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In the turbulent times of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s become clear just how much the world really needs its artists, creatives, and visionaries as more and more people turn to the fine arts to stay sane. Human beings will always have a drive to create art, especially in a crisis – a fact that has been proven across the centuries – but as social distancing forces many artists away from their studios, facilities, and materials, the questions of how? and by what means?  become more important. Carthage students and faculty in the Fine Arts departments are no exception, but the move to distance learning means that they are having to work together to find new, creative ways to continue practicing their art at home.

Josh Hoffman '20 Josh Hoffman '20One creative solution comes from Prof. Lisa Bigalke’s Printmaking Class, who are working to create Intaglio prints from home to share with other students in the form of postcards. Prior to campus closures, Prof. Bigalke says that the printmaking class was just breaking out of “the discovery stage of class… practicing with materials, and learning the press”, and they were looking forward to making their own prints to share with the campus community.

And then…the COVID-19 pandemic began.

“A few years ago, it would have been impossible to teach this printmaking process at home”, says Prof. Lisa Bigalke. “The plates are normally made from copper, zinc, plexi glass or steel and therefore too rigid, and the traditional oil based inks are too stiff. Even a very strong human would not be able to provide the force needed to print these materials without a press.” Why? The intricate designs are only printed onto the paper from the areas of the plates that are recessed: that is, the parts hardest to actually get onto the paper! And because of this, the process usually requires a press.

Crissa Wolf '22 Crissa Wolf '22But all of that changed with a printmaking innovation a few years ago, when printmakers discovered that PVC sheets could hold a scratched mark – and could therefore be used for plates. Further experimentation in the last few 15 years led to the development of water-based inks that are less harmful to the environment than traditional petroleum-based oil inks and “looser”, which makes them far easier to print with. Upon learning that classes would have to move online, Prof. Bigalke quickly capitalized upon these innovations.

“Not going to lie, I freaked out for about 5 minutes,” says Prof. Bigalke. But then she started to get creative. “I thought well, what if we could print with a rolling pin, brayer, or spoon,” she said. So when campus closures began, Prof. Bigalke spent the interim period prior to virtual learning “experimenting…to develop a technique that would make it possible to print Intaglio at home” using these new materials.

And needless to say, she was successful.

She sent her students video examples of her new at-home printing process, and the eager artists quickly got down to work. Soon afterwards, examples of the class’s work posted on Prof. Bigalke’s Instagram account received a shout out from ink company AKUA and other printmakers, “saying how awesome [it] was” that they were finding ways to keep printing during safer-at-home orders.

Leslie Arriaga '20 Leslie Arriaga '20Now, Prof. Bigalke’s students are using their newfound home printing skills to make prints in the form of postcards to send to friends and family. This endeavor, begun by Prof. Kimberly Greene’s Three-Dimensional Design class, is yet another example of how students, faculty, friends, and family are reaching out to stay connected during these difficult and tense times. Art will always survive, no matter what happens – and Professor Bigalke and her students are certainly proving it with their beautiful at-home prints.