The California Society of Printmakers (CSP) is the oldest continuously operating association of printmakers and friends of printmakers in the United States. CSP is a non-profit arts organization with an international membership of print artists and supporters of the art of fine

printmaking Printmaking is the process of creating artworks by printing, normally on paper, but also on fabric, wood, metal, and other surfaces. "Traditional printmaking" normally covers only the process of creating prints using a hand processed techniq ...

. CSP promotes professional development and opportunity for printmakers, and educates artists and the public about printmaking. New members are admitted by portfolio review. Friends, Institutional and Business members are admitted by fee. CSP is based in the

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

Bay Area, California.

Early history: American print clubs (printmakers societies) and California Society of Etchers (CSE)

American print clubs or printmaking societies were prolific in the 19th century. Their impetus was primarily exhibition, technical exchange, shared equipment, and the promotion of printmaking as a fine art, as opposed to a method of reproducing images. The invention of photography meant that reproduction of art works could be achieved photographically instead of through the graphic arts of etching, engraving, and lithography. Thus, these methods of printmaking were freed from their reproducing role to develop as pure fine arts. In addition to the rise of printmaking societies/clubs, individual printmaking artists also sought to distinguish their work as a fine art, as opposed to a craft. Generally these artists from the 19th century were referred to as painter-etchers. Nineteenth century printmaking societies in the United States were the New York Etchers Club (1877), Boston Etchers Club (1880?), Philadelphia Society of Etchers (1880), Brooklyn Etchers Club (1881), Brooklyn Scratchers Club (1882), Society of American Etchers (1888), Cincinnati Etchers Club (circa 1890). Early 20th century printmaking societies were the very influential

Chicago Society of Etchers Chicago Society of Etchers was founded in January 1910, the first organization of etchers in the country. There were 20 members to start and by 1930 there were 150 members. Membership extended outside of the United States, including artists from En ...

(1910), begun and promoted by

Bertha Jaques Bertha Evelyn Jaques (October 24, 1863 – March 30, 1941) was an American etcher and cyanotype photographer. Jaques helped found the Chicago Society of Etchers, an organization that would become internationally significant for promoting etching ...

. After the Chicago Society, a flurry of other printmakers' societies followed. Next was the California Society of Etchers (1912), the Los Angeles group called the Printmakers of California (1914), and the Brooklyn Society of Etchers (1915). The California Society of Etchers (CSE) merged with Bay Printmakers Society in 1968 when the current name, California Society of Printmakers (CSP), was adopted. Throughout the 1950s and well into the 1980s short histories of the society penned by various elected officers always referred to CSE/CSP as " the second oldest" continuous operating club in the United States. However, these historians failed to mention what the oldest society was. A little research revealed that the oldest American society of printmakers was the Chicago Society of Etchers. The California Society of Etchers was very aware of its Chicago predecessor, as the Chicago founder

encouraged printmakers to establish their own local societies. Jaques also joined the California Society of Etchers in 1913, when non-resident members were first admitted. The Chicago Society of Etchers ceased operations in 1956, leaving California Society of Printmakers as the longest lived printmakers' society in the U.S.

Origins of the California Society of Etchers (CSE)

The California Society of Etchers (CSE) was founded in San Francisco in December 1912 and announced in the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' on January 19, 1913 ("Etchers Form a State Organization", p. 27). Several sources cite an earlier 1911 date, such Marilyn S. Kushner's detailed chapter, "Genesis of the Twentieth-Century Print Club", although she does not cite her source. Robert B. Harshe, founder, and later first president of California Society of Etchers, leaves the founding date ambiguous in his chapter in the 1916 book, ''Art in California''. His chapter mentions the four years of the society, although the chapter itself is undated. Mary Millman and Dave Bohn's very thorough biography of John W. Winkler, cited above, supports the CSE founding date of 1912. The founding of CSE is intimately connected with the Panama-Pacific International Exposition (PPIE), a world's fair held in 1915 in San Francisco to showcase the city's recovery from the 1906 earthquake. It was Joseph Pennell, scheduled to be a juror for this event, who inspired a handful of local printmakers to launch the California Society of Etchers in preparation for that great event. Pennell, perhaps the best known American etcher, local to New York City and London, had traveled to Panama to sketch the construction of the Canal, then traveled to San Francisco where he produced a series of etchings of San Francisco, exhibiting them in 1912 in San Francisco. It is said that his presence in San Francisco achieved its purpose: encouraging local printmakers to get prepared and organized to take advantage of the promotional opportunities afforded by the upcoming San Francisco PPIE, the largest display of original art work of its time. The four founders of the California Society of Etchers were artist colleagues: Robert B. Harshe (1879–1938), himself an etcher and then art professor at Stanford University; Pedro Joseph J. Lemos (1882–1954), then etcher and professor at the San Francisco Institute of Art (now

San Francisco Art Institute San Francisco Art Institute (SFAI) was a private college of contemporary art in San Francisco, California. Founded in 1871, SFAI was one of the oldest art schools in the United States and the oldest west of the Mississippi River. Approximately ...

);

Gottardo Piazzoni Gottardo Fidele Piazzoni (1872–1945) was a Swiss-born American landscape painter, muralist and sculptor of Italian heritage, a key member of the school of Northern California artists in the early 1900s. Life and career Born in Intragna, Switz ...

(1872–1945), painter and muralist; and

Ralph Stackpole Ralph Ward Stackpole (May 1, 1885 – December 10, 1973) was an American sculptor, painter, muralist, etcher and art educator, San Francisco's leading artist during the 1920s and 1930s. Stackpole was involved in the art and causes of social realis ...

(1885–1973), a sculptor, printmaker, and at that time Piazzoni's studio assistant. The young organization began exhibiting immediately, with its first annual exhibition in April 1913 at Vickery, Atkins and Torrey Print Gallery, 550 Sutter Street, San Francisco. Its second annual exhibition was also held in 1913. Admission of artist members to the Society was originally not by juried portfolio review, as it is today. Then the society was open to all artists, painters and sculptors alike, any artist who had experience with etching techniques. Artist membership was expanded beyond California in 1913 to include artists throughout the United States as well as American printmakers living abroad. It is not clear when precisely CSE began accepting international printmakers, but 1964 was CSE's first major international print competition. The primary purpose of the Society was exhibition and education, promoting printmaking as a fine art, and sharing workspace and equipment. Non-artist members, then as now, were accepted as Associate or Patron members. Membership in both artist and associate categories grew quickly. The four founding members grew to fifteen charter members, those who were members at the time of publication of the first Constitution of the CSE in 1915; among these charter members was

Gertrude Partington Albright Gertrude Partington Albright (September 11, 1874 – September 7, 1959) was a British-born American artist known for portrait etchings and her Cubism-influenced California landscapes. She taught at the California School of Fine Arts for nearly thi ...

.Hailey, Gene, ed
"Gertrude Partington Albright"
''California Art Research 15 (1937): 31-54. By 1925 there were 41 artist members and 107 associate members. Among the most prominent associate members were the Moore S. Achenbachs, the Sigmund Sterns, Dr. Leon Kolb, the Milton Esbergs, the Zellerbachs,

Albert M. Bender Albert Maurice Bender (June 18, 1866 – March, 4 1941) was an German-American art collector who was one of the leading patrons of the arts in San Francisco in the 1920s and 1930s. He played a key role in the early career of Ansel Adams and w ...

, and institutions such as the De Young Museum, Oakland Public Library, and the Print Club of Albany New York.

Mid-Century

California Society of Etchers (CSE) had enjoyed a dedicated executive secretary, Nicholas Dunphy (1896–1955), for more than 20 years, from 1932 to his death in 1955. Understandably, Dunphy's death created a huge hole in CSE's leadership. Nonetheless, annual membership shows continued except for the year of his death, with Elizabeth Ginno (1911–1991) becoming secretary after Dunphy's death. Ginno, Ginno's husband John W. Winkler, aka Winks (1890–1979), and Mark Luca (1918–2005), were active CSE members between 1955 and 1968, the year that CSE merged with Bay Printmakers Society to form California Society of Printmakers (CSP)

Bay Printmakers Society

In 1955 two graduate students from Oakland's California College of Arts and Crafts (now the

California College of the Arts California College of the Arts (CCA) is a private art school in San Francisco, California. It was founded in Berkeley, California in 1907 and moved to a historic estate in Oakland, California in 1922. In 1996 it opened a second campus in San ...

) were eager for exhibition opportunities. According t
Jean Womack
former CSP historian

(1929–2020) an

(1928–1994) placed an ad in a national art magazine announcing themselves as the Bay Printmakers Society hosting a national exhibition. Work was to be sent to the address cited even though a location for the actual show had not yet been established. As the work poured in, Paul Mills, then director of the

Oakland Museum The Oakland Museum of California or OMCA (formerly the Oakland Museum) is an interdisciplinary museum dedicated to the art, history, and natural science of California, located adjacent to Oak Street, 10th Street, and 11th Street in Oakland, Cal ...

of Art, provided the venue, and remained a strong supporter during the next five national exhibitions. The first exhibition was juried by John Paul Jones, respected printmaker from UCLA. The jurying took place at the home of Eldon Mills, friend of Mel Strawn, and an active supporter of Bay Printmakers; it was monitored/observed by Sabro Hasegawa, a visiting teacher from Japan at CCAC. Charter members of the Bay Printmakers Society included artists

Beth Van Hoesen Beth Van Hoesen (1926 – November 26, 2010), sometimes known as Beth Van Hoesen Adams, was an American artist who was best known for her prints and drawings of animals and botanical subjects. Biography Elizabeth "Beth" Marie Van Hoesen wa ...

(1926–2010 )
John Ihle
(1925–2002),

Karl Kasten Karl Albert Kasten (March 5, 1916 – May 3, 2010) was a painter-printmaker-educator in the San Francisco Bay Area. Early life Kasten, fourth child of Ferdinand Kasten and his wife Barbara Anna Kasten, grew up in San Francisco's Richmond D ...

(1916–2010 ),

Nathan Oliveira Nathan Oliveira (December 19, 1928 – November 13, 2010) was an American painter, printmaker, and sculptor, born in Oakland, California to immigrant Portuguese parents. Since the late 1950s, Oliveira has been the subject of nearly one hundred ...

(1928–2010 ), Gordon Cook (1927–1985), Virginia Vandegrift, and art collector Eldon Mills. Their activities were focused exclusively on the national show. Between 1955 and 1960, Bay Printmakers generally had one-person juries for their open national shows. After John Paul Jones, BPS jurors were printmaker Leonard Edmondson (1916–2002); poet

Kenneth Patchen Kenneth Patchen (December 13, 1911January 8, 1972) was an American poet and novelist. He experimented with different forms of writing and incorporated painting, drawing, and jazz music into his works, which have been compared with those of Will ...

(1911–1972); and Director of the Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Ernst Gunter Troche (1909–1971). Between 1959 and 1965 CSE created three-person jury teams for their national open, juried print exhibitions. These generally consisted of one artist member, one critic, and one museum curator. In 1959 the jurors were Ernest Freed, John Winkler, and John LaPlante. In 1960 the jurors were Doel Reed, E. Gunter Troche, and Raymond E. Lewis. Other CSE national annual jurors were: 1961 Gordon Cook; 1965 Wayne Thiebaud, Alan Lynch, and Moses Lasky.

Merger History: California Society of Etchers Joins Bay Printmakers

In 1968 Ginno invited Bay Printmaker member John Ihle to join CSE, probably the first dual member of both organizations. Ginno then approached Bay Printmaker president

, who had help create the etching studios at the new San Francisco State University campus in 1949 and then joined UC Berkeley's art department in printmaking, about the possibility of merging CSE and BPS. Kasten took up the suggestion immediately. Both organizations met at the Oakland Museum in 1968 and approved the merger, electing Kasten as the first president of the new society, which they named California Society of Printmakers. A new constitution was created, and exhibitions, education of members and the public, and publications continued.

CSP Today

Currently CSP has approximately 270 artist members, 20 honorary members, 10 lifetime members, and 10 friend and institutional members. Recent and continuing programs include: educationally focused public outreach and engagement activities, artist residencies, commissioned prints, studio visits and demonstrations, visiting artist talks and workshops, portfolio projects, shelter-in-place grants, membership engagement grants, a book group, and a wide variety of exhibition opportunities. In 2020, a program titled ''Brief Histories of California Printmakers,'' was initiated to address racial and gender parity in California's rich history of printmaking. Membership benefits include self-managed website portfolios, receipt of all publications, and a wide range of engagement and professional opportunities. CSP publishes the annual ''California Printmaker Journal.'' There have been a variety of newsletters including a previous semi-annual ''California Printmaker Newsbrief''. Currently CSP publishes a bi-montlhy e-newsletter, ''Relevant Ink,'' which was initiated by board member Nanette Wylde in 2018.

References

Additional sources

* ''Art in California: a survey of American art with specific reference to California painting, sculpture, and architecture past and present, particularly as those arts are represented at the Panama-Pacific International Exposition''. San Francisco: R.L. Bernier, 1916. Especially the chapters “The California Society of Etchers” by Robert B. Harshe, pp. 116–120 and "California and its etchers – what they mean to each other” by Pedro J. Lemos, pp 113–11

* ''California Society of Printmakers: One Hundred Years, 1913-2013'' () * California Society of Printmakers Records, Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley * Kushner, Marilyn S., "Genesis of the Twentieth-Century Print Clubs, and its major importance to the field of graphic art", in '' American Identities: Twentieth-Century Prints from the Nancy Gray Sherrill, Class of `954, Collection''. Wellesley, MA : Davis Museum and Cultural Center, Wellesley College, c2004. 310 pages.

External links

Official websiteFinding Aid to the CSP Records, 1925-2007
at

The Bancroft Library The Bancroft Library in the center of the campus of the University of California, Berkeley, is the university's primary special-collections library. It was acquired from its founder, Hubert Howe Bancroft, in 1905, with the proviso that it retai ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:California Society Of Printmakers Printmaking groups and organizations American artist groups and collectives Arts organizations based in the San Francisco Bay Area Arts organizations established in 1912 1912 establishments in California 501(c)(3) organizations Non-profit organizations based in San Francisco Directories