Current Exhibitions

Annual Wayzgoose Posters, A Hamilton Tradition Since 2009

On Display: November 8, 2024–February 13, 2025

In some traditions, the Wayzgoose was a celebration given by master printers for their workers to mark the beginning of the season working by candlelight. Hamilton's annual Wayzgoose conference gathers type-loving dreamers and doers from near and far to share their love of letterpress printing, typography, and design. A weekend filled with presentations, hands-on activities, social events, and camaraderie creates a lively atmosphere for making connections. 

With the 2024 conference, Hamilton will have hosted 16 Wayzgoose events since its founding as a museum. Each conference has been commemorated with a poster custom-designed by a different letterpress printer willing to make the generous donation of talent and time to print conference posters for all Wayzgoose attendees. This time-traveling exhibit showcases the entire body of conference posters and the stories behind them. In added recognition of the community created by each Wayzgoose conference, Hamilton began having attendees sign two copies of the conference poster: one for Hamilton archives, and the other for the poster designer/printer.

This exhibit features the "community-signed" poster from Hamilton's archive, alongside the original poster. The Wayzgoose Conference Poster exhibit opened to Wayzgoose attendees on November 8, and to the public on November 14.

Read more about the Wayzgoose poster exhibition. 

Really Big Prints! 2023 Exhibit 

On Display: November 9, 2023–Present

This exhibit features work from Really Big Prints, a biennial steamroller printing event. In July 2023, 40 artists from around the country brought their teams and really big printing blocks to Hamilton, resulting in this wide-ranging exhibit. Subjects depicted in the 2023 Really Big Prints exhibit include illustrated poems/sayings, realistic people and landscapes, fantastical people and animals, allegories, and more. A wide range of mark-making techniques is on display in this exhibit, including photo-Xerox transfer, drills and other carpentry tools, and traditional carving tools. Most of the pieces are printed on Japanese rice paper, and others are printed on cloth.  

Past Exhibitions

Wood Engravers' Network 5th Triennial Exhibit 

On Display: August 1, 2024–November 10, 2024

This exhibit by members of the Wood Engravers' Network features 60 contemporary relief engravings representing an international group of artists from Belgium, Ireland, Canada, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The 5th Triennial Exhibit was juried by Max Yela, Head of Special Collections at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Libraries, who chose the final 60 prints from a total of 140 submitted for the exhibit. 

This exhibit celebrates the vibrant world of wood engraving, where tradition meets innovation, and craftsmanship intertwines with artistic expression. Wood engraving requires patience, skill, and attention to detail, and the results are often a testament to the enduring beauty of this centuries-old printmaking technique. This type of  engraving allows artists to explore the interplay of line, texture, and negative space, while also honing their skills in drawing, carving, and printing. 

New Impressions 2024

On Display: July 2–September 28, 2024

In-person Reception and awards: July 12, 2024, 4-6pm CDT
Virtual Reception via Zoom: August 24, 2024, 12-1pm CDT 

Each year the museum looks forward to showcasing new and exciting work being done in letterpress printing. New Impressions 2024 attracted 192 diverse submissions from around the globe. The final forty-three pieces on display are from artists included in the exhibition are from Brazil, Spain, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

This is the ninth year for this international, juried exhibition, which showcases exploration and creativity with letterpress printing techniques. The 2024 show was juried by Celene Aubry of Hatch Show Print, Naomi Kent of Ink Squasher, and Jim Moran,  Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum Master Printer emeritus.

New Impressions includes a full exhibition in the gallery, an event poster and a printed and digital catalog, a virtual exhibition, awards, and the opportunity for artists to sell work in our museum shop, Hamilton Dry Goods. 

View the work and find out more about the artists in our online exhibition. 

The exhibition catalog was designed by Nick Larson. The type used on the cover and for the display titles in this catalog were designed by Erin Moore and inspired by lesbian hand lettering from periodicals from the 1970s–1980s. AIAW and Leaping were used in this publication.

Masterful Moran: Work by Hamilton Master Printer & Collections Officer Jim Moran 

On Display: November 9, 2023–July 27, 2024

Jim Moran’s journey at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum has spanned nearly fifteen years, leaving an indelible mark on the institution. This exhibition features an array of letterpress prints, including restrikes from vintage plates, creative explorations utilizing historic blocks, and unique type specimens. A third-generation printer with a wealth of experience in both commercial and creative printing, Jim's unique perspective is on display in this exhibition.

Old Type, New Ways:
Work from the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum 

On Display: April 11–June 22, 2024

Hamilton is a working museum that prints with its collections and continues to create new wood type using the original tools and machines from the factory. The “Old Type, New Ways” exhibition showcases original prints, type, printing blocks, and new works created from the collections at the museum. This display is a unique and rare view of American advertising art and the contemporary state of letterpress printing.

Typographic Jazz, The Monoprints of Jack Stauffacher

On Display: November 9–December 30, 2023

Courtesy of Letterform Archive, the exhibit ‘Typographic Jazz, The Monoprints of Jack Stauffacher’ explores the iconic Bay Area printer's most playful and improvisational work. Stauffacher's experiments in inking and layering led to an extraordinary body of unique monoprints. This exhibition looks beyond the methods displayed in his well-known portfolio editions of wood type prints, and includes his sketches, iterative proofs, and other unfinished work to help us understand his process and give us a peek into his mind. This rarely seen body of work demonstrates masterful use (and misuse) of the tools at his disposal as well as the creative potential of letterpress with wood type. Through his use of abstraction, color, form, rotation, overprinting, ink manipulation, and transparency, Jack's prints remind the viewer that design not only involves planning and precision, but also randomness and spontaneity. Each piece reveals its own history and reminds us of the inherent human touch necessary in the making of art.

A special 'Thank You' to Bank First, our sponsor for this exhibit!

 

New Impressions 2023

On Display: April 21–July 29, 2023

Virtual Reception via Zoom: April 29, 2023, 12-1pm CDT 
In-person Reception and awards: June 10, 2023, 4-6pm CDT

Each year the museum looks forward to showcasing new and exciting work being done in letterpress printing. New Impressions 2023 attracted 237 diverse submissions from over 100 artists. Forty-one pieces were on display. Artists included in the exhibition are from Brazil, Italy, Slovakia, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.

This is the eighth year for this international, juried exhibition, which showcases exploration and creativity with letterpress printing techniques. The jurors this year are Erin Beckloff, Clint Harvey, and Heather Moulder. New Impressions includes a full exhibition in the gallery, an event poster and a printed and digital catalog, a virtual exhibition, awards, and the opportunity for artists to sell work in our museum shop, Hamilton Dry Goods. 

The letterpress printed exhibition poster and catalog were designed and printed by Nick Larson. 

A huge Hamilton 'Thank you!' to The Press Room, our exhibit sponsor.

Visiting Artists Exhibit: Cultural Community Engagement
Granted by the Wisconsin Humanities Council

On Display: August 7, 2022–April 15, 2023
Reception: September 23, 2022, 4:00-6:00 pm

Hamilton is a working museum and printing with the collection is part of how we preserve and learn about our artifacts. Hamilton’s historic Enquirer collection consist of carved wood blocks that letterpress printers used to make large poster and billboard sized prints. Many of the posters were printed to advertise circuses and other similar kinds of entertainment. The content in the collections provides us with a raw uncensored view of our past. Though exquisitely crafted, many of the images in the Enquirer collection are problematic when viewed through a modern lens.

Key questions raised by the Visiting Artist program center on the voices, language and mechanisms of storytelling around cultural differences and context. 

• How does the language we use to describe things, shape the conversations about those things? 
• What story do you have to tell; why is it important to hear other people’s stories too?
• What makes an image offensive today, if it was not offensive when originally created/printed? 

Four artists were chosen for this Grant. Each one was given a topic based on images within our Enquirer Collection that the Museum deemed critical to re-examine. The artists and their topics are:

Ben Blount – Racism
HR Buechler – Animal Exploitation
Rick Griffith – Ableism 
Kelly Walters – Sexism

The artwork and interpretation was intended to accomplish specific things:

• Foster inter-cultural conversations with diverse participants
• Empower marginalized voices
• Enrich the community’s connection with the arts and awareness of museum resources
• Enable skill development
• Deepen the understanding of the museum’s collection

The artwork in this exhibit is intended to create dialogue and foster a deeper understanding of the need to reconsider the language of advertising and its nature.

YOU ARE HERE

You Are Here is a large scale installation designed and printed by Jennifer Farrell of Starshaped Press, Hamilton’s Visiting Artist 2019–2022. The opening of the exhibition coincides with the Museum’s annual November Wazygoose, when many printers and print enthusiasts gather to celebrate the art of letterpress and type in all its forms.

Resembling a giant landscape of buildings and natural elements, You Are Here was printed over six days at the Museum. It utilizes various sizes of large wood type, set and printed in overlapping layers before trimming and assembling into repeating patterns. Some of the smaller elements were printed in the same manner at Starshaped Press, Jennifer’s studio in Chicago. Effort was made to showcase the unique and detailed qualities of each letterform, reexamining its day-to-day task of straightforward communication. “Windows” within the installation feature comments from the global print community, gathered in response to prompts. You Are Here offers viewers a chance to reflect on the power of print, and the sense of place it inspires.

Survey prompts:
To me, print is:
I can create when:
I worry about:
I make space for:
I can heal by:
I contribute to printing by:
I am comforted by: 
Making prints: 
Working with my hands:
My community is:
I can build:
 __makes me feel safe.
 __brings me joy.
 __is home to me.

Thank you to the 250+ people that contributed to the survey and to Neenah Paper for generously providing paper for this project.

New Impressions 2022

On Display: April 8–July 30, 2022

New Impressions is an international juried exhibition to showcase exploration and creativity with letterpress printing techniques. This call attracted 253 diverse entries from around the globe. The final 41 works on display are from artists in Brazil, Italy, Japan, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States. The exhibition is on display at Hamilton from April 8–July 30, 2022 with the reception and awards on May 21. There was a virtual reception via Zoom on June 25 at 12pm Central.

This is the seventh year of the New Impressions exhibition and it was juried by Richard Ardagh, a graphic designer and letterpress printer at New North Press; Ben Blount, designer and letterpress printer; and Sukhie Patel, printmaker, educator, community organizer, and sole proprietrix of Saparia Press.

View the work and find out more about the artists in our online ditigal catalog. The catalog and letterpress printed exhibition poster were collaboratively designed by Nick Larson and Stephanie Carpenter. 

 

Inspiring Women Portfolio

On Display: July 1-March 31, 2022

The “Inspiring Women Portfolio” was created in celebration of the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment. The women featured are from many time periods, all possessing a radical spirit of creating change in the world. The portfolio was printed during the 2020 Covid19 Pandemic by 25 printers/printmakers.

Organized by Kathryn Hunter of Blackbird Letterpress this portfolio includes work by:
Jessica Peterson - The Southern Letterpress
Kate Askew with Perrion Hurd
Yella Dog Press & Hurd Wired Studios
Nancy Hill - Hazel and Violet
Yuka Petz - Letter Box Studio
Tammy Winn - The Red Door Press
Kelly McMahon - May Day Studio
Allison Chapman - Igloo Letterpress
Kathryn Hunter - Blackbird Letterpress
Shelley Barandes - Albertine Press
Dori Boone with April Bryant - Side Track Press
Allison and Jamie Nadeau - INK MEETS PAPER
Lynda Sherman with Leigh Riibe - Bremelo Press
Rachael Hetzel - Pistachio Press
Mandolin Brassaw - Grapheme
Masy Chighizola - Press Relief
Sarah McCoy - The Permanent Collection
Jessica Spring & Chandler O’Leary
Dead Feminists at Springtide Press
Stephanie Carpenter
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum
Molly Douma Brewer - Ice Pond Press
Kadin Henningsen - Meanwhile... Letterpress
Cathy Smith - Boxcar Press
Jennifer Farrell - Starshaped Press
Kyle Durrie - Power and Light Press
Ben Blount - MAKE Studio
Kseniya Thomas - Thomas Printers

 

ReallyBigPrints!!

On Display: October 1 - December 31, 2021

A biennial, multi-day, large-scale relief printmaking event in Manitowoc, WI. Hosted by Wisconsin printmakers Berel Lutsky (UW – Manitowoc), Ben Rinehart (Lawrence University) and Katie Ries (St. Norbert College), ReallyBIGPRINTS!! allows artists to work on a scale that can be somewhat intimidating. The finished prints are up to 4x6 feet in size.

Design
The prints begin with an idea and a design.

Carving
The image is then reproduced at the size of the finished print. After painting a birch plywood panel with red ink mixed with sealant the image is applied with adhesive and paper is rubbed away, leaving the design on the block. The areas that are to be blank after printing remain red and are carved away - leaving the black image to be refined in the carving process and ultimately printed.

Carving tools can include chisels, power tools and whatever else gets the desired results. Applying India ink or sharpie to the raised sections of the block allows the artist to refine details.

Printing Day
On printing day, the block is inked with a smooth, even layer of ink using a large brayer that resembles a rolling pin. The four pieces of the block are placed in the handmade jig and shimmed into place. Paper is used to cover any areas of the design the artist may want to keep a crisp white. Printing paper is carefully laid down on top of the inked block, followed by layers of floor cushioning material.

The steamroller acts as a printing press as it is driven over the block, providing pressure to allow the ink to fully transfer to the paper. After checking enough ink transferred, the prints are pulled up from the blocks and hung on a special rack to dry.

Dry Ink
by Richard Kegler

On Display: July 1-September 30, 2021

The walls are covered with Dry Ink. Hamilton’s gallery is showing off the work of Richard Kegler from the first of July until September 30, 2021. The variety of posters and prints are impressive in their layering, composition and typography. Often with a wry wit and a fine eye, Richard has created a wonderful display of pieces. What he brings in the exhibit are the skills of a very good printer, typographer and designer who has a strong knowledge of tradition with a deep historical sense. Also on display are Richard’s Alphabet Book of layered letters and the “Specimens of Wood Type” that illustrates type from the Hamilton collection.

Richard Kegler is the lead designer and founder of P22 type foundry. Richard's background in typography and book arts includes ventures in bookbinding and letterpress printing. However, the historical context and background of type continue to be his greatest interest and shape the evolution of P22. Richard was the Director of the Book Arts Center at Wells College in Aurora, NY from 2014–2019 and a past trustee for the American Printing History Association (APHA). He is former chairman of the board for the Society of Typographic Aficionados (SOTA). He has a masters degree in Media Study and produced the Making Faces film as a culmination of his interests and experience.

New Impressions 2020

On Display: July 14-September 30, 2020. On display at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum.

Zoom Gallery Reception: Saturday, September 5, 12 - 1pm Central.
Catalog: View the work and find out more about the artists in our online ditigal catalog on Issuu. New Impressions is an international juried exhibition to showcase exploration and creativity with letterpress printing techniques. This call attracted 200 diverse entries from around the globe. The final 49 works on display are from artists in Brazil, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, and the United States.

This is the sixth year of the New Impressions exhibition and it was juried by Stephen Coles, Editorial Director & Associate Curator at Letterform Archive; Brenda McManus, co-founder of BRED Letterpress and Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Pace University–NYC; and Claudio Rocha, graphic artist, type designer, typographer, and a founding partner of Oficina Tipográfica de São Paulo.

Hamilton Restrikes – By Collections Curator Jim Moran

Join us for an exhibit of restrike letterpress prints from Hamilton's Enquirer and Globe Collections. A restrike is the reprinting of original blocks in the style and sequence that they were originally designed. The Globe Collection was acquired by Hamilton Wood Type in 2005 from Globe Printing in Chicago. The Enquirer Collection was acquired in 2015 from Enquirer Printing in Cincinnati, Ohio. The hand-carved blocks from these collections, were carved in the 1920s through the 1960s and represent some of the finest multi-color letterpress advertising in the U.S.

Hamilton has been reprinting their vintage blocks since 2008 both to document their collection and for sale to generate income for the museum. These blocks and their reprinting teach us much about the skill and craftsmanship of advertising art in the early 20th century. The exhibit will include not only restrikes but also samples of the blocks themselves and preliminary proofs that show how the colors come together to create the finished print.

Kinship Patterns
An Exhibition by Stephanie Carpenter

On Display: January 5-March 30, 2019
Gallery Reception: Saturday, March 23, 5-7 pm

Kinship is the web of social relationships that we form in our lives. There are many ways that we build community and this network can include both family and social connections. This act of tying yourself to others creates a sense of belonging and fellowship. There are many ways to look at these connections and through that exploration patterns and kin groups arise. In her work Stephanie Carpenter examines the way we create our own unique communities.

Stephanie is a letterpress printer, educator, and graphic designer. Since 2011 she has been the Assistant Director of Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum, where she leads programs including New Impressions, an international, juried exhibition; helps coordinate the annual Wayzgoose conference; and teaches workshops. She also teaches graphic design courses at Silver Lake College in Manitowoc.

This exhibit features prints and an installation that were created using vintage wood and hand-carved blocks at the museum. 

Watch the Rules
by Jim Sherraden

On Display: October 5-December 22, 2018
Gallery Reception: Friday, October 5, 5-7 pm

The exhibit will present for the first time paper quilts created from the Hamilton border archive, and will also feature cut paper imagery from Hamilton's Globe collection. Plan on joining us  on Friday, October 5 from 5-7 pm for the gallery opening of this exhibition. 

Jim Sherraden has been an active and popular printmaker since 1980 and his work is collected by individuals and institutions worldwide. His art has toured with the Smithsonian and has been shown at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, as well as multiple venues both in the United States and abroad. He is also an award winning author and lyricist.

Since 1984 Sherraden’s name has been synonymous with Hatch Show Print, the iconic letterpress poster and design shop in Nashville, Tennessee. For his work at Hatch, Sherraden was a recipient of the 2013 Distinguished Artist Award for the state of Tennessee, is the American Advertising Nashville 2013 Silver Medalist, and was awarded the Krider Prize for Creativity by the UCDA in the fall of 2014.

 

Initial Impressions – Renaissance Capitals from the Maywald Collection at the University of Minnesota

On Display: July 7-September 30, 2018
Gallery Reception: Saturday, July 7, 5-7 pm

Join us for an exhibit of rare Renaissance initial capitals from the Maywald Collection from the University of Minnesota. The collection, comprised of over 6000 printed book fragments, includes ornamental initials that date from 1470 to 1690. This exhibit demonstrates the unparalleled craftsmanship of wood engravers who created wood type for use in early printing. Claus Maywald, head librarian at the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany, donated the collection to the University of Minnesota in 2011 where they serve as exemplars of early decorative typography. The exhibit will include dozens of enlarged versions of these capitals as well as a selection of the original printed fragments. Hamilton artistic director Bill Moran will be discussing the collection at an opening reception on Saturday, July 7 in the museum gallery. This exhibit is made possible with the support of The Andersen Library Special Collections at the University of Minnesota.

 

New Impressions 2018

On Display: April 17-June 30, 2018
Gallery Reception: Saturday, June 16, 2018, 5-7 pm
Hamilton Open House: Saturday, June 16, 12 noon - 5 pm

The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type. New Impressions is an international, juried exhibition to showcase exploration and creativity with letterpress printing techniques. From this age-old tradition, we strive to challenge and inspire artists to continue the love of printing. See this year's work in the digital catalog via pdf by clicking here or you can view it on issuu.

This is the fourth year for this juried exhibition. The work was on display at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin April 17-June 30, 2018 with a gallery reception on Saturday, June 16 from 5-7 pm. There was work on display from 44 artists in 9 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Argentina, Austria, Norway, Brazil and Italy. 

DAN ELLIOTT

On Display: January 6-March 31, 2018
Gallery Reception: Saturday, January 6, 5 - 7 pm

Dan Elliott explores letterpress printing and mixed media to create designs that he describes in contradictory terms: clean and messy, clear and abstract, simple and complex. Based in North Carolina, Elliott's work is largely influenced by the history of art and graphic design—from the Arts and Crafts movement of the late 19th-century to Gutenberg's first moveable type press. Dan is a Assistant Professor in the The School of Art and Design at East Carolina University.

On display at the museum were works he created in the summer of 2017 in our Visiting Artists Studio. 

FRENCH PAPER & CHARLES S. ANDERSON DESIGN

On Display: October 13-December 31, 2017
Gallery Reception: in conjunction with Wayzgoose 2017, November 3-5

Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is proud to showcase this collection of contemporary and historical collateral from French Paper. Hamilton Manufacturing was founded in 1880, just nine years after French, and both continue to serve the printing industry after nearly a century and a half.

French Paper Company has been manufacturing paper in the same community of Niles, Michigan for almost 150 years. In an industry known for corporate acquisitions and shutdowns, French Paper has persevered, emerging as one of the strongest, smartest, and most consistent paper brands.

One designer who noticed French's unusual selection of natural paper stocks was Minneapolis designer Charles S. “Chuck” Anderson. Working with the Duffy Design Group in the mid 1980's, Chuck was combining a modern vernacular design style with unusual printing techniques for clients, and the raw finishes of French's recycled papers were the perfect complement to this work.

Charles S. Anderson Design opened in 1989 with French Paper as their first client, in what has become one of the most long-running and fruitful designer-client relationships in American graphic design history. The two companies continue to work together on everything from their website to packaging to the creation of hues for custom-colored papers.

While much of this exhibit features the decades-long collaboration with CSA, the promotions themselves work to tell the resounding story of a small, family-owned, 6-generation, all-American mill, founded in 1871. They also reflect French Paper Company's continued belief in the power of both good products and good design as a way of life.

SHIFT-LAB: TRACE

On Display: July 9-September 30, 2017
Shift-Lab Letterpress Workshop: Thinking in Layers: Saturday, September 23, 9 - 4 pm
Gallery Reception: Saturday, September 23, 5 - 7 pm

Shift-Lab is a collective of artists: Katie Baldwin (Huntsville, AL), Denise Bookwalter (Tallahassee, FL), Sarah Bryant (Tuscaloosa, AL), Macy Chadwick (Oakland, CA), and Tricia Treacy (Boone, NC). The collective began in 2013 as a platform for collaborative inquiry. We are propelled by the use of digital and analog technology in our communication and collaboration. All five artists collaborate on projects that often include books and multiples while maintaining individual creative studio practices.

"In our new project titled Trace, we explore the technology and aesthetics of mapping while responding to the traces of human activity left on the landscape. Individually, we investigated: an arsenal, a quarry, a marina, a walking path, and a ski resort. Our sensory experiences navigating a landscape in real time are reinterpreted through symbols, sequences, and sounds in the exhibition."

Trace is a set of maps, a large collaborative map and five smaller maps by each individual artist, that fold into single sheet books. A series of framed prints, printed ephemera, a digitally printed newspaper, and sound file accompany the work. Trace utilizes a range of media including embroidery, letterpress, risograph, processing software, screenprint, and video/audio capture.

NEW IMPRESSIONS 2017

On Display: April 15-June 30, 2017
Gallery Reception: Saturday, June 17, 5 - 7 pm
Hamilton Open House: Saturday, June 17, 12 noon - 5 pm

New Impressions is an international, juried exhibition to showcase exploration and creativity with letterpress printing techniques. From this age-old tradition, we strive to challenge and inspire artists to continue the love of printing. The exhibition was on display at the museum from April 15-June 30, 2017. 

REALLY BIG PRINTS EXHIBITION

On Display: October 7 through December 15, 2016
Gallery Reception: Saturday, December 10, 5 - 7 pm

Many amazing printmakers from near and far came to UW-Manitowoc July 13-16, 2016 to create editions of large-scale relief prints for the second Really Big Prints! Event. The number of participants and duration of the event makes it unique, as well as the opportunity for the printmakers to print a limited edition of a large-scale print, and have it exhibited “hot off the press” here at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum. 

You can always find out the latest information about the event and show on the Really Big Prints facebook page.

The art of printmaking realizes the oxymoron of the “original multiple.” These images are not reproductions, but original pieces which are conceived and created to exist as a limited edition. The vehicle for creating the multiple is a matrix that can be printed repeatedly. For these prints the matrix was created as a relief. Wood, MDF, linoleum, or plastic was carved or painted on top of to create the image. The matrix was then rolled with printing ink, the raised areas became coated with the ink, while the low areas remained clean and open. Paper was then placed onto top of the inked matrix. The ink was transferred onto the paper with the steamroller.

ENQUIRER COLLECTION EXHIBITION

On Display: November 1 through November 15, 2016

The Enquirer Collection at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum contains nearly 500 rare circus, fair and carnival posters, plus approximately 1,500 hand-carved printing plates; more than 5,000 pieces of large wood type; and related correspondence. The Anderson family of Cincinnati founded Enquirer Printing in 1895 and continuously has archived the extensive collection. In 2015 the museum acquired this collection and is working to continue this long legacy. On display in the gallery are posters and blocks from this extensive collection. Jim Moran says of the printed pieces, "The thousands of previously printed samples from Enquirer Printing’s archive provides us with an invaluable documentation of the printing process and the artistic considerations that went into advertising art of the early 20th century.”

AMOS PAUL KENNEDY JR.: I AM AS SCONNIES AS

On Display: September 19 through October 26, 2016
Gallery Reception: Saturday, October 1, 5 - 7 pm

Amos Paul Kennedy Jr. is a passionate letterpress printer and former computer programmer. Kennedy produces showcard posters for local and regional events as well as his own catalog of inspirational and commemorative designs. To see more about Amos view the 2008 documentary, Proceed and Be Bold! The gallery reception took place on Saturday, October 1 from 5-7 pm. Amos joined us for this exciting event!

SILVER BUCKLE PRESS

On Display: July 8 through August 31, 2016
Closing Reception: Saturday, August 27, 5 - 7 pm

Silver Buckle Press is a working museum of letterpress printing dedicated to preserving the craft of fine printing through educational programming, publications, exhibitions and tours. In March of 2016 the Silver Buckle Press collection of books, wood and metal type, presses, and printing equipment was relocated to the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum through a long-term agreement with the University of Wisconsin. The original collection was put together by Robert Shaftoe. Shaftoe was an art director at the Ford Motor Company and a hobby printer. He named his press “Silver Buckle” after the nursery rhyme, Bobby Shaftoe. It begins “Bobby Shaftoe’s gone to sea, silver buckles on his knee.” In 1973 the Silver Buckle Press was purchased from Robert Shaftoe’s estate by the University of Wisconsin libraries, upon the urging of Professor Walter Hamady (now retired) of the University of Wisconsin–Madison Art Department. When the Silver Buckle Press came to UW-Madison, it was set up by the libraries as a working museum. To celebrate the history of Silver Buckle Press, this exhibition displayed work from the collection.

NEW IMPRESSIONS 2016

On Display:May 11 through June 30, 2016
Exhibition Reception and Awards: June 11 from 5-7 pm

Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum is dedicated to the the preservation, education, production and printing of wood type. “New Impressions” is an international, juried exhibition to showcase exploration and creativity with letterpress printing techniques. From this age-old tradition, we strive to challenge and inspire artists to continue the love of printing. 

Following exhibition at Hamilton, the show traveled to Design College Australia in Brisbane for a one-month display. We are honored to work with our friends there to share this international exhibition more expansively. 

The exhibition poster for the show was designed and printed by Nick Larson with assistance from Jim Moran and Stephanie Carpenter. 

To see more about the show check out the digital exhibition catalog. You can view it on Issuu.

GLOBE REVERSED

On Display: March 5 through April 30, 2016
Closing Reception: April 30, 5 - 7 pm

The Globe Printing Company of Chicago was once among the leading makers of posters for circuses, rodeos, fairs, entertainment and general merchandising. After the business closed, the largely unique printing blocks were stored in a semi trailer for over 25 years until they were donated to the museum and transferred to Two Rivers. These pieces of wood type, images, and illustration cuts were often printed, then another image was carved into the back of the block. The original image would then be shimmed so that the next image would print evenly. The backs of these blocks make for interesting compositions and stories. This exhibition showed off those blocks as well as original posters that were used for make ready in the printing process. The exhibition closing reception took place on April 30 from 5-7 pm.

MORAN'S QUALITY PRINT SHOP

On Display: January 7 through February 27, 2016

Our first exhibit of the new year featured the work of printer and artist Bernie Moran. Beginning in 1966, he created an annual calendar for his customers at Moran's Quality Print Shop. The success of the calendars continued a project that lasted until 2004, three years after the shop had closed. This exhibit showcased the calendars printed at the shop, as well as Bernie's fine pen and ink drawings that represent historic sites around the Green Bay area where the print shop was, dating back to 1945. Bernie Moran learned the craft of printing from his father, Frank E. Moran and studied at The Layton School of Art in Milwaukee. He is the father of museum directors Bill and Jim Moran. The exhibit coincided with the 50th anniversary of the first calendar the shop published.

Making Monotype

On Display: November 7 through December 30, 2015

In the gallery were drawings, newsletters, photos, and specimens from the Monotype Archive. On display were pattern drawings documenting the development of Times New Roman, original artwork drawn at Monotype for Figaro, and prints of wood engravings by Louis John Pouchée.

David Wolske

On Display:September 5 through October 28, 2015
Gallery Reception: Saturday, October 24th 4 - 6 pm

David’s work explores the potential of letterpress printing as a medium for creative, non-commercial printmaking. The prints—and the collages, which derive from proofs and makereadies—in this exhibition utilize only the letters W-O-R-D. He developed a masking technique, isotype printing, and uses that process to take the letters apart and reassembled the particles into a visceral lexicon.

"I attempt to create abstract compositions that honor the history of wood type while striving to evolve and extend its visual vocabulary. Often over the past decade, this has been achieved through a process of addition, printing layer upon layer until the rectilinear nature of the process is concealed."

David Wolske received a BA in Studio Art from Marian University, Indianapolis, Indiana, and an MFA in Graphic Design from Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana. His work is exhibited and collected around the world. He regularly teaches typography, graphic design, letterpress printing, and book arts classes and workshops across the United States. You can view more of his work on his website.

On Saturday, October 24th from 4-6 pm there was a gallery reception of this exhibition. This event was free and open to the public.

Tour De Lead Graffiti

On Display: September 5th through October 31, 2015

Ray Nichols & Jill Cypher of Lead Graffiti exhibited their project Tour De Lead Graffiti at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum gallery July 11 through August 31. Tour de Lead Graffiti is a major endurance letterpress project which returns for its fifth tour at Lead Graffiti Studio in July. Following the Tour de France Lead Graffiti produces a series of 23 letter press posters. One poster each day is produced with guest contributors who collaborate with Ray and Jill to create a letterpress poster paralleling the events of each stage of the Tour de France. The exhibition included highlights from this previous years projects. More about this exciting project can be found on Lead Graffiti's website.

New Impressions in American Letterpress

A Juried Exhibition
On Display: May through June 30, 2015

Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum is dedicated to the the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type. One of the joys of our mission is the preservation through use of our collection including over 1.5 million pieces of wood type. “New Impressions in American Letterpress” was Hamilton’s very 
first juried exhibition, to showcase exploration and creativity using letterpress and printing techniques. From this age-old tradition, we seeked to challenge and inspire new artists to continue the love of letterpress printing. The exhibition was on display in the museum gallery until June 30th, 2015. The Exhibition Catalog  featured the work and biographies of the 37 artists in the show. You can view and share an online version of the Exhibition Catalog on Issuu.

Workers of the World, Unite!

Russian Civil War Posters 1918-1923 from The Cellini Collection

On Display: March 7 - April 30
Opening Reception:Saturday, March 28th 5 - 7 pm

The exhibit featured 25 original works from The Cellini Collection, dating from 1918-1923, featuring full bold color and design through the lithograph technique. Each poster will be accompanied by an English translation of the Russian text. The exhibition was accompanied by a scholarly paper about the period by Aaron Hale- Dorrell, PhD. You can read the whole text here.

“Russian propaganda posters show how revolution and civil war turned society upside down. The posters helped popularize the ideology of the Russian Revolution and, in the years following the Russian Civil War (1917–22), remained symbols of the conflict that established the Soviet Union,…Taking power in the name of workers, the new Soviet government under Lenin and the Bolsheviks declared a “dictatorship of the proletariat” and pledged to cast down old elites: aristocrats and capitalists. To shape popular opinion, propaganda posters recast humble toilers as heroes of the factories and mines,” Hale-Dorrell, PhD.

The gallery reception was on Saturday, March 28th from 5-7 pm. It was free and open to the public. The gallery is located at the museum at 1816 10th Street, Two Rivers, Wisconsin, 54241.

Types of Bugs : Bugs of Type

Letterbugs™ by Bill Moran of Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum

On Display: January 6th - February 28th, 2015

Each Letterbug ™ is hand-printed using type manufactured by Hamilton and is part of the museum's collection of over 1.5 million pieces of wood type; the fine details completing each print come from much smaller metal type, or hand-inking, by Bill, creating unique effects on every print. The prints are an homage to the unique strata that insects and type occupy in their respective kingdoms.

Bill Moran is a third-generation letterpress printer, graphic designer and artistic director of the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum in Two Rivers, Wisconsin. Hamilton Manufacturing, founded in 1880, was the premier maker of wood type and printing equipment until 1992. Moran's letterbugs have been exhibited throughout the U.S. and Europe and are included in the permanent collection of the Gutenberg Museum in Mainz, Germany, as well as Tipoteca Italiana in Cornuda, Italy.

Tipoteca Italiana

On Display: November 4th - December 31st, 2014

Tipoteca Italiana is a printing museum in Cornuda, Italy. They are dedicated to the culture of the typeface and the history of typography.The collections come from printing offices and printers located throughout the country. Italian and international teachers contribute to letterpress classes, educational activities and workshops organized by Tipoteca.
Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum and Tipoteca Italiana Fondazione are promoting the Printing Preservation Partnership, a cultural partnership between the two museums, that together are dedicated to:
1. Encourage and spread the knowledge and craft of printing.
2. Develop a shared strategy for the professional training of students, artists & designers.
3. Promote meetings, exhibitions and events in both the Museums, to spread the knowledge of the art of printing and its history.
4. Motivate the mutual exchange of contents of their archives, through printed specimens and materials.

To that mission we had on display a beautifully printed portfolio from Tipoteca Italiana. This show was up in our gallery until December 31, 2014.

Really Big Prints Exhibition

On Display: September 10th - November 22nd, 2014 - Really Big Prints
Closing Reception at the Museum: Saturday, November 22nd, 2014 4-6 pm

Many amazing printmakers from near and far came to UW-Manitowoc on July 21-25, 2014 to create editions of 41 large-scale relief prints. This event put Manitowoc on the map for printmakers and print collectors alike. The number of participants and duration of the event made it unique. It is an opportunity for the printmakers to print a limited edition of a large-scale print and have it exhibited “hot off the press” here at the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum. You can see a documentary of the event here. You can always find out the latest information about the event and show on the Really Big Prints facebook page.

The art of printmaking realizes the oxymoron of the “original multiple.” These images are not reproductions, but original pieces which are conceived and created to exist as a limited edition. The vehicle for creating the multiple is a matrix that can be printed repeatedly. For these prints the matrix was created as a relief. Wood, MDF, linoleum, or plastic was carved or painted on top of to create the image. The matrix was then rolled with printing ink, the raised areas became coated with the ink, while the low areas remained clean and open. Paper was then placed onto top of the inked matrix. The ink was transferred onto the paper with the steamroller.

Studio on Fire Exhibition

On Display: September 17th - October 31st, 2014 - Studio on Fire
Gallery Reception at the Museum: Saturday, September 27th, 2014

Studio on Fire is a design workspace and letterpress printer in Minneapolis, MN backed by in-house modern letterpress printing capabilities. They have quality people and quality equipment for some very fine quality work. Studio on Fire was at the museum to teach a workshop "What is Modern Letterpress?" on Saturday, September 27th. This show featured their commercial letterpress printed work, large custom moveable type that they created for a steamroller printing event (and those large scale prints!), and examples of the plates they use in their printing and specialty finishing methods.

Wood Engravers Network: Triennial Exhibit

On Display: July 1st - August 31st, 2014
Since 1994, a group of printmakers, especially interested in wood engraving, have gathered and formed an organization called the Wood Engravers Network. The group pursues communication, encouragement, and education in this historic, yet contemporary relief medium.

Amalgamated Printers' Association

On Display: May 1st - June 30th, 2014
The Amalgamated Printers' Association was organized in 1958 as a hobby printers group so that members could improve their skills, expand their knowledge, and exchange samples of their letterpress work. Today, the APA consists of both professional and amateur letterpress printers, but their emphasis is still on the exchange of members’ letterpress printing and information on sources of equipment and better printing practices.

Firecracker Press

On Display: March 10th - April 30th, 2014
Exhibition Reception: Friday, March 21st 4 pm - 7 pm

We were very excited to welcome Eric Woods, the owner of The Firecracker Press, to the museum for an opening reception of their work. From 4-7 pm at the museum on Friday, March 21 we held a reception where attendees could meet Eric, talk letterpress and lay their eyes on some stunning posters and prints. This event was free and open the public.

The Firecracker Press opened shop in February of 2002 as St. Louis, Missouri’s only graphic design studio and letterpress printshop. The Firecracker Press combines antique printing technology with new thinking to design and produce objects that people enjoy seeing and feeling. Using computer design software to conceive ideas, The Firecracker Press still carves woodblocks and prints by hand to produce event posters, business cards, party invitations, advertising and more. The Firecracker Press continues to enjoy a vital presence amongst the thriving Cherokee Street art and culture scene, as well as opening a newly expanded space in Old North, and establishing a non-profit organization: http://www.firecrackerpress.com/

Tom Walker: Walker Clinches the Pennant!

On Display: January 18th- March 10th, 2014

Hamilton pitches and Tom Walker knocks it out of the park. The Indy slugger's new pennant exhibit was a home run. An amazing 106 baseball themed, pennant - poster show graced the walls of the Hamilton gallery from January 25 until February 28. Former Indiana Univsersity design/letterpress instructor Tom Walker created an impressive new exhibit based on baseball terms beginning with the term "Ramicack", the sound of a bat hitting a ball. Catch this one if you can.
Tom Walker has been a professional designer of print and digital media for 20 years servicing clients in health care, manufacturing, higher education, museums and service organizations. He has degrees from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. Walker has enjoyed ten years of undergraduate and graduate teaching experience. He taught design for three years at the University of Notre Dame as a concurrent assistant professor and six years for Indiana University as a visiting assistant professor and lecturer. His professional work has received awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), American Advertising Federation (ADDY Awards), Higher Education Marketing Report and the Publicity Club of Chicago. He also has limited edition printed work in private and university collections including California State at San Jose, Stanford, and Indiana University.Tom Walker has been a professional designer of print and digital media for 20 years servicing clients in health care, manufacturing, higher education, museums and service organizations. He has degrees from Indiana University and the University of Notre Dame. Walker has enjoyed ten years of undergraduate and graduate teaching experience. He taught design for three years at the University of Notre Dame as a concurrent assistant professor and six years for Indiana University as a visiting assistant professor and lecturer. His professional work has received awards from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE), American Advertising Federation (ADDY Awards), Higher Education Marketing Report and the Publicity Club of Chicago. He also has limited edition printed work in private and university collections including California State at San Jose, Stanford, and Indiana University.

Hammerpress

On Display: September 1st- October 31st, 2012

Hammerpress was founded in 1994 by Brady Vest after attending the Kansas City Art Institute. They specialize in letterpress posters, stationery, wedding invitations and various other printed material. You can find them online at their website or their facebook page.

Paul Brown

On Display: May 1st- June 30th, 2012
Exhibition Reception: Saturday, May 19th 6 pm - 9 pm

The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum was proud to present the work of Paul Brown. His broadsides, books, and other letterpress printed works were on display May 1st through June 30th, 2012.

Paul Brown joined the faculty in the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts at Indiana University, Bloomington in 2000 as a professor of Graphic Design after 16 years at the Herron School of Art as a professor of Visual Communication. His work has been included in Communication Arts and Print magazines and in Graphic Design USA, the Annual of the American Institute of Graphic Arts (AIGA). In addition, Brown has received awards from the Chicago Book Clinic, the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education, the Miniature Book Society, the American Federation of Arts Design, and the Art Directors Club of Indiana. He currently serves as Director and Chair of the Henry Radford Hope School of Fine Arts. He was also a founding member and has served on the board of the Indianapolis chapter of the American Institute of Graphic Arts. His work has been exhibited widely including AIGA’s Fifty Books, New York, Art of the Book, Toronto, and Book Arts: Images and Words, Cambridge, Massachusetts. His most recent work involves limited edition, letterpress printed book works and broadsides.

Starshaped Press: Jennifer Farrell

On Display: March 1st- April 30th, 2012
Exhibition Reception: Saturday, April 28th 7 pm - 10 pm

Jennifer Farrell has been at the press since 1996, operating for the last 12 years as Starshaped Press. She cut her teeth working at the venerable Fireproof Press in Chicago and struck out on her own after that, armed with the ideals of a Luddite and ridiculous notions of keeping letterpress as old school as possible. She hates when presses are incorrectly called ‘letterpresses’ or ‘printers’, when stationery is spelled incorrectly and when two spaces are used after each sentence in digital typesetting.

Starshaped Press focuses on printing everything from business cards and social stationery to music packaging and posters, as well as other one-off or wacky projects that present themselves. Jennifer's work has been repeatedly recognized in How Magazine, and has appeared in print and poster shows throughout the USA and in Europe.

You can see more work by Starshaped Press at their website or by visiting their facebook page.