Nowhere else will you see a steamroller driving over paper than the Southwest Print Fiesta, one of Silver City’s most popular annual events since it started in 2016. From workshops to gallery exhibitions to a marketplace, the weekend celebration of all things print returns in October.
Southwest Print Fiesta
Various venues, Silver City
October 10-13
“Last year, hundreds of people came from the region, including those from Arizona, Texas and Colorado,” says Kyle Durrie, Fiesta organizer and proprietress of Power & Light Press, Silver City’s print making and retail shop where many events will be held. “The Saturday outdoor Printers’ Market on downtown’s Main Street Plaza will have some 40 vendors offering a wonderful range of handmade items from $5 greeting cards and stickers, screen printed t-shirts and posters, hand-carved block prints on paper and fabric, all the way up to thousand-dollar lithographs. That’s the beauty of printing, it’s very accessible. People can develop a collection by shopping at a festival like this.”
This year, enjoy a special opening night presentation at the historic Silco Theater. Experts will speak on the history of film and how it connects to the history of print. This session sets the tone for a public art project by visiting Massachusetts artist Anna Hepler. She’s leading free community workshops where students will paste their prints on public walls throughout the weekend. Another visiting artist, Daniel Gonzalez from Los Angeles, will be teaching workshops on linoleum carving and typography and leading other community projects as well. Both will be giving talks on Sunday evening.
The crowd-favorite steamroller printing demonstration is an opportunity for four select artists to print their works live on 3 x3 foot pieces of linoleum. Artists slather ink, place paper on top, and then call in the steamroller to press it into a print. “It’s all done on the ground outside, and it’s really fun to watch,” says Durrie. “It’s loud and dirty and each print takes a while to do. At the end, the artist keeps one print and the original block. Fiesta keeps one for the archives. One is sold as a fund raiser for the Fiesta.”
Story by Kelly Koepe
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