Press & Pull: Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop Exhibition Opens Next in Chicago

The exhibition titled Press & Pull: Two Decades at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop is set to debut in Chicago, highlighting the workshop's activities under the Elizabeth Foundation of the Arts since 2005. This event pays tribute to its founder, Robert Blackburn, who was born in Summit, New Jersey, in 1920 and founded the workshop in 1947. Blackburn, who studied lithography with Riva Helfond and Will Barnet, formed a friendship with Jacob Lawrence. Notable early participants included Romare Bearden and Elizabeth Catlett. Blackburn collaborated with Universal Limited Art Editions from 1957 to 1963, producing Rauschenberg's Accident (1963). Featured works include Billops's I am Black (1973) and recent contributions from Nontsikelelo Mutiti (2024) and Lizania Cruz (2023). The printshop is currently located at 323 West 39th Street, Manhattan.