LSU School of Art professor Leslie Koptcho and students of the One of One Printmakers club will demonstrate printmaking and the arts of the book at the 2013 Louisiana Book Festival. Festivalgoers will be encouraged to experience firsthand the art of papermaking by forming their own sheets of paper, as well as observe basic bookbinding and printmaking demonstrations.

New to this year’s activities, One of One Printmakers will print T-shirts on demand. Patrons will be able to select their designs from an assortment of artistic woodblock designs, choose their colors, and then watch as their T-shirts are printed. A variety of original prints and books will also be on sale at the tent.

“The Louisiana Book Festival is a great community-engagement opportunity for printmaking students to share their art while educating visitors about handmade paper, fine bookbinding, and prints,” said Professor Leslie Koptcho, who teaches printmaking at the LSU School of Art.

Festivalgoer forming sheet of paper at Printmaking Booth

“Printmaking is one of the more communal of the fine arts,” said Veronica Hallock, vice president of the One of One Printmakers club, and a second-year printmaking graduate student at LSU. “Printmaking equipment is expensive, and consequently, printmakers often share facilities. This sharing engenders a sense of community that has become part and parcel of the process and mentality of the printmaking medium.”

Since its inception in 2002, the Louisiana Book Festival has brought nationally and internationally renowned authors and celebrities to Baton Rouge and has grown to attract crowds numbering in the tens of thousands. Rick Bragg, Tom Franklin, Nathaniel Rich, Louisiana Poet Laureate Ava Leavell Haymon, and Duck Dynasty’s Alan Robertson are among the authors and celebrities appearing at the festival this year.

With the exception of 2012 (due to budget constraints), the Printmaking area has participated in every Louisiana Book Festival since its inception. Rod Mills, former and founding director of the festival said, “the Louisiana Book Festival has become a much anticipated and nationally recognized, world-class cultural event; the papermaking/printmaking component has played an important role in this accomplishment.”

LSU printmaking graduate students demonstrating relief printing at Louisiana Book Festival

Printmaking demonstrations will occur throughout the day at the Louisiana Book Festival on Saturday, November 2, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For those looking for more opportunities to purchase affordable fine art, the One of One Printmaking Club is also hosting a print sale in front of the LSU Union November 18–21 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Stay up to date on LSU printmaking activities by liking One of One Printmakers on Facebook or sign up for news at oneofoneprintmakers.com.

The Louisiana Book Festival is free and produced by the Louisiana Center for the Book in the State Library of Louisiana. Come join the fun downtown at the State Library of Louisiana, the State Capitol, the Capitol Park Museum, and nearby locations. Visit louisianabookfestival.org for more information.

Bookbinding demonstrations and more at the Louisiana Book Festival

About Printmaking at LSU

The Printmaking area of the LSU School of Art offers a rich diversity of curricular study to support undergraduate (BFA) and graduate (MFA) programs. The conceptual development of the individual artist is emphasized while expertise and technical support are offered at all levels of instruction.

Its facilities are among the finest in the United States, enabling instruction in all media, including intaglio, lithography, relief, screen printing, digital printmaking, papermaking, and the arts of the book. Of particular note, printmaking at LSU is one of only a handful of programs equipped to encourage creativity at a large scale, appealing to students and visiting artists from throughout the world. Visit art.lsu.edu for more information.

Contact
Angela Harwood
Communications Coordinator
LSU College of Art + Design
102 Design Building
Baton Rouge, LA 70803
225-578-9041
aharwood@lsu.edu