The surroundings of Dartmouth Park will set the scene for two printmaking workshops with Gathering Press, a roving screen-printing unit initiated by artist Laura Onions. Gathering Press is an ongoing project based in the Black Country, considering how the narratives of place may be translated through making together. Drawing upon ideas of social sculpture, feminist geographies and histories of women’s printmaking collectives, the press allows exploration into what might happen when printmaking is unhinged from a single location.
Historically, political activism has been closely associated with printmaking, and within this the politics of the workshop: craft, autonomy and women’s liberation. With this in mind, the natural backdrop of the park and environment of the Pavilion will inform the printmaking process and our collective approach.
6th September: Introduction to mono-screen printing and collective image gathering.
20th September: Printed from previously gathered images and printing onto a variety of surfaces.
Through the workshops we will explore the potential of ‘making together’ as a way of negotiating ideas and generating discussions around experimental and wider uses of print. No prior experience is necessary and all materials will be provided. Outcomes from the sessions will be collated into a newsletter that will become a record of the workshops.
Please book for both dates if possible, as this is a two part workshop. You will need to check out for both dates manually.
Details
Access: Dartmouth Pavilion is a wheelchair accessible space, and is accessed via a concrete path through Dartmouth Park.
Places are limited, booking essential.
Book hereAbout Dartmouth Park
Dartmouth Park is an historic park between West Bromwich town centre and Sandwell Valley. Conceived as a space for leisure and relief from the toils of work, the opening of the park in 1878 was observed as a general holiday and attended by 40,000 becoming the social life of West Bromwich. In 2012 the park was restored, including the construction of a new Pavilion which hosts a cafe, toilets and space for the community to meet.
About Laura
Laura Onions is an artist in Wolverhampton. Her work addresses the inter-relations between beings, materials, and space from an educational and feminist perspective. Her work grows from context-specific and archival research resulting in a wide variety of forms including print-based objects, painting, writing, and workshopping. She has taught and created workshops in numerous contexts with museums, galleries, women’s groups, and community organisations in which a focus on co-creation and acts of making together have emerged as Laura’s approach. She currently teaches Fine Art at the University of Wolverhampton and since 2022 has been a co-director of Eagle Works, artist-led studios and project space in Wolverhampton.
BCN
This workshop is hosted as part of the BCN artist development programme. BCN is a space for mutual support, learning and knowledge sharing for artists in Sandwell and the Black Country. Find out more.
Location
The Pavilion,
Dartmouth Park,
Lloyd Street,
West Bromwich,
England,
B71 4AS.