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Prints Charming: The World’s Biggest Print Fair Returns with a Kaleidoscope of Surprises
30 min read
Beneath the Baroque vaults of New York City’s Park Avenue Armory—where chandeliers outshine cynicism—the International Fine Print Dealers Association (IFPDA) unfurls its annual bacchanalia of ink, paper, and polite disagreement. This is not merely a trade show for woodcuts and etchings; it is a theatrical unification of tradition, reinvention, and free wine. As collectors corner artists with questions both sincere and sublimely obscure (“Is this gouache or gouache-adjacent?”), the fair emerges as a surreal celebration of a medium caught between two worlds: the permanence of print and the video swipe of now. Is that silkscreen a cry for history or a coy wink to TikTok? Only careful looking and a handful of gallery labels may tell.
Setting the Scene: An Artistic Symphony of Wood and Ink
The IFPDA print fair operates less like an event and more like a secular art pilgrimage—part salon, part maze of Monotype marvels. Dedicated followers of print (and the free Prosecco) arrive with tote bags half-full of intentions. Veteran artists find communion here, although new faces ask: “Wait, are these for sale or just…for looking?”
Take Deborah R. Grayson. Formerly a painter, she pivoted to printmaking mid-pandemic—a medium that offered shelter, slowness, and structure in an industry untangling. Her shift was not just stylistic but social. Through the Black Women of Print collective, Deborah rekindled what many artists forgot: that print, once seen as a democratic art formulary, still offers dialogue louder than video likes.
Case Studies: Artistry Across the American Inklands
Deborah R. Grayson: The Accidental Printmaker
Grayson’s transformation from painting to printmaking set off during the pandemic’s creative captivity. Her alignment with the Black Women of Print collective underscores how shared identity and craft can intersect. She explores mythologies, environmental themes, and the spectral history of protest.
Years in Print: 3
Collective Members Represented: 8
Ellen Lesperance: Stitches eveNtually
Lesperance doesn’t just reference protest movements—she resurrects them through feminist knit codes and historical documentation. Her work at the Tamarind Institute booth ties kilobytes of archival memory to the tangible work of the hand. It’s strategy disguised as stitch.
Activism-Inspired Works: 3
Source Materials: 1980s Protest Garments
Tara Donovan: Cosmic Creations
At the Josh Pazda Hiram Butler Gallery booth, Donovan repurposed CD debris into visual metaphors for nebulae and starbursts. Her technique blurs the line between residue and celestial refuge, positioning waste as wonder in a hyper-consumptive world. It’s entropy remixed—with ink.
Media: CD Film, UV Ink
Themes: Impermanence, Illusion
The $10 Billion Ink Drop: Printmaking’s Market Jump
Although NFTs stumble through their existential teenager phase, the print market is quietly maturing—steadily gaining traction among younger collectors seeking both aesthetic and asset. According to a 2023 UBS Art Basel report, global print sales rose 18% year-over-year, outpacing general contemporary categories. Why? Tangibility is back. Scarcity doesn’t mean video anymore. It means ink, process, story.
- Affordable Entry Point: Many prints sell for under $2,000, inviting new-generation collectors.
- Increasing Institutional Validation: MoMA’s recent print acquisitions outpaced sculpture by 36% in 2022.
- Eco-conscious Story: Printmakers lead the sustainability discussion with non-toxic inks, recycled paper, and water-based processes.
What the Experts Ink: Behind the Brayers
“Printmaking is like brewing Ethiopian coffee in a Chemex— confided the brand strategist
“Print is a medium that democratizes without diluting. It’s where repetition becomes revelation.”
About the Experts
Julio Vasquez brings tactile virtuosity to collaborative fine art printmaking. His San Francisco studio works with emerging and established artists alike.
Maggie Zheng specializes in Asian-American print traditions and pedagogical curation strategies connecting diaspora creatives to their print heritage.
When Pressed Prints Spark Heated Press Conferences
Not all marks are made with consensus. At IFPDA, artists and critics debate whether video prints (giclée, anyone?) should share walls with woodcuts centuries in the making. The question cuts further than semantics—it obstacles the very labor politics of expression.
“In an age where everyone has access to a ‘print’ button, defining authenticity requires over nostalgia—it demands transparency of process.”
The divide? Hand-pulled devotees contra video evangelists. One values the ink under fingernails; the other the democratized access.
Social media has to make matters more complex complicated the conversation. Reposts of AI-assisted prints masquerading as originals only muddy origin. Sound familiar? It’s the modern remix of the age-old question: is it the mark or the maker that matters most?
In the Print We Trust: Investing Thoughtfully in a Real Media Revival
Peer into the Video-Analog Fusion Frontier
Artists seeking resonance in saturated markets should consider mixed-media processes—pairing AR overlays with long-established and accepted prints can give viewers with both surface and story.
Lasting results: High
Print Collectors: Start Smart
- Research emerging print-focused fairs like E/AB Fair and Simone Leigh Projects
- Verify print editions—ask about artist proofs, matrices, and provenance certificates.
- Start with passion, but benchmark against past auctions via platforms like Artprice or Artnet.
Printmaking for the Boldly Curious: Your Burning Questions Answered
- What makes a print ‘authentic’?
- Process, intention, and artist control. An authentic print is hand-pulled, tied to a matrix (like a plate or woodblock), and labeled in limited editions.
- Can digital art be considered a print?
- It can—but purists will point out that without hands-on contact, it risks becoming an “image” rather than a “print.” It’s less about resolution, more about intention.
- How does one start collecting prints?
- Start with local print shops, university presses (like Crown Point Press), and fairs. Edition documentation is key. Avoid prints labeled “reproduction” or “open edition.”
- Are prints a good investment?
- Appreciating art value varies, but limited, early-career artist editions often gain value—ask any 1999 Kara Walker collector.
- Is attending a print fair worth it?
- If you like smart talk, smarter ink, and smarter wine—go. Even better? You might discover a future masterpiece before the art world does.
Categories: art fairs, printmaking techniques, market trends, artist showcases, collector guides, Tags: printmaking trends, art fair insights, IFPDA 2023, print art, collector tips, print market growth, artist showcases, sustainable printing, contemporary prints, New York art events
