Steamroller Printing at Spring Fest

Steamroller Printing took place on Saturday, April 8, 2017 as part of Purdue's Spring Fest activities, outside of Pao Hall of Visual and Performing Arts, on the north side of the building (loading dock area). Students and artists printed throughout the day, from 10 am to 4 pm.

The age-old method of relief printmaking is generally done from wood blocks or linoleum surfaces, or even from rubber stamps. Visitors were able to see block printing conducted on a large scale, with an industrial steamroller as the printing press! Various artists from throughout the area, including students from local schools, shared their large-scale blocks for printing.

The presenter for the day, Jim Bailey of the University of Montana, said, "A lot of what the whole steamroller printing event is about is the collaborative nature of the printing. A large group of people helping each other towards a common goal of making art, getting physical and working as a team. It’s about the dance of the print.”