First Friday: An Introduction to Letterpress Printing

Join Poster House educator and in-house printer Jes Hughes for an afternoon of learning about wood type and leave with your own letterpress poster! In a class inspired by the expressive figures in the posters on view in the current exhibition Art for Art House: The Posters of Peter Strausfeld, you will learn the basics of typesetting with real wood type and compose your own captions for one of Strausfeld’s designs. You will then have the chance to print your composition on a Provisional Press.

This program is suitable for attendees aged 16 and above.

Jes Hughes is an artist and educator in New York with a background in fine art printmaking who has focused on letterpress printing since 2010. She has a BFA from Massachusetts College of Art and Design and an MFA from Pratt Institute. Jes has worked at the Cooper Union School of Art and in numerous printshops and collaborative studios. Her dedication to the technique has taken her across Europe to study the history of printmaking and participate in international artists’ workshops. She is currently the Educator for Youth Initiatives and Accessibility at Poster House.

Accessibility Note: Masks and clear masks are available free of charge at the museum. Assistive listening devices and stools are available. ASL (American Sign Language) interpretation or a CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) is also available upon request. Please contact access@posterhouse.org or (914) 295-2387 to request interpretation services and to address any other accessibility needs. For other event-related questions, please contact info@posterhouse.org.