About Us
Mandate
St. Michael’s Printshop (SMP) exists to develop and grow printmaking as a participatory and accessible art form. SMP provides the facilities and opportunity for visual artists from across the province, Canada, and internationally, as well as for its local community, to learn and engage in the art of printmaking. One of the province’s few artist-run centres and the only artist-run printmaking studio, SMP promotes and continues to push the boundaries of printmaking as a contemporary art form. SMP provides space and specialized equipment for artists to work, educational opportunities through scholarships and workshops, and residencies through its visiting artist program.
mission
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The operation of a year-round, fully equipped printmaking facility and public gallery
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Providing artist residencies to local and visiting artists, to explore printmaking in the creative, collaborative, environment with regular interaction with the local community.
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Providing low cost and free workshops to artists and the public as an opportunity for them to learn and engage in printmaking processes.
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Providing gallery space so that members of the general public can view and appreciate contemporary print work.
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Providing opportunities for the exchange of artistic ideas between artists and the community through public events, artist talks, workshops and open studio nights.
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Facilitating and promoting activities that encourage exchange and education on technical and philosophical issues related to contemporary print and art practices on a local, national, and international level.
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Engaging in exchange activities with other artist-run centre printshops, as well as galleries, across Canada.
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Preserve a Print Archives Collection that holds one print from each edition printed in the studio since its inception in 1972 to promote and share our ongoing and vibrant history.
vision
St. Michael’s Printshop (SMP) strives to be a leading organization that can facilitate the foundation for diversifying the arts sector in the province. We intend to be self-examining and responsive as an institution, while also acting as a catalyst for the arts community. SMP is the only publicly accessible printshop in Newfoundland and Labrador. We strive and aim to be more integral to the arts and local community, and will do so through the following:
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Continued work toward addressing oppression within the shop to make it a more welcoming and meaningfully inclusive space.
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Work to become more financially sustainable
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Offer more low cost and free programming to our local community and be more of a community resource, gathering spot and artistic hub.
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Update the facilities to include more digital methods to keep up with changing and expanding contemporary printmaking processes.
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Increase artist fees and ways in which we support artists locally, provincially, nationally, and internationally.
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Increase our presence across the province of Newfoundland and Labrador with initiatives such as a portable/touring printing press.
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Partner with existing artist-run printmaking centres across Canada to increase our programming and reach.
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Obtain a building to ensure longevity and stability as an organization as well as expand our printmaking capabilities.
Our History
St Michael’s Printshop was founded in 1974 by Newfoundland based artists Don Wright and Heidi Oberheide as a direct response to a creative renaissance sweeping the country in the late 60s and 70s which saw the establishment of printmaking centres from coast to coast. With limited artistic resources and infrastructure available to NL artists at the time, Oberheide and Wright gathered support from Memorial University’s Extension Services to open the printshop. Briefly housed in an old airport hangar in St. John's, its first permanent home was a former schoolhouse in the small outport community of St. Michael's. There they initiated a Visiting Artist Program that grew over the years, drawing artists from all over Canada and the world. In 1986, SMP relocated to its current location; an old sail loft in the heart of St John’s. With the move came a shift to promoting printmaking, education, facilitating the development of artists, and increasing print access to the growing artist population.
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By the mid-90’s, new equipment including etching presses and lithography stones were acquired and renovations to upgrade the old sail loft were made, improving the facilities and drawing visiting artists from places like Montreal, Atlanta, USA, Belfast, UK, Dublin, IE, and Groningen, NL, and beyond. Further upgrades were made in 2021 with renovations to professionalize the gallery space by separating it and adding track lighting. In 2020, new equipment was acquired and space allocated so screenprinting could be introduced as a new available medium.
In 1991, the Don Wright Scholarship was established in memory of co-founder Don Wright. This scholarship, now in its 34th year, was set up to facilitate the growth of emerging artists through mentorship and printshop access. SMP has continued its Visiting Artist Program to this day, each year hosting six visual artists for one month each, and in 2021 added a local residency program, supporting two provincial artists annually. In 2024 SMP added the Heidi Oberheide Memorial Residency in memory of co-founder Heidi Oberheide and launched a satellite studio on the west coast in collaboration with Creative Gros Morne and the Bonne Bay Marine Station.
In an effort to better serve the entire province, we acquired a new mobile printing press in 2022 that allows us to offer printmaking outside the walls of the shop. The press has travelled to the west coast, Gros Morne National Park, Bonavista Peninsula and participated in arts, music and writer’s festivals. In 2023 we launched Ink Fest, an annual multi platform, multidisciplinary printmaking festival. SMP has been an important part of the arts community in the province, providing a space for teaching and training, exhibitions, professional development, and artistic collaboration.
Since its founding 51 years ago, St. Michael’s Printshop has published 2 books, hosted 296 visiting artists, awarded 34 Don Wright scholarships and holds an archive of over 3000 prints that were created in the printshop. SMP continues to grow its membership and holds a variety of intro to advanced workshops for local artists, community members, and visitors. SMP fosters emerging artists and experimental practices through the scholarship, workshops, exhibitions, and artists residencies. SMP hopes to continue this trajectory while expanding and growing to best serve our local, national, and international arts community.
Meet The Team
Christeen Francis
Executive Director
Christeen Francis, Executive Director
Christeen Francis completed her BFA at NSCADU, spent nine years in New York City, and returned to her hometown of Montreal to complete her MFA at Concordia University. A printmaker and musician, she ran a print shop in Brooklyn and played in several bands. She is committed to social and political print that engages with local communities and the public at large. She has exhibited in Canada, the United States, Germany, and Iceland and is a member of the Justseeds Artist Cooperative. Her research interests include the right to the city, urban wildlife and wild spaces, and the homogenization of cities and culture.
Christeen has admired SMP from afar for a long time but only recently visited and fell in love with the place and the members. As the new ED, Christeen is passionate about getting more people in the shop on a regular basis, seeing people try printmaking for the first time, as well as seeing how SMP can grow and transform as an ARC.
Andrew Testa
Chair
Andrew Testa (he/him) is a dad, settler artist, writer, educator, and amateur spoon carver gratefully living and working as an uninvited guest in Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). His current interests include accessibility and inclusivity in community engaged art practices and the presentation and performance of research-creation. He is an Associate Professor in printmaking at Grenfell Campus, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Jullia Hobden
Treasurer
Julia Hobden is an Accounting Representative in the Insurance and Finance industry. She has been a long time admirer and supporter of St.Michael's printshop, with a modest home collection accumulated over the years from numerous SMP print sales and markets. Julia is a seasoned financial professional and is excited to be combining her appreciation for the arts and her financial background in her role as treasurer. In her spare time, Julia enjoys cooking, singing, and taking trips to the dog park with her black lab Daisy.
Andrea Vincent
Member at Large
With roots in St. John's, Notre Dame Bay, Central, and Bonavista Bay, Andrea grew up with one foot in rural NL and the other in town, in an active DIY community where youth "made stuff happen." In 2011, Andrea co-founded the St. John’s music festival Lawnya Vawnya with friends and later served as Director of the Dawson City Music Festival in the Yukon for five years before joining Sappyfest (Sackville, NB) in 2022 as Creative Director.
Andrea is an arts administrator, festival curator, gluten free baker and amateur herbalist. In another life, Andrea had a busy studio practice in sculpture and textiles and could often be found out on the land getting excited about plants. Andrea’s primary creative focus in recent years has been uniting people through a shared love of music and art.
Andrea holds a diploma in Textile Studies from the College of the North Atlantic, a Bachelor of Fine Arts from NSCAD University, and has completed a certificate program in Holistic Nutrition. Andrea is a board member of the Canadian Association For The Performing Arts (CAPACOA), LIVES for being in or on the water, and swears that the best life advice ever can be found in the song Music and Friends by Simani.
Ari Rochester
Secretary
Ari Rochester, Secretary
Drew Pardy
Admin & Communication Coordinator
Drew Pardy, Admin & Communications Coordinator
Diana Daly
Vice Chair
Diana is a multi-instrumentalist, performer, designer, storyteller and songwriter. Originally from St.John's, Newfoundland and Labrador she has lived and worked in British Columbia, Montréal and Nunavik. A lover of story through song, image, dance and spectacle, Diana has a keen interest in Printmaking and Ethnomusicology. Favorite projects that she has created include: The Fogo Island Song Share, the Lhasa de Sela Youth Stage for the Montréal Folk Festival, her EP "When Women Kill", being the "Femme d'Orchestre" for the puppet show "Kate Crackerberry", all of the musical experiences with her students in Puvirnituq and Kangirsuk as well as being the Managing Producer of the St. John’s International CircusFest for its initial five editions. Diana is one third of the Daly Family Collective where she gets to tell stories about her extraordinary family with her dear friends, Louise Moyes and Anne Troake in the stage show "If A Place Could Be Made". She is also the author of the book based on this show, “A Wonderful Bigness”, illustrated by Bruce Alcock and published by Running the Goat, Books and Broadsides. The medium of printmaking has always fascinated her for its magical elements and immediate graphic impact. HOW it is made is as exciting as the image itself. Creating image and texture in negative space. Diana is happy to devote time to this important cultural space and hopes that it continues to foster creation and camaraderie for artists in all stages of their careers. Diana lives quite happily on Signal Hill.
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Mary Beth Waldram
Member at Large
While working in the Newfoundland and Nova Scotia music industry since 2008 as both a musician and industry professional, Mary Beth Waldram has organized and supervised large-scale events, created successful grant proposals, and helped various artists with their work. Mary Beth is a graduate of Memorial University’s School of Music and Nova Scotia Community College’s Music Business Program. She’s since gone on to work with many Atlantic Canadian music festivals including Halifax Pop Explosion, Lawnya Vawnya and The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, all while managing bands and booking tours for Atlantic Canadian artists. Winner for MusicNL’s Industry Professional of the Year 2022 and ECMA Manager of the Year 2023 Mary Beth currently resides in St. John’s, Newfoundland and is working with Pillow Fite, The Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival, Silver Wolf Band and many other local companies and artists.
Christine Koch
Fundraising Chair
A former curator, Christine Koch became a printmaker at St. Michael’s Printshop more than three decades ago. An active member, volunteer, and occasional instructor at the Printshop, she has supplemented and complemented her work at SMP with residencies at other professional printmaking studios, including Atelier Imago (Moncton), Open Studio (Toronto), Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists (Edmonton), and the Experimental Etching Studio (Boston). She brings that experience of other professional printshops to the SMP Board.
Christine works primarily in linocut, drypoint, and monoprint, and her prints in these media have been shown across the country and in the USA, and found their ways into many public, corporate, and private collections in both countries.
Christine views St. Michael’s Printshop as the crown jewel among the artist-run organizations of Newfoundland and Labrador, and she wants to see it continue to thrive, to continue sustaining and nourishing our arts communities and be the printmaking destination and beloved artmaking hub it has been for the past 50 years. It is with this commitment and mission that she has joined the Board.
THank you to Our Sponsors
