For Children’s Book Week, the Printing Museum is excited to offer three 45-minute kids classes! Each session will include a reading of the storybook and a related printing craft. Admission to the museum is included in this special event pricing so families are encouraged to explore the museum before or after the “Pages and Printing” session. You are also more than welcome to stay for more than one of the sessions.
You can sign up in advance or sign up day of when you arrive at the museum.
Explore a Printing Press!
11:00 – 11:45am
Join us as we read “Johann Gutenberg & the Amazing Printing Press” by Bruce Koscielniak. Re-live the pivotal moment when Gutenberg introduced the printing press to Europe! Learn how books were made by hand, leading up to the Gutenberg press and how the press changed bookmaking and sharing of information and ideas. After the reading, learn how to print on the museum’s Gutenberg Press replica!
Join us as we read “A Carp for Kimiko by Virginia Kroll. Learn about Japanese tradition and culture through the eyes of a young girl and discover the fascinating history of decorating with fish. After the story, kids will get a chance to use rubber fish molds to mimic the 19th century Japanese printing technique known as Gyotaku Printing (fish printing).
Join us as we read “Click Clack, Moo Cows That Type” by Doreen Cronin. Laugh as we enjoy the typing antics of the cows, hens and ducks on Farmer Brown’s farm. After the reading, enjoy exploring type on two of the museum’s operating typewriters and making stencil prints of animals such as our new farm friends!
This event takes place outside near the University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work at 3511 Cullen Boulevard, Houston, TX 77004
As a part of the University of Houston’s “Family & Community Day: Big Walls Big Dreams”
The Printing Museum will be hosting a gyotaku fish printing activity! Gyotaku (meaning “fish impression”) is a form of nature printing where each print is one-of-a-kind and originally used by Japanese fisherman to record their catch. Come learn about this fun form of printing and make your own unique fish prints; we will be using tempera paints and silicon fish molds (sorry, no fresh fish).
Join the University of Houston for a free, all-ages event featuring a new mural by Houston artist DUAL, part of UP Art Studio’s city-wide Big Walls, Big Dreams Festival. Meet the artist and explore his colorful creations. Join Break Free Worldwide for a breakdance performance and workshop, leave your mark on a collaborative Art Wall, move to the music and take your own DJ skills for a spin. Create a unique gyotaku print with The Printing Museum’s teaching artists and make art-inspired crafts take home. Purchase a picnic lunch from the Allseason Eats Food Truck and enjoy a complimentary snack courtesy of UH Dining Services.
This in-person workshop (11AM – 3PM) explores pre-xerox copier technology and how contemporary artists and writers can use these low-cost techniques to publish editions of zines, chapbooks, prints, and flyers. We’ll begin by examining the history of office copying technology and how marginalized creators adopted these techniques in the early 20th century. Next, we’ll dive into demos of making master sheets, operation of vintage copiers, and creating your own simple copiers from off-the-shelf materials. Finally, participants will have full access to all of the materials and equipment to create their own editions with guidance from the instructor. We will explore hectography (gelatin printing) mimeography (stencil printing) and spirit duplication (alcohol transfers, also known as “ditto”).
Workshop 11AM-1PM: History, Technology and demos 1:30PM-3PM: Hands-on work session
Register for the workshop, the drop-in session, or both for a full day of fun! Registration includes all materials and supplies.
Visiting artist Rich Dana will be at The Printing Museum for a special all-day event that includes a four-hour intensive workshop for artists and zine-makers ages 16 and up, and an hour-and-a-half drop-in session for the copier-curious of all ages.
About the instructor: Rich Dana teaches at the Center for the Book & School of Library and Information Science at the University of Iowa. A zine-maker, Rich is a lover of arcane technologies, visionary art, and analog anarchy. Rich also runs Obsolete Press, creating limited edition books and zines with artists and writers from around the world, editing and publishing OBSOLETE! Magazine, and teaching workshops on historical printing techniques and zine-making. His latest book is “Cheap Copies!: The OBSOLETE! Press Guide to DIY Hectography, Mimeography & Spirit Duplication”.
Celebrate the machine that Thomas Edison called “The Eighth Wonder of the World.”
Designed by Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1885, “Linotype” literally means “line of type.” The Linotype Machine was the first machine at which a person could use a keyboard to compose a single line of type, and cast it in lead, called a “slug”. The Linotype machine revolutionized typesetting, moving the craft from laborious hand-setting individual letters, to swiftly mechanically casting an entire line of type.
Don’t miss this special chance to see our Linotype Model 31 in action, casting hot metal type! This Linotype machine, manufactured by Mergenthaler Linotype Co, dates from the 1950s. It was operated for several years at the Houston Chronicle, where as many as 35 of these machines were used to produce the daily and weekend editions. This machine was last employed commercially in the 1980s by a local typographer.
We’ll be casting type from noon to 3pm, if you would like to have YOUR OWN line of type. Your donation supports the care, preservation, and display of the Linotype machine and The Printing Museum’s mission to ignite creativity, foster tangible self-expression, and champion the history and power of print.
Showing in the theater:
Farewell, Etaoin Shrdlu (1978) – Filmed on July 1, 1978, this documentary by David Loeb Weiss chronicles the end of “hot type” at The New York Times — and the introduction of computers into The Times’s printing process. [29m]
Linotype: The Film (2012) – A feature-length documentary film centered around the Linotype typecasting machine invented by Ottmar Mergenthaler in 1886. [1h 16m]
Have you inherited fabric that is in need of refreshing? Are you looking for new approaches to keeping textiles out of landfills? Block printing on fabric can bring a sophistication and contemporary twist to many dated textiles. Using a variety of fabrics, Michelle Wiebe will walk you through how to design and print with linocut blocks that can work with existing patterns and colors of fabric to make your cloth stunning. During this interactive demonstration we will also discuss basic color mixing, choosing palettes that complement the base material as well as troubleshooting. There will be plenty of time to answer questions, so have some samples of your fabric or sketches of your project on hand to get all the information you need to start printing.
Location: Online via Zoom. We are planning to make a recording of the program available to everyone who has registered, so you will be able to watch the entire program at your convenience even if you can’t join us live.
UPDATE: Originally February 19th, due to severe winter weather in and around Houston, this workshop has been rescheduled for March 19th.
Explore the possibilities of Linocut printmaking to create expressive patterns on textiles. Join artist, Michelle Wiebe, as she guides students through this versatile fabric printing technique. In this fun, fast paced demonstration, students will learn basic linocut skills, fabric preparation and they types of ink that can be used for permanent prints. Also covered will be pattern development, custom color mixing and all sorts of tips and tricks for success. Learn new ways to transform fabric into custom printed works of art using basic materials found at your local art store. There will also be plenty of time for questions throughout this interactive event, participants who have sketches and ideas, need troubleshooting on current projects or fabrics they’d like to work with are encouraged to keep them at hand for specific advice on achieving successful prints.
Location: Online via Zoom. We are planning to make a recording of the program available to everyone who has registered, so you will be able to watch the entire program at your convenience even if you can’t join us live.
Explore the possibilities of Linocut printmaking to create expressive patterns on textiles. Join artist, Michelle Wiebe, as she guides students through this versatile fabric printing technique. In this fun, fast paced demonstration, students will learn basic linocut skills, fabric preparation and they types of ink that can be used for permanent prints. Also covered will be pattern development, custom color mixing and all sorts of tips and tricks for success. Learn new ways to transform fabric into custom printed works of art using basic materials found at your local art store. There will also be plenty of time for questions throughout this interactive event, participants who have sketches and ideas, need troubleshooting on current projects or fabrics they’d like to work with are encouraged to keep them at hand for specific advice on achieving successful prints.
Registration: $50. Members receive a 10% discount. Become a member today! Members must log in to activate the discount. If you don’t have a login, please contact us at info[at]printingmuseum.org.
Location: Online via Zoom. We are planning to make a recording of the program available to everyone who has registered for several weeks afterwards, so you will be able to watch the entire program at your convenience even if you can’t join us live.
Cancellations and refund requests must be made a minimum of three days (72 hours) prior to the first class date, by calling (713) 522-4652.
This three-hour online class features discussion and demonstrations of a variety of printmaking techniques using a craft die-cutting machine. Also called Craft Presses, some adventurous printmakers have discovered that these roller presses originally designed for craft embossing and die-cutting offer a small, inexpensive and portable alternative to big expensive etching and printing presses. Common brands include We R Memory Keepers Evolution Adjustable Die-Cutting and Embossing Machine, Bira Adjustable Cutting and Embossing Machine, Sizzix Big Shot and Big Shot Pro, QuicKutz Epic Six Tabletop Die Cutting & Embossing Machine, Fiskars Fuse Creativity Die Cut Machine and more.
Techniques covered:
Inking, impression and registration
Dampening paper
Relief printing with unmounted linoleum: one-color, reduction and multiple blocks
Low-relief collagraphs
Monotypes
Drypoint Intaglio
Each student will receive a detailed pdf handout with resources prior to the class. Printed examples of the techniques presented by Rebecca will be mailed to each participant following the class!
Registration: $75. Members receive a 10% discount. Become a member today! Members must log in to activate the discount. If you don’t have a login, please contact us at info[at]printingmuseum.org.
Location: Online via Zoom. We are planning to make a recording of the program available to everyone who has registered for several weeks afterwards, so you will be able to watch the entire program at your convenience even if you can’t join us live.
Cancellations and refund requests must be made a minimum of three days (72 hours) prior to the first class date, by calling (713) 522-4652.
Explore the possibilities of Linocut printmaking to create expressive patterns on textiles. Join artist, Michelle Wiebe, as she guides students through this versatile fabric printing technique. In this fun, fast paced demonstration, students will learn basic linocut skills, fabric preparation and they types of ink that can be used for permanent prints. Also covered will be pattern development, custom color mixing and all sorts of tips and tricks for success. Learn new ways to transform fabric into custom printed works of art using basic materials found at your local art store. There will also be plenty of time for questions throughout this interactive event, participants who have sketches and ideas, need troubleshooting on current projects or fabrics they’d like to work with are encouraged to keep them at hand for specific advice on achieving successful prints.
Members must log in to activate the discount. If you don’t have a login, please contact us at info[at]printingmuseum.org.
Location: Online via Zoom. We are planning to make a recording of the program available to everyone who has registered, so you will be able to watch the entire program at your convenience even if you can’t join us live.
Cancellations and refund requests must be made a minimum of three days (72 hours) prior to the first class date, by calling (713) 522-4652.
Learn how to design and print using tessellation patterns – the art of repeating motifs. This versatile type of design is useful for a variety of surfaces: paper, fabric and even décor! Join Michelle Wiebe as she guides you through the principals of creating linoleum blocks that create a grand motif when printed in tandem. She will provide tips, techniques and multiple approaches for simple to complex interlocking designs. Also discussed will be surface and ink considerations for a wide range of projects. This interactive demonstration includes places for lots of questions so that you can take this information and start customizing it to your projects with confidence.
Location: Online via Zoom. We are planning to make a recording of the program available to everyone who has registered, so you will be able to watch the entire program at your convenience even if you can’t join us live.
