Exhibition Statement

Thank you Steering Committee Artists!

By Blake Sanders

My primary mission with the Puertograbando conference was to make sure SGCI was highlighting and celebrating the achivements of the print artists of Puerto Rico at every turn. I could not have anticipated when we arrived in San Juan how little highlighting was necessary! Print is everywhere in the city and puertorriqueño printmakers are revered. Printmaking is enmeshed in the very fiber of the Puerto Rican national identity and with good reason. The graphic tradition on the island is deep, rich, and powerful. The artists who came together to form the Island Steering Committee, led by Fraíxa Albizu and Marcos De Jesús, honored those print roots at every turn through their tireless dedication to the conference, co-running the events while learning on the job since some were not able to attend conferences in the past. They continue to earn their place in that print tradition with their own artwork as well.

The enormous work of any conference, especially one as ambitious and complicated as Puertograbando, means that inevitably those doing the heavy lifting are often too busy to fully experience the conference themselves and be recognized by the attendees. This was especially true in San Juan where the steering committee was often stationed at the various locations across the city to act as support rather than enjoying the fruits of their efforts.

Luckily many of them had work represented in impressive exhibitions during the conference and a few were able to make the time to show their work in open portfolio sessions. That’s not nearly enough! Their work deserves to be seen, reflected on, and reckoned with by the whole of SGCI beyond the fortunate who were able to attend the conference. This exhibition makes it clear these are printmakers we are lucky to count among our members and I look forward to their involvement in conferences and collaborations for years to come.