Across from Johnson Center, one can observe a process that can only be seen at few places around the world.
That little-known process? Lithography, a craft that involves the chemical process of transferring a printed image to a metal plate, is taught at the Tamarind Institute, a renowned school for print-making.
Majorie Devon, the institute’s director, said Tamarind is in a class of its own.
“We are the only program in the world that trains master printers,” she said.
By teaching them complex skills and pairing them with an artist, Majorie said,.the Tamarind transforms students who have
degrees in printmaking, and often in fine arts, into pure creators.
Peter Haarz, a senior printer at Tamarind, said everyone is welcome to check out the craft, regardless of skill level.
Public tours are available by reservation on the first Friday of every month at 1:30 p.m. The Tamarind gallery is also open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m and will celebrate its 50th Birthday Bash from Sept. 10-12.
“I would encourage anybody to do this if they have any interest in print media in general or are interested in any craft or the preservation of that craft,” Haarz said.
The institute is so intent on educating the public that it designed its building to accommodate public lithograph viewing.
Passersby can walk along the side of the new glass Tamarind building and watch master printers in training create lithographs, Devon said.
Originally created in 1798, lithography is a little-known craft, despite its importance to the art community.
Haarz said it would be a shame if the art form isn’t preserved.
“It is a language, and it’s a language that not many people know how to use,” Haarz said. “It’s no different from a community of indigenous people being marginalized and losing their native language. If nobody preserves it, it will be lost. That is what Tamarind’s role is — to preserve that language.”
