Inside a “Printmaking by the People” Workshop

May, 2025

Our Printmaking by the People workshops are underway this spring and summer, and they’ve been full of energy, curiosity, and heartfelt conversations. Across the city, people are gathering to explore a powerful question: If we were to rewrite the Declaration of Independence today, what would it say?

In these hands-on sessions, participants are creating original artworks that reflect their hopes for the future. Some are carving linoleum blocks to print bold visual statements. Others are experimenting with cyanotype, using sunlight, found materials, and cut-up phrases from the Declaration to create layered blueprints of a shared vision.

The workshops have drawn people from all walks of life, each bringing their own stories, ideas, and creativity to the table. What connects them is a desire to express something meaningful and to do it in the company of others.

Whether they come to speak their truth, build community, or simply try something new, participants are walking away with more than an artwork. They’re walking away with a renewed sense of connection to history, to each other, and to the possibilities of collective imagination.

We’re excited to share more as the project continues and to celebrate these works when they’re exhibited next year at the Free Library. You can read more about the workshops and see photos in this Mural Arts blog post.