Mission
Philagrafika's mission is to promote and sustain printmaking as a vital and valued art form by providing artistic, programmatic and administrative leadership for large-scale, cooperative initiatives with broad public exposure.
Philagrafika builds upon the Philadelphia region's rich history and abundant artistic resources to increase critical dialogue, provide benefits for the local arts community, and enhance the city's presence as an international center for printmaking. We do this through an international contemporary art festival, an annual invitational portfolio, and special projects. Our programs have been designed to present new curatorial and critical models for printmaking-models in which the medium is presented as an integral component of current artistic practice.
History
Philagrafika was originally known as the Philadelphia Print Collaborative. Founded in 2000, the Print Collaborative came together in recognition of a growing convergence in Philadelphia of artists, educators, curators, non-profit arts organizations, galleries, print workshops and museums that needed a central organizing body for cooperative initiatives. The Print Collaborative's programs heightened visibility for the art of print, expanded audiences for member organizations, provided professional development and exposure for artists, fostered new collaborations and networks of mutual support within the artistic community, and enabled thousands of youth and adults to learn about and participate in the art of printmaking. With projects that harnessed collective effort and capitalized upon shared resources, the Print Collaborative achieved ambitious results that exceeded the capacity of any single organization.
In April 2006, the Print Collaborative changed its name to Philagrafika, reflecting a commitment to produce a city-wide, international contemporary art event. The first of a quadrennial event, Philagrafika 2010 represents not only the culmination of all previous efforts by the organization, but a great leap forward on the way to achieving the mission of establishing Philadelphia as an international center for printmaking. Developments in the field of contemporary art are now global, and the medium of printmaking is no exception. Members of the Print Collaborative saw that the time was right to expand the scope of their artistic dialogue. In support of this new direction, the members and board of the Print Collaborative voted to change the organization's name to Philagrafika.
Staff
Teresa Jaynes, Executive DirectorJosé Roca, Artistic Director - Philagrafika 2010
Thora Jacobson, Chief Operating Officer
Rebecca Mott, Program Coordinator, Philadelphia Invitational Portfolio / Website Management
Caitlin Perkins, Project Coordinator / Membership Management
Michelle Jackson, Bookkeeper
Board of Directors
Judith K. Brodsky, PresidentRobert J. Brand, Vice President
Daniel Heyman, Treasurer
Kathryn Casey, Secretary
Blake Bradford
Susan Burke
Diane Burko
Happy Craven Fernandez
Matthew Hart
Sondra Myers
Kim Sajet
Gene Sloan
William Valerio
Harriet Weiss
Whitney Whisenhunt
Eloise Wood
Resource Council
Jimmy ClarkDiane Dalto
Ben Dineen
Oliver Franklin
Adrienne Jenkins
David Schwartz
Nick Stuccio
Anna Tas
Diane Dalto Woosnam
Jeanne Wrobleski
Employment and Internship/Volunteer Opportunities
Interns and volunteers at Philagrafika gain a variety of administrative skills and hands-on experience while working with leaders of the Philadelphia arts community in the non-profit sector. For information about current internship and volunteer opportunities at Philagrafika, please visit the Intern/Volunteer page of our website.
Currently, there are no employment opportunities with Philagrafika.
Image credit: Katie Baldwin, Steadfast Mercury Was Lucky To Be Ordinary, Japanese woodblock print (moku hanga) and etching on Nishinouchi paper, University of Pennsylvania