In a hot, stuffy room in Seigfred Hall filled with prints, senior printmaking student Cary Hayes began measuring the backing for a print before promptly setting it down and leaving the room. She returned with a Save the Date for her wedding in May, which is doubling as her thesis project.
Hayes, however, won't be marrying a person. Instead, she will be marrying her passion and major: printmaking.
It was love at first sight
Hayes said. Printmaking really is a relationship. It has to be your lover. No matter what you're doing it always has to be on your mind.
Hayes's fellow printmaking students echoed her sentiments as they packaged prints to be sold at a pre-Valentine's Day print sale that will be held today, tomorrow and Friday at Seigfred Hall. The sale will feature hundreds of original prints from printmaking students and faculty at Ohio University.
These handmade original works of art are affordable and make great gifts for Valentine's Day said Art Werger, the professor of the printmaking class organizing the sale.
We're hoping to soak up the revenue of boyfriends who forgot to get their girlfriends anything else
said Britton Nicolson, another senior studying printmaking. Every year we have people who say
'What? Valentine's Day is coming up? Give me your nicest print!'
Proceeds from the print sale will be split fifty-fifty between the artists and the Athens Print Guild. The guild helps bring in visiting artists and pay for students to travel to annual conferences, Werger explained.
In order for the students to go to the Southern Graphics Council International Conference next month during finals week, they will require funding from the guild. The conference, held in St. Louis, brings together artists and scholars from around the world who are dedicated to printmaking.
Hopefully (the print sale) can help (the Guild) pay to send us next month
said Lauren Malik, another printmaking student.
The sale will feature 50 individual works of art from students and faculty, but there will be hundreds of prints for sale.
As printmakers
we make editions of all our works
so we can make hundreds of prints from one piece
Nicolson said. Suffice it to say
the variety and depth of prints available will yield prints everyone on campus can appreciate.
Although the sale is designed mainly to raise funds, it is also aimed at introducing students to the idea of marketing their own works, Nicolson added. Despite the profit involved, Hayes maintains that printmaking isn't a job.
It's a passion
not a job. That's why the wedding just makes sense
