Where lithography lives: UNM’s Tamarind Institute's fall community gatherings

What is lithography, you might ask? If you ask Ben Schoenburg, curator for the Tamarind Institute, he'll tell you it's a vibrant mix of artistry and chemistry.

Brandon Gunn, Tamarind's education director, explains that "in the hands of knowledgeable artists and printers, lithography is a powerful tool of creativity." Watch him give a brief introduction to lithography.

At its core, lithography is a type of printmaking based on the principle that oil and water repel each other. For example, a design is drawn on a flat surface, usually a limestone slab, using an oil-based substance, and then treated with a chemical that repels water. Using a press machine that presses the design onto paper with more than 1,000 psi, the image transfers to the paper.

The Tamarind Institute was founded in 1960 by June Wayne, initially called The Tamarind Lithography Workshop, named after the avenue where it was first located in Los Angeles. Since its inception, Tamarind has continued to inspire generations of lithographers.

Today, Tamarind is a division of UNM's College of Fine Arts and it is where lithography lives. Tamarind-trained printers are leaders in the field, from hosting workshops to leading university print departments and independent print shops worldwide.

Through these activities and community gatherings, Tamarind is preserving and advancing the art form through collaboration. It is a place where passionate artists, printers, students, educators and collectors converge.

Tamarind offers artist residency programs, including those supported by the Frederick Hammersley Artist Residencyprogram. The most recent Hammersley recipient is UNM alumnus Raven Chacon, a Pulitzer Prize-winning local composer who will speak on his residency and upcoming citywide performance at Albuquerque Museum this month.

"Raven's Tiguex project, both the lithograph and the super-composition, are great examples of the kind of layered, complex and yet hugely accessible projects not only supported at Tamarind, but emerging directly from UNM alumni and the New Mexico community at large," said Marissa Fassano, Tamarind's gallery director.

Fassano also shared that "Raven is an internationally renowned artist who is reflecting on his roots and what fueled his love of music and sound art in Tiguex. Tamarind honors its own roots with every artist residency by carrying forward Wayne's founding mission to preserve lithography while continually revitalizing the medium through the perspectives of each resident artist and printer in training."

Visit Ravon Chacon's artist webpage to learn more about his life and artwork.

The Tamarind team invites you to join them and Raven Chacon to learn about lithography in an afternoon of workshop demonstrations, gallery tours and a look at Tamarind's summer exhibition: Fritz Scholder: 1974-1984.