Family Values, the print that Henrik Drescher made at the Washington University Collaborative Printmaking Workshop(1) in 1992, is yet another indication that the type of print coming out of the shop was changing.(2) When assembled, it was forty-nine inches wide, which was quite large by traditional print standards. In addition, rather than making a conventional etching, Drescher experimented by incorporating coffee stains, holes in the paper, and collaged elements that included images from commercial publications or handwritten notes. The work was a diptych backed with red Japanese paper, which was visible through holes in the print. Such diversions from established printmaking reveal that the WUCPW was no longer content to merely publish conventional prints. Instead, Peter Marcus, Joan Hall, and master printer Kevin Garber were now encouraging their visiting artists to think "outside of the box," to try untested processes that pushed the boundaries of the medium, while at the same time using the resources afforded them by the WUCPW. In addition to the master printers, the print shop could now offer a very large press, the papermaking expertise of Joan Hall, and the time and fresh energy of all the students who were available to assist in the production process. This unique combination of personnel, equipment, creativity, and an attitude that anything was possible began to give the work coming out of WUCPW the look that distinguishes it today.

Marilyn Kushner
Curator and Chair of the Department of Prints, Drawings, and Photographs
Brooklyn Museum of Art