About | Smpprint

About Us

Mandate

St. Michael’s Printshop (SMP) exists to develop and grow printmaking as a participatory and accessible art form. SMP provides the facilities and opportunity for visual artists from across the province, Canada, and internationally, as well as for its local community, to learn and engage in the art of printmaking. One of the province’s few artist-run centres and the only artist-run printmaking studio, SMP promotes and continues to push the boundaries of printmaking as a contemporary art form. SMP provides space and specialized equipment for artists to work, educational opportunities through scholarships and workshops, and residencies through its visiting artist program.

A photograph with a color transition overlay (teal to purple). Two women printmakers stand in the foreground, wearing masks. They are printing on a teeny tiny print press at an art market. In the background there are other vendors and market attendees.

mission

The operation of a year-round, fully equipped printmaking facility and public gallery
Providing artist residencies to local and visiting artists, to explore printmaking in the creative, collaborative, environment with regular interaction with the local community.
Providing low cost and free workshops to artists and the public as an opportunity for them to learn and engage in printmaking processes.
Providing gallery space so that members of the general public can view and appreciate contemporary print work.
Providing opportunities for the exchange of artistic ideas between artists and the community through public events, artist talks, workshops and open studio nights.
Facilitating and promoting activities that encourage exchange and education on technical and philosophical issues related to contemporary print and art practices on a local, national, and international level.
Engaging in exchange activities with other artist-run centre printshops, as well as galleries, across Canada.
Preserve a Print Archives Collection that holds one print from each edition printed in the studio since its inception in 1972 to promote and share our ongoing and vibrant history.

vision

St. Michael’s Printshop (SMP) strives to be a leading organization that can facilitate the foundation for diversifying the arts sector in the province. We intend to be self-examining and responsive as an institution, while also acting as a catalyst for the arts community. SMP is the only publicly accessible printshop in Newfoundland and Labrador. We strive and aim to be more integral to the arts and local community, and will do so through the following:

Continued work toward addressing oppression within the shop to make it a more welcoming and meaningfully inclusive space.
Work to become more financially sustainable
Offer more low cost and free programming to our local community and be more of a community resource, gathering spot and artistic hub.
Update the facilities to include more digital methods to keep up with changing and expanding contemporary printmaking processes.
Increase artist fees and ways in which we support artists locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally.
Increase our presence across the province of Newfoundland and Labrador with initiatives such as a portable/touring printing press.
Partner with existing artist-run printmaking centres across Canada to increase our programming and reach.
Obtain a building to ensure longevity and stability as an organization as well as expand our printmaking capabilities.

A black and white photograph at the old printshop location in St Michael's. A printing press is wrapped up, and suspended from a crane, surrounded by four people as they remove it from the printshop.

Our History

St Michael’s Printshop was formed in 1974 in St Michael’s, a small, rural outport community in NL. It was founded by two artists and printmakers Heidi Oberheide and Don Wright. They founded the printshop with the help and material support from Memorial University’s Extension Services and started an informal visiting artist program that grew over the years. Artists came from all over, and were drawn to the quiet but wild landscape the printshop was situated in. In its first 15 years SMP attracted many local and visiting artists from across the country including: Frank Lapointe, Mary Pratt, Christopher Pratt, Jerry Evans, Bill Ritchie, Anne Meredith Barry, David Umholtz, Otis Tamasauskas, among others.

In 1986 SMP relocated to its current location; an old sail loft in the heart of St John’s and along the waterfront. Along with the move came a shift and a rededication to promoting printmaking and facilitating the development of print artists. It was during this time of transformation that SMP established the Don Wright scholarship in memory of co-founder Don Wright. This scholarship provides one emerging artist, or recent BFA graduate, with $1000, free access to the printshop for a year, and an exhibition in the gallery.

SMP has continued its Visiting Artist Program to this day, each year hosting six visual artists for one month each. During the residency artists make work in the printshop, connect with the SMP community, and host a workshop of their choosing, sharing their specialized knowledge with the local print community. In recent years and in an effort to address accessibility issues at SMP (we are located on the second floor with stair access only) we acquired a mobile printing press that we bring to local outdoor events and community spaces. SMP continues to grow its membership and holds a variety of intro to advanced workshops for local artists, community members, and visitors.

Since its founding 49 years ago, St. Michael’s Printshop has published 2 books, hosted 270 visiting artists, awarded 29 Don Wright scholarships and holds a print archive of over 3500 prints that were created in the printshop. SMP hopes to continue this trajectory while expanding and growing to best serve our local, national, and international arts community.