Print Day in May is an annual, global experience. For 24 hours, printmakers, artists, art lovers and generally curious people all take the time to make a print of some kind.
Printmaking is generally divided into three categories:
- Relief: Printing from the highest surface of a matrix (Woodcut, linocut etc.)
- Intaglio: From the Italian meaning beneath the surface (etching, engraving, dry point, etc.)
- Planar: printing from a smooth surface (monotype, stenciling, lithography, screen printing etc.)
Print Day in May defines printmaking as transferring a mark from one surface to another. Anything from an edition of etchings to a lip print on a margarita glass. We gratefully received a handprint made with marinara sauce in 2020.
The prints are shared to social media, and/or our Print Day in May blog, with the result of a chain of creativity being celebrated around the world. It is our belief that people long for connection and positivity. People rarely take the time out of their busy lives to do something positive for themselves that does not involve a transactional agreement or a financial component. When tens of thousands of people across the globe are all doing what they love to do, at the same time, their power increases exponentially. The people around them benefit, and the people around those people benefit. For 24 hours, across the globe, there is a chain reaction of connectivity that is purely positive. That has to make the world a better place, if only for a short time.
