton School of Art, taking its position in the gallery as a form of occupation in the tradition of the student art-school sit-ins of the 1960s, and in response to the current challenging economic landscape. A cohort of West Midlands printmakers will operate the press, producing original prints and filling the gallery walls as work is made in real time.
Start the Press! includes a display of printmaking, including artworks by Lubaina Himid, David Hockney and Yinka Shonibare loaned from the Jerwood Collection. With funding from Freelands Foundation, Ikon Youth Programme and other educational groups will be introduced to the printmaking processes preserved in regional art schools.
This exhibition is supported by the Jerwood Foundation and Freelands Foundation.