Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists
The Society of Northern Alberta Print Artists (SNAP)
began in the early 1980s as an idea conceptualized by a few friends
gathered after a day of work at the University
of Alberta printmaking department.
Two of the individuals present that day were master
printers Robin Peck and Marc Siegner, of Halifax and Toronto respectively.
They both came from cities with studios exclusively dedicated to
printmaking, and after having arrived in Alberta, where an absence of such
facilities was glaringly missing, they decided to hatch a plan with some
like-minded individuals. In 1982, SNAP was founded.
At that time, printmaking facilities in Edmonton were
available to visual arts faculty and students through the University of
Alberta's Art and Design Department, but once students graduated, they and
other printmakers not involved with the department did not have access
privileges.
In order to realize the creation of an accessible
facility dedicated to printmaking, an ample space was needed. Peck and Siegner had their eyes on the Great West Saddlery Building in downtown
Edmonton. By 1986, the building had been acquired and SNAP held its first
exhibition, The Great West Saddlery Show, which raised the organization's
profile and went on to become an annual event.
Like many non-profit organizations, SNAP faced the
challenge of acquiring equipment and actively sought out the donation of
necessary resources. It was successful and received a crude press on loan
from University of Alberta. The Alberta College of Art and Design (ACAD)
contributed a few presses it had in storage.
Getting the large and heavy equipment from ACAD (in
Calgary) to Edmonton proved to be an adventure. One person almost lost
limbs hauling the presses onto a U-Haul, but celebration was called for
when the equipment arrived, and the presses where swiftly christened.
The
communally minded printmakers at SNAP decided that building studio spaces
would be conducive to cultivating Edmonton's artist community. Ten studios, to be inhabited by printmakers, painters and other
artists, were constructed by 1986.
In 1988, the organization introduced a newsletter with
accompanying print editions. Throughout its time of growth, SNAP sought
out collaboration with other arts organizations such as the Alberta
Printmakers' Society based out of Calgary, and the Open Studio printmaking
centre in Quebec.
Completely dedicated to printmaking, SNAP remains
unique to Alberta. Always striving to be a dynamic artist-run centre, it
opened a gallery in 1996. The SNAP gallery actively exhibits a gamut of
artists, runs educational outreach programs to engage new audiences in
printmaking, and has expanded its print workshop.
Some highlights of SNAP's achievements are its hosting
of the 1997 SITElines International Symposium in Image Culture, and the
organization being featured as a guest exhibitor in Tokyo, Japan. In 2002,
SNAP held its first True North SNAP International Print Biennial.
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Tommy Banks introduces Society of Northern Alberta
Print and then Tony Dillon-Davis speaks with Marc Seigner and Marlene
McCallum about the society's contribution to a show in Brazil.
Listen Now
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SNAP's mandate is communicated clearly as seeking
to promote printmaking as an art form. As an active and ever-evolving
centre involved with the greater community, SNAP is continually striving
to be an asset to Alberta's arts community.
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