About the exhibition:

Be it the result of rich imagination, a connection to inspiration, or simply the kind of intuition that comes from being in community, artists are often the first to sense and convey the zeitgeist ahead. What if an exhibition could also be a survey of what the collective is tuned into, and the joy of entering the coming moment in good company? In the exhibition “WHAT’S NEXT: 15 Years of Print,” proudly presented by Da Vinci Art Alliance, printmakers from across Philadelphia will celebrate the parts of printmaking that artists can best unlock together: experimentation, fellowship and collective-making.

In honor of BYO Printmaking’s 15-year anniversary, each artist on view has produced an edition of prints in their medium of choice, free from a collective theme, at a common paper size.  Portfolio exchanges have a long history in printmaking. Artists each receive a portfolio containing the prints from their colleagues in exchange for their contribution. The practice allows artists to collect one another’s work while celebrating the collaboration inherent to this intricate, process-based artform. This project serves as a springboard for members to imagine the future of the collaborative, and an opportunity for viewers to be let in on this proud printmaking tradition. Prints will be for sale throughout the course of the exhibition and proceeds from those sales will help fund the future of BYO.

BYO Printmaking Collaborative has built an artist collective and workspace that has supported the careers of more than 50 artists by providing reliable workshop space to practice, experiment, and collaborate. The studio has served as a vehicle for artists to launch careers, refine methods, and learn from each other. Founded in 2010 in response to the problem of how to keep making prints after art school, the organization creates low-cost opportunities for printmakers working in relief, intaglio and screenprinting alike—all of which are on view in conversational juxtaposition. An artist alone can make a statement—but artists together make up a movement. Come find out what we are moving toward.

WHAT’S NEXT will be on view in Gallery 2 from May 1 - May 25, 2025 with an opening reception on Sunday, April 4th from 4-7pm.

ABOUT BYO PRINT:

BYO Printmaking Collaborative is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that fosters collaboration between artists, printmakers, and the public by educating artists and the public about printmaking, and by providing access to a printmaking studio, and conducts artist residencies, internships, public art exhibits, and collaborative printmaking. Get inky with us!

BYO Print was co-founded by women artists as a shared printmaking studio in Philadelphia, with the mission to keep artists printing on their own time within a reasonable budget. Reorganized as a nonprofit in 2023, we became BYO Printmaking Collaborative, but you can still call us BYO Print. We've been printing together and enabling others to do the same since 2010.

As an artist-led nonprofit workspace, we thrive on active participation and a collaborative mentality, where all voices have equal value, especially in regards to collective decision-making. Community printshops often serve as a sanctuary space for artists and printmakers, and BYO Print aims to be a safe space for all marginalized voices, and promotes equity amongst its members. We support diversity and work intentionally to lift each other up through collective decision-making. We welcome you, radical artist, and hope you want to come work alongside us. As a women-founded nonprofit, we lead the printshop through an inclusive, intersectional feminist lens and do not tolerate sexism, bigotry, racism, or fascism of any kind in our studio.

Learn more at byoprint.org.

ABOUT THE CURATOR:

A printmaker and DVAA member, Bill Brookover started his artistic career in architecture & fine arts at Rice University. He worked for over 30 years in architecture and historic preservation with the National Park Service. Bill began studying printmaking at Fleisher Art Memorial in 2003. He has shown his work in solo, curated and juried exhibitions. He has curated exhibitions at Da Vinci Art Alliance and the Free Library of Philadelphia Print and Picture Collection. He teaches printmaking at Fleisher Art Memorial. He serves on the Exhibitions Committee at Da Vinci Art Alliance and the board of the American Color Print Society. He is a member of Cerulean Arts Collective, Second State Press, and The Print Center in Philadelphia.