RMPA 2025 2nd Round Call for Participation
Entries are due January 1, 2025 (Extended)
General questions should be emailed to Erin Shearin, eshearin@tmcc.edu
Click the plus sign to the right of each title to expand the tab and see the details of each proposal and contact information for the organizers. Specific project questions should be directed to the project organizers.
Portfolios
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RMPA 2025 Print Portfolio
The human need to mark space or territory reaches back to the earliest evidence of human development.Whether it be the image of an animal pecked into stone or a sticker on an alley wall, the visual gesture communicates, “I was here, I value this image.”
As Reno continues its upward trajectory as a center for the arts and printmaking, stickers communicate the value of art and printmaking from a DIY perspective. The tradeable format of stickers coupled with their subsequent posting on possessions, buildings, or carefully saved until the perfect moment presents itself, allow people from all over the world to connect and communicate the value of visual dialogue in each of their respective hometowns and personal travels. It is in this spirit that we propose a portfolio of printed stickers. The democratic nature of the medium and the casual nature in which the imagery is encountered often frees the artists from anxiety when making a sticker. As professors teaching printmaking, we have both found that students and visiting artists alike take great delight in the opportunity to make a small sticker or receive one from a classmate or instructor.
The stickers will be displayed on the type of objects the typically stickers are stuck to: water bottles, skate boards, sketchbooks, and a variety of other things.
Each portfolio will be a random selection of 30 stickers, plus a colophon, inside of a windowed tin box.
The participation fee will cover the tin boxes, shipping, and incidental sundries. We are intentionally keeping the fee low to allow for as many participants as are interested.
5 complete portfolios will be archived by the organizers’ institutions. We are looking for additional institutions to archive as well.
To Participate
Contact Tim Musso (tmusso@lasierra.edu) or Camilla Taylor (camillataylor@ucla.edu) to express your interest in the portfolio. Include a link to your artist website and briefly describe the medium you intend to work in.
There is a $15 participation fee to cover the costs of shipping the portfolios to participating artists, or they may be picked up in person (fee still required). Payment via Venmo or Zelle to Camilla.a.taylor@gmail.com, or cash in person. No checks will be accepted.
Edition Size
35 prints
Paper Size
3 inches by 4.5 inches; 7.6 cm by 11.4 cm, (or smaller) including any backing materials.
Due date
August 25th, 2025
Ship to
La Sierra University
Art+Design
c/o Tim Musso
4500 Riverwalk Pkwy
Riverside, CA 92505 -
Where are we fissured and cracked open, and what mountains are forming as we tip over? Reno, Nevada, is located in the Great Basin Desert, a rift geological system of hundreds of mountain ranges that formed millions of years ago when the bottom of an inland sea was lifted into the sky. As the pressure increased from below, long linear cracks formed in the tectonic plate, like stretch marks on skin. Unrooted, each fractured plate began to quiver. Some plates flipped over entirely, exposing ancient fossils in their top layer; others erupted into lava flows and hoodoos of tuff; while others continue to slowly dip one side down into the underworld while lifting their other side miles high - creating some of the tallest mountains in North America. Socially, politically, psychologically, we are living in a time that feels akin to the rift system of the Great Basin Desert.
This call encourages artists to engage in a conversation with the stones and landforms around them and create prints that delve into questions about the processes of cultural, personal, and psychological transformation.
The pieces can be metaphoric or nature based.
To Participate:
submit the following: Images of 2-3 prints created in the last two years, along with a brief description of how you will contribute to the portfolio theme of “Rift Systems“ (no more than 300 words). Please email your proposal to nnoell@wcu.edu.
Fee
$40 per participant
Paper Size
11"x15" horizontal or vertical
Edition Size (expected)
20 prints - with glassine interleaving
Media notes
No AI images or monotypes. Digital prints should be no more than 50% of the final image.
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In this exchange, I ask participants to explore new concepts, new places, and new techniques. We continually need to reinvent ourselves and adapt to the changing. Some of us are lucky in knowing ourselves and having a grounding for the people we will always be but we continue to move on our journeys to find new beginnings. Ponder the beautiful Tolkien quote, “Not all who wander are lost,” as you dive into this new print on your new beginning.
Edition Size
25 prints (23 to participants and 2 for collections)
Paper Size
11"x14" (vertical or horizontal)
Medium
Open to all traditional mediums. Digital mediums will only be allowed in conjunction with traditional mediums.
For shipping, fee and deadlines
reach out to Alanna Austin (alanna.austin@iaia.edu)
NOTE - One print in the edition must be gallery ready (matted and framed) and shipped along with the edition.
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Project full - details for those signed up are below
Let’s MashUP your visual style and see the prints that result. Just like your favorite mix tape, oops we are dating ourselves, or playlist, consider the artists who still inspire wonder and are part of your artistic wandering. Is it the symbols, subject matter or colors or something else that you connect to? Let’s see it in your collage-style MashUPed print imagery.
This print exchange is open to Rocky Mountain Printmaking Alliance Members only. Please make sure that you become a member before applying.
This print exchange portfolio project will be show at Truckee Meadows Community College, Reno, NV, October 10th - November 6, 2025
Fee
$30 per participant
Paper Size
8"x10"
Edition Size and Details
20 prints - Signed the usual way 1/20, 2/20, etc. or as a variable edition.
Prints must show a MashUP of at least two printmaking processes. This doesn’t necessarily mean a multi-block or multi-plate print, but that is encouraged. At least one of the techniques must be hand-pulled.
Imagery must include at least 2 different artist influences/partial imagery plus your own.
Each print has to have 8 x 10 inch interleaving or glassine along with a one page artist statement (cut down to 8 x 10 inches) behind each print, that lists the title, techniques you used, statement about the work, a photo of yourself, if you'd like, other information you want to share about the work and yourself.
Deadlines
Prints postmarked by: July 15, 2025
Payments
Please Venmo Candace (@Candace-Garlock) or Zelle (cgarlock@tmcc.edu)
Send prints to
Candace Garlock, 8815 Eaglenest Road, Sparks, NV 89436
Panels
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Organizer and participation contact
Heather Leier (heather.leier@ucalgary.ca)
Abstract
As academics face escalating demands—larger classes, reduced financial support, and rising costs—printmaking departments can find themselves at a critical juncture. This round table seeks to explore how artist-academics are navigating these challenges while sustaining and enriching printmaking education. Specifically, we will examine strategies for de-centering power dynamics, supporting intersectionality, embracing humanity, and maintaining departmental vitality amidst increasing workloads.
Description
This round table brings together printmaking educators and practitioners to share their experiences, strategies, and insights on navigating the pressures of contemporary academia. Focusing on real, tangible approaches, participants will discuss how they have preserved and nurtured their print departments despite systemic pressures to expand classes with reduced resources.
Key Themes and Questions
Surviving in an Increasingly Demanding System: How are artist-academics adapting to the pressures of larger class sizes, reduced funding, and rising costs while maintaining the integrity, and quality of printmaking education
De-centering Power and Embracing Intersectionality: What strategies have been effective in de-centering hierarchical power structures within printmaking departments? How are educators incorporating intersectional perspectives to foster inclusive learning environments?
Supporting Humanity in Academia: In what ways can printmaking departments prioritize the well-being and humanity of faculty, staff, and students amidst overwhelming workloads and institutional demands?
Maintaining Departmental Vitality: What practical measures have academics implemented to sustain and enhance their printmaking departments? How have they advocated for resources, secured funding, and cultivated community and support in challenging times?
How to Participate
Printmaking educators, administrators, and artists are invited to apply to share your experiences and strategies. Participants will present perspectives, initiatives, and practical solutions that have successfully kept print departments thriving amidst adversity. Please email a 150-500 word abstract and a 150 word introduction to yourself to heather.leier@ucalgary.ca.
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Join us for an engaging panel discussion as we delve into the world of international residencies and their transformative impact on printmaking artists. This conversation brings together distinguished printmakers who have traveled far and wide to immerse themselves in diverse artistic communities, enriching their craft and expanding their creative horizons.
Topics to be discussed include:
—The unique challenges and opportunities - both applying for and participating in - of international residencies.
How exposure to different cultures and artistic practices influences printmaking techniques and aesthetics.
Personal experiences and key takeaways from residing and working in foreign environments.
The role of international residencies in fostering global artistic dialogue and collaboration.
Whether you're an artist considering an international residency or simply curious about the global exchange of artistic ideas, this panel intends to offer valuable insights, inspiring stories, and practical advice.
Interested in participating?
Contact Melissa: melissaprintmaker@gmail.com
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Organizer and participation contact
Morgan Price (mgprice@ilstu.edu)
Description:
Operating professionally as an artist and navigating academia (for both students and educators) can present distinct challenges for non-neurotypical individuals. However, the arts are also an arena in which diverse thought processes are a strength and where neurominority individuals can find places to thrive. This panel seeks to bring together artists who identify as neurodiverse to share how this experience has shaped their creative and professional artistic practices.
Format:
Participants will each deliver a presentation related to the panel theme, after which there will be some time for discussion and audience questions. Various presentation modes/formats/approaches are possible.
Key Questions:
How has your experience as a neurodiverse person shaped your approach to art and your professional practice? What challenges have you faced or do you face in these areas? What adaptive strategies have you developed to allow you to navigate in these professional spaces?
What is it about printmaking as an art form that resonates with you? Do you see relationships to your engagement with printmaking and your experiences as a neurodiverse person?
How has your experience of neurodiversity shaped your relationship with education? What strategies help/helped you navigate this arena? If you work with others in any sort of instructional capacity (teacher, demonstrator, workshop leader... etc.), how have considerations of diXerent thought processes shaped your pedagogy?
Participants:
Interested artists who identify as neurodiverse can apply to participate in this panel. To do so, email the following materials to Morgan Price at mgprice@ilstu.edu.
a brief (150 – 300 word) abstract addressing some of the key questions listed above
a 150 word (or less) introduction to yourself
a note on your preferred presentation mode and any potential technology needs
* Alternately, these materials can be submitted in the form of a video or audio file. In this case applicants should upload materials to an appropriate hosting service and email a link to mgprice@ilstu.edu
Activities
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Organizer and participation contact
Edie Overturf (ejoverturf@gmail.com)
Description
POW (Printmakers of Wrestling) are proposing to hold their second event, “Royal RMPA”, at the 2025 RMPA Symposium. This event is focusing on the concept of opposing forces within art making, and placing the opposition in direct contact with the strong community network of the printmaking world. Within the typical narrative arc of performative wrestling, there is always the babyface (good guy) and heel (bad guy). There is a parallel between the fandom of wrestling, and the fandom of printmaking. Though one is a form of entertainment, and the other is an artmaking process, there is a fervor of those that advocate for either that is similar. This event seeks to bring that entertainment aspect into the print conference, and provide conference participants with an opportunity to represent a part of our community through performance. Though this event is titled as “wrestling”, it would not include full contact wrestling. Instead it would focus on variations that could include low impact forms of performance, such as arm wrestling, thumb wrestling, or prop performance.
POW held their inaugural event, “Printmania” at the 2023 RMPA conference in Spokane, WA.. During this event, conference attendees were asked to create a wrestling persona that held ties to printmaking tropes, puns, or their own printmaking practice. There was a worksheet present to assist attendees with this endeavor, as well as both pre-made regalia and craft elements to create their own costuming. The archetypes within wrestling served as prompts to attendees, and asked them to consider their character’s motivations and narratives.
The inaugural event brought many insights to us as event organizers. We had an initial vision of the event possibilities, but understood that this was a collaborative endeavor that included each and every participant. This was seen as both; an event to allow attendees to actively participate with play at the core, and as a form of social practice and spectacle. Playfulness was the invitation, allowing artists to take on a role and work through artifice and persona.
Some specifics of the event
Main organizers
Kaleena Stasiak, Cammy York, Nick Satinover, Daniel Jasa, Ry McCullough, Jess O’Farrel and Edie Overturf
Music provided by
small_bars
Activity Notes
The organizers will provide support for conference attendees that are intending to prepare a character or narrative in advance.
An added element available at the event would be a lo-impact, accessible activity open to all audience members. This will be determined based on the content from the organized performers.
Organizers will bring any mats, ring materials and giveaways for the event.
How to participate
Show up ready to rumble
Prepare to rumble on site, we will have a maker station and worksheets for brainstorming
Or contact the group (through Edie Overturf, ejoverturf@gmail.com) to consult on ideas!
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Create, collect, swap and exhibit mini works of art on 2.5”x3.5” cards.
In celebration of the Wo-Ander Symposium, the Printmakers’ Conspiracy will participate in an exchange and exhibition showcasing endless possibilities of various techniques combined and curiosities explored within the vast and vibrant world of printmaking!
A reminder of Wo-Ander's Mission
“...to explore the wonders of printmaking, we encourage participants to wonder in thought, pondering the endless possibilities of the medium. We invite them to wander in the landscape, drawing inspiration from the natural world that surrounds us. And most importantly, we urge them to Wo-Ander in materials, experimenting fearlessly with new techniques and approaches, and pushing the boundaries of their creativity.”
Contact
Haley Deiro (haleydeiro@gmail.com)
(775)336-9627 (text is best)
Due Date
September 1, 2025
Exhibitions
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A Metaphor for the interconnectedness, collaboration and strength found within a community.
At first glance, a honeycomb may appear as a simple geometric pattern, but upon closer inspection, one realizes its complexity and precision. The honeycomb is composed of numerous hexagonal cells, each working in harmony to create a unified whole. Each cell has a specific purpose and function, whether it is storing honey, housing the queen bee, or nurturing the brood. Similarly, within a community, individuals come together with unique talents, skills, and roles, contributing to the overall wellbeing and growth of the collective. This metaphor highlights the idea of interconnectedness through relationships, shared experiences, and shared goals, thus creating a strong foundation for collective growth and resilience. The Honeycomb Project will reflect on how we are connected to one another through environment and place.
This project is open to artists working in the region connected to Rocky Mountain Printmaking Alliance. (Nevada, Idaho, California, Oregon, Washington, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona). The entire project will first be shown at the Metro Gallery, Reno City Hall, Sept. 22 to Nov. 14, 2025 and will be one of the featured exhibitions during the Rocky Mountain Printmaking Alliance Symposium October 15-18, 2025. It will then travel to Las Vegas for a show in the NV Humanities Program Gallery Spring 2026. It will then be available to travel to other venues. This will be considered a travelling show until December 31, 2027. If for any reason there is interest in an exhibit beyond that date, Candace Garlock will get permission from each artist. Artists not giving permission will have their artwork sent back in the first week of January, 2028.
Project Timeline
September 15, 2024 thru February 1, 2025 - Intent to Participate - Email Candace Garlock cgarlock@tmcc.edu so you can be added to the artist emailing list.
February 15, 2025 - $20 Participation fee due to help cover shipping costs back to artist.*see exception below
August 1, 2025 - Artist statement and inventory information due via email cgarlock@tmcc.edu.
August 1, 2025 - Postmark or hand deliver artwork to Candace Garlock, 8815 Eaglenest Road, Sparks, NV 89436 (775)848-3119
Project Details
The theme is loosely based on one’s environment, landscape and or place. Also, artists are encouraged but not required to include printmaking techniques. Because the wood panels are sold in packs of 6, it is also acceptable to work in teams or collectives in your area.
Content must be appropriate for a public space: materials containing offensive or discriminatory depictions, nudity, profanity, illegal activities, or negative depiction of social, religious, ethnic, political groups or individuals will not be considered for display.
Each artist may submit up to 6 panels. Artists must work on designated hexagon wood panels that they need to order from Amazon link: Hexagon Wood Canvas for Crafts, Framed Wooden Panel Boards for Painting (8x9 in,6 Pack)
Artwork must be designed from “point to point”…the top is at a point, the bottom corresponding point.
Artwork must not extend past the side borders because all the panels will be installed flush against each other. Anydimensional pieces must not extend more than 1/2 inch above the surface and must be strong enough to travel.
Artwork needs to be varnished or sealed.
Panels need to be wired within the inside part of the back wood panel. Make sure contact info and
title are on the back of the panel.
Artists are asked to also write a short artist statement on their piece/s or collaboration as a group.
Artists understand that this is a travelling exhibit and they may not get their work back until 2027. Although some venues will have insurance while art is on exhibit, there isn’t any insurance while in transport or while in storage at Candace’s studio.
Waiver of Participation Fee
If you are doing this project as a classroom assignment or as a non-profit collaboration project (for example a print shop) and are willing to work with Candace on shipping and/or delivering as a group, the $20 per artist fee will be waived. Each group will need to have one contact person and the group is responsible for the cost of shipping all the pieces back, which will be coordinated between the contact person and Candace.
Project Blog and Book
There will be a blog created showcasing each piece with artist statement, bio and contact info. A book will be published in 2026 featuring everyone's pieces and stories related to this project.
Email Candace with any project questions.
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Description
We invite students to delve into the fascinating world of printmaking, encouraging exploration and creativity. Participants are encouraged to draw inspiration from the natural surroundings and engage in thoughtful experimentation with materials and techniques.
Join us in the spirit of Wo-Ander, as you push the boundaries of your creativity and embrace the endless possibilities of this artistic medium.
Submission Details
Students are invited to create an 11” x 16” poster, which will be displayed in the Red Mountain Student Gallery at Truckee Meadows Community College October 15-18, 2025. Additionally, the posters will be available for sale during the Open Portfolios on October 18, 2025, during the morning session of the Wo-Ander Symposium.
Call to Action
This is a fantastic opportunity for students to showcase their work in a Exhibition and be participating alongside nationally acclaimed printmakers in a portfolio setting.
Participation in the Wo-Ander Symposium will not only enhance your portfolio but also add valuable acclaim to your CV. As a student artist, it’s essential to seize every chance to exhibit your work and engage with your art community. Don’t miss out on this unique experience!
Important Details:
Contact:
Erin Shearin (eshearin@tmcc.edu)
Art Office: (775) 673-7291
Poster Guidelines
11"x16". Content must align with Wo-Ander principles.
Digital artwork is also accepted (ensure it aligns with the Wo-Ander theme)
Submission Deadline
September 1, 2025
Shipping/Delivery Information:
Erin Shearin
Attn: Wo-Ander Symposium Student Poster
700 Dandini Blvd. RDMT 207
Reno, NV 89521
Awards
Ten winning designs will be selected for a special honor. Each winner's design will be turned into stickers!
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Walking is a way to get from point A to point B, a straightforward interaction with both natural and constructed spaces, but it serves many other purposes: it is healthful, meditative, and therapeutic. Walking can diffuse or neutralize - hence the command “take a walk!” - but moreover it can be a generative practice, sparking the imagination and prompting a motivational high.
Creatives use walking in myriad ways. Chicago artist Stan Shellabarger does performance ‘walks’ that take up to twelve hours, using his feet as a repetitive mark making tools and leaving a path that is simultaneously an artwork and a record of endurance, repetition, patience, and determination. In Rebecca Solnit’s Wanderlust: A History of Walking, the author tackles many facets of putting one foot in front of the other: humankind’s evolution from four feet to two, spaces built for walking, walking for a purpose, the cultural baggage and social mores of walking... the list goes on. She writes about others who have written about walking, and philosophers who did their best work on foot. Lest we assume that walking is only of interest to Gen Xers and nimble Boomers, consider how walking makes its way into music of today. Denzel Curry uses walking as a metaphor for maintaining courage and embracing self-care in the face of systemic racism and predatory capitalism. He may not actually walk, but his associating ambulation and mental, spiritual, or emotion movement continues a longstanding musical tradition of linking walking to other activities: Patsy Cline walked after midnight to search for a lost love; Dion claimed that a man could wander but ‘good girls’ don’t run around; Lou Reed explored gender, drugs, and sex on the wild side; and Johnny Cash used the prison term ‘walking the line’ to reference being faithful and moral.
Walking = Thinking: Printmakers Who Walk will bring together a diverse group of works that address, use, prompt, or require the process of walking. Original 2D work in all printmaking media and digital/traditional hybrid prints are eligible.
Interested artists may submit the following to: Sarah Smelser at ssmelse@ilstu.edu by July 1, 2025:
1-3 jpgs; titles, media, and framed size of works
artist’s contact information
a short statement about the relationship between walking, thinking, and making (max 300 words).
Artists will be notified by July 15.
Accepted work must be:
framed with plexiglass
weigh less than 12 lbs.
measure no larger than 36” x 40” (or the total of 152” for all four lengths of the frame)
Shipping to and from the exhibition venue, Pitch Black Printing Company in Reno, NV, is the responsibility of the artists, as is any insurance of the work. Accepted artists will receive a detailed schedule of responsibilities.