INK FEST, is a printmaking festival with a little something for everyone, whether you are a seasoned printmaker, or completely new to printmaking, there is something for you! INK FEST is jam packed with FREE programming like: workshops, panel talks, film screenings, and community woodblock carving to prepare for streamroller printing day!
WORKSHOPS
Join us for free workshops with local and visiting artists!
​Reserve your spot through our "Workshops" page.
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Nightmare on Harbour Drive
with Evan Robinson
Saturday, October 4th
St. Michael's Printshop
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Explore the playful and eerie side of printmaking in this collaborative workshop. Participants
will create strange, hybrid creatures through a reimagined version of the classic art game
Exquisite Corpse. Each person carves a small linoleum or woodblock section of a creature
(head, torso, or legs/feet), guided by registration templates to ensure alignment. Once printed,
these sections come together to form a collaborative “monster quilt” on paper — revealing
unpredictable, spooky, and myth-inspired creatures. Prompts from Celtic and Nisga’a folklore
encourage participants to imagine sea-dwellers, tricksters, and ghostly spirits, while learning the
basics of carving and relief printing.
Monoprint for All!
with Stephanie Sheppard
Saturday, October 4th, 12:00-1:00 pm
St. Michael's Printshop
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An opportunity for the whole family to learn about multi-layer monoprints. This workshop will focus on pattern and image creation by layering primary colours. We will use acrylic plates, 3 colours of acrylic ink for layering, and different tools like q-tips and paper masks to create unique monoprints.
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Intro to Linocut - Online
with Rachel Gilbert
Friday, October 3rd, 1:00-3:00 pm
via Zoom
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Lino extraordinaire Rachel Gilbert will walk you through the basics of lino relief printing. This workshop is open to anyone who wishes to attend.
For NL RESIDENTS ONLY we are offering a free print kit that includes the supplies necessary for the workshop! These kits are only for those who LIVE OUTSIDE OF THE AVALON!!
If you would like to register for a print kit, please fill out this form. We will send the print kit out to participants ahead of the workshop but you must register ahead of time. The kits are limited so they will be distributed on a first come first serve basis.
Each kit includes:
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Black water-soluble relief ink
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4” rubber brayer
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A lino handle with multiple cutters
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4”x6” lino block​
You will also need to use a wooden spoon and paper to participate in this workshop.
STEAMROLLER PRINTING Party
Join us for a big steamroller printing party on Harbour Drive!
When? 12:00-4:00pm on Sunday, October 5th
Where? 72 Harbour Drive
What? Making giant prints with a steamroller, groovin' to live music from Cuerpos and Femnotica, and serving up barbecue goodness all day long!
WOODBLOCK CARVING
Woodblock carving sessions take place in preparation for the big Steamroller printing event. Below are the times you can join us in the studio to work on your own plywood block or help carve our Community Carve block!
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Carving Circle with Christine Koch
September 22nd, 7:00-9:00pm
September 29th, 7:00-9:00pm
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Open studio with Emily Pittman
September 26th, 1:00-4:00pm
September 27th, 1:00-4:00pm
Coffee & Carve
October 2nd, 11:00am-4:00pm
October 3rd, 11:00am-4:00pm
October 4th, 11:00am-4:00pm (at Eastern Edge)
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All carving events will take place in the printshop unless noted.
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Grabando oaxaca
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Saturday October 4th, 2:00 pm, Eastern Edge Gallery
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This 20-minute documentary takes viewers on a captivating exploration of Oaxaca, Mexico, a globally recognized hot spot for the art of printmaking. The film delves into the region’s deep-rooted traditions, tracing the development of printmaking from its historical origins to its rise in global prominence and the key role of the APPO movement in this evolution. Through interviews with contemporary influential figures, we uncover how Oaxaca became a world-renowned epicenter for the art form.
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Join us for a conversation with director, Reinaldo Gil Zambrano, and producer, Miranda K. Metcalf about the making of this film!
In Between Print and...
Friday October 3rd, 6:00 pm, Eastern Edge gallery
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This panel explores the nature of collaboration in printmaking and how such collaboration extends beyond individuals and into the environment, the materials, the studio, and the histories of print. It investigates how the foundation of printmaking gives way to its future and reflects upon what that future may be. It meanders away from the 'preciousness' of print, the 'rules' of print, and rather celebrates the residues and missteps experienced in its processes.
Join us for a conversation between Laura Sbrizzi, Guillermo Trejo, and David Scott Armstrong on Friday October 3rd from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at Eastern Edge artist-run-centre.
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Wait for me, i'll be back soon
St. Michael's Printshop Gallery, Thursday, October 2nd
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Wait for Me, I’ll be Back Soon is an exhibition by Emily Claudette Pittman developed during her year as the Don Wright Scholar at St. Michael’s Printshop. The artwork explores the comparison of change in oneself and the environment as the seasons shift. Emily uses depictions of animals and landscapes from her small, subarctic town of Wabush, NL, as direct inspiration. Utilizing lithography and sewing, the prints are dynamic, illustrative, and reimagined through the usage of quilting techniques.
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Join us in our gallery for an opening reception on Thursday, October 2nd from 7:00 to 9:00 pm