Author: Jessie Katz, Second Year, Undeclared

Amount Requested: $635.21

 

Intaglio printmaking is a method of printing where an image is etched into a metal plate, and transferred with ink from the plate on to a piece of paper.  It is an art form that has been practiced for many hundreds of years, and is still used today with the traditional methods largely intact.   Many of the materials used in the process, however, can be harmful to human health and to the environment.  For example, the metal plate is cleaned using rubbing alcohol and mineral spirits, both of which are dangerous if ingested or inhaled for a long period of time.  It is likely that the artist will be in contact with many chemicals for a prolonged time, due to the slow nature of the intaglio process.  The intaglio process has environmental harms as well; for example, paper towels and newspapers that become covered in solvents (mineral spirits, alcohol, and others) must be put in separate trash cans to be incinerated, which can put harmful chemicals into the air. 

 

The goal of this project is to study the exact effects of all of the materials that are used in intaglio printmaking, and then find alternative materials that may be less harmful to the health of the artist and to the environment.  This will involve researching each material used in intaglio printmaking to determine how harmful it is, and then research into possible alternative materials that will function the same way without the dangers that traditional materials pose.  It is extremely important to keep in mind the art process itself and understand how changing a certain material may change the methods used to make prints.  The intaglio process should be kept as intact as possible, which may prove to be the biggest challenge faced in this project.  In order to ensure that the alternative materials will function as intended without altering the intaglio process drastically, a new plate will be made for each new method or alternative material that is being tested.  If the method does not work successfully, more research will be done to find another possibility.  The research will culminate in the creation of an entire book of prints taken from each one of these plates, so that a progression will be shown through the book toward being made with completely safe materials.

 

This project intends to help artists by informing them of the potential hazards involved in intaglio printmaking.  It will provide information about safer alternative materials that may be used to make prints, and will encourage artists to utilize these options in order to protect their own health and help preserve the environment.