"The Big Print" at St. Olaf College

In 2008, one-thousand art prints were created by children and adults at ten different statewide venues. These printing blocks will be reprinted by ArtOrg in a pleasing overall design taken from Norwegian knitting tradition, and exhibited on the three-story-tall atrium wall inside Buntrock Commons.

THE

1000 PRINT SUMMER

Wa l k e r A r t C e n t e r Anderson Center Red Wing Crazy Days Northfield Owatonna Art Fair Rochester Art Center Stillwater ArtReach Alliance The UnConvention Minneapolis Anderson Center Red Wing Just Food Co-op Northfield St. Cloud Arts Commission

THE

VENUES In 2008 ArtOrg helped artists of all ages to make 1180 prints with a small steamroller.

"It was an amazing community event that allowed families and c h i l d r e n o f a l l a g e s t o c r e a t e t h e i r o w n u n i q u e a r t p r i n t . F o r m a n y, i t w a s t h e i r fi r s t p r i n t - m a k i n g e x p e r i e n c e , b u t h o p e f u l l y n o t t h e i r last." !

J e n n i f e r P e n z k o v e r, A r t s C o m m i s s i o n C o o r d i n a t o r !

St Cloud Arts Commission The creative energies of kids working with adults to cut out and design their own personal image having it inked and then the mighty little steam roller transferring the colored ink to the paper and the wonderment of everyoneʼs eyeʼs seeing their original print was a great experience and a wonderful way to experience and understand the printmaking process. Great Job, Lots of Fun. !

Silvan Durben, Art Director !

Owatonna Center for the Arts The printing project with the “Thousand Print Summer” was a huge success at our annual Art in the Park event during 2008. This is a free, hands on art event for families in Stillwater, MN. Over 450 participated and many loved the opportunity to make a print using a steam roller! We received so much positive feedback that we have since arranged for ArtOrg to bring the activity back in 2009 and 2010. This is a unique activity that leaves a lasting memory.

Jessica Pack, Executive Director ArtReach St. Croix I am with EPIC Enterprise. We are a facility which serves adults with developmental disabilities. Our folks were thrilled to join in w i t h t h e c o m munity of N o r t h fi e l d a n d c r e a t e p r i n t s . T h e p r i d e a n d e xcited can be read on their faces as they had their pictures taken.

The were/are excited about being part of a large art project that occurred throughout the state. We all look forward to seeing the print done again on a large scale. This was an amazing event for them. !

N e i l R o w l e y, L i f e E n r i c h m e n t M a n a g e r !

Epic Enterprise

We loved having the steamroller print activity at the Rochester Art Center for Free Family Day in 2008. It was great to be o u t d o o r s a n d v i s i b l e i n o u r c o m m u n i t y. A l l o f o u r p a r t i c i p a n t s really enjoyed the process, which was very accessible for all age levels and abilities. We would love to see our participantʼs prints as part of "the Big Print". Displaying their work would provide a unique sense of creative connectedness in our region. !

Katie Schmitt, Membership & Marketing Assistant !

Rochester Art Center

A lot of big messy fun was had by families who experienced the Thousand Print Summer at the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden d u r i n g F r e e F i r s t S a t u r d a y. T h a n k s f o r m a k i n g t h e e v e n t a smashing success! Canʼt wait for the Big Print unveiling. !

Ashley Duffalo, Program Manager Family Programs !

Walker Art Center The folks who attended our Harvest Festival in 2008 and had a wonderful time participating in the Thousand Print p r o j e c t . I t w a s a g r e a t c o m m u n i t y - b u i l d e r, a n d i t b r o u g h t creativity in all of us! We would love to see the works of

2009 Summer out the our

community members combined with others for The Big Print. !

Joey Robison, Marketing and Member Services Manager !

Just Food Co-op O n b e h a l f o f t h e B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s o f t h e A n d e r s o n C e n t e r, I w i s h t o t h a n k A r t O r g f o r “ T h e B i g P r i n t ” P r o j e c t . Tw i c e t h e p r o j e c t t o o k p l a c e a t t h e A n d e r s o n C e n t e r, a n d t w i c e t h e r e w e r e hordes of enthralled children with parents and grandparents in t o w, a l l o f t h e m w o r k i n g f u r i o u s l y o n p r i n t s , t h e s t e a m r o l l e r waiting to go into action. It was, in both instances, a great ʻhitʼ with everyone! Thanks, and keep up the good work. !

Robert Hedin, Executive Director !

A n d e r s o n C e n t e r, R e d W i n g As a sponsor of the Steamroller Printing Activities, all of us at Graphic Chemical & Ink Company are pleased to have had a small part in helping the "Thousand Print Summer" project in 2008 achieve the great success that it did. Community art projects, such as this, help keep alive an important part of our artistic culture. !

Dean Clark, Owner Graphic Chemical and Ink

The ArtOrg steamroller printing activity is simply the best example of printing with kids that I have ever seen. !

Susan Jacobsen, Director of Public Programs !

Minneapolis Institute of Arts

THE

REACTIONS

THE

ARTISTS GET A PRINT

WE

KEEP THE BLOCKS

We take the blocks from which the prints were made to reprint later in “The Big Print”. We have1180 blocks from the 2008 season.

THE

WALL The large wall inside St. Olaf’s Buntrock Commons has been offered for the exhibition of this project. We will completely cover the wall.

THE

BIG PRINT Each square on the image above represents one artist. The colors for each reprinted block are chosen to create a meaningful overall design.

THE

BIG PRINT The overall design of The Big Print is based on traditional Norwegian knitting patterns found old references.

PUBLIC ART

APPROPRIATE The Big Print imagery is being created and interpreted by artist Kari Alberg (St. Olaf ’81), and vetted by knowledgeable sources.

Saturday, October 9 Making it in the Arts Conference Organized by the Center for Entrepreneurial Studies at St. Olaf, these events provide artists with information on how to “make it”. It is likely that the unveiling event for The Big Print will be scheduled for this conference, and that ArtOrg Director will be invited to hold a informational session in front of the work.

Sunday, October 17 “Northfield Day” of the Mid America Print Council Conference ArtOrg, St. Olaf College, Carleton College, and others are working to attract conference-goers to Northfield on this last day of this several-hundred-attendance Mid America Print Council Twin Cities conference. The Big Print will may prove a significant attraction.

Thursday and Friday, October 21 and 22

DATE TO BE DETERMINED: ArtOrg will hold an opening event for the ten venues and the 1180 kids and their parents that participated in the 2008 “1000 Print Summer” events.

“Education Minnesota Professional Conference” High school students from around the state of Minnesota converge on St. Olaf to learn more about the college on this so-called “MEA Weekend”. The college admissions department typically sets up directly beneath the location of The Big Print.

Saturday, October 23 Annual Meeting of the Norwegian American Historical Association.

Incoming head of the NAHA is excited to be able to add this to their schedule of events, considering its important relationship to traditional Norwegian designs.

WHEN?

OCTOBER 2010

October has several events that will increase the impact of the project, and the October 17 event is most special to us and largely unrelated to college activities.

BEFORE THE EVENT: 1. Direct emails to 1000 artists in project: a. We collected emails as the participants signed in to receive their materials.

2. Marketing material package for each of the ten participating organizations: a. Press release for their own use: b. Press release also for their specific area newspapers c. Already-completed videos to each area’s cable access and/or news channels. d. Two 33” x 80” high retractable banner stands with event advertising 3. Forecast Public Art (and thereby Jerome Foundation) a. They may publicize through their channels.

4. Other Sponsors through their channels 5. General press release for all area media 6. Specific announcements in arts-media: a. Twin Cities: Mnartist.org, Rake, City Pages, VITAmin, etc. b. Other Southern Minnesota arts media 7. Announce at 2010 “1000 Print Summer” events. a. We have over two-dozen events booked already.

ONGOING PUBLICITY: 1. Forecast Public Art: a. Possible story for their magazine Public Art Review.

2. Art-specific Blogs: a. Printeresting, mnartist.org, etc.

3. Viral videos, blogs and other activity.

4. Guinness world record.

5. This Big Print will travel to other venues: a. MN Arts Advocacy Day 2011, b. Will be offered to every participating venue. c. 2006 104-foot-long print displayed every year in various venues.

One of at least 20 Banner Stands to be given to participating organizations to publicize the exhibit and recognize the sponsors. This one shown is a mock-up.

HUGE

MARKETING

Here are a few of the marketing activities before and after the unveiling event.

THE

RECORD Our project is considerably larger than this stated record. We will apply for this Guinness World Record!