Kick off the summer at the best party in town: Foundry Art Centre’s Block Party! This isn’t your typical block party - it’s the biggest steamroller printmaking event in the country. Carve out time between 11 AM and 5 PM on June 13th to visit and celebrate all things printmaking.
What is the Foundry Art Centre’s Block Party?
If you’re searching for things to do in St. Charles this June, the Foundry Art Centre’s FREE Block Party is a must-see event for art lovers and families alike. This family-friendly art festival showcases the skill and technique of printmaking in all shapes and sizes with demonstrations, interactive activities, a print market, and steamroller printmaking.
“I’m humbly blown away with how well-received Block Party has been throughout the community,” Foundry Art Centre Director of Exhibitions, Jessica Mannisi, said. “To think that we’d be organizing and hosting one of the largest steamroller printing events in the country is unbelievable. It’s an honor to work with the artists to bring awareness to the art of printmaking and celebrate our region’s creativity right here at the Foundry Art Centre.”
Watch a 22-Ton Steamroller Print in Action
It’s go big or go home at Block Party. That’s meant literally - the main event is printmaking with a 22-ton steamroller.
“It takes a lot of skill, patience, creativity, and hard work to create prints. We break down the printmaking steps using steamrollers to help people understand it better due to the large scale,” Mannisi said. “There are a lot of ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ when a print is revealed, so we hope that the audience takes away a new-found appreciation for the art of printmaking at Block Party.”
Artists use chisel-like tools to carve images into large blocks and hand them off to Kansas City-based Twin Hound Print Shop artists who roll ink onto the blocks to get them ready for print. A large canvas is laid on top and the whole thing is run over with a steamroller, squishing the ink from the block onto the sheet. Afterwards, the canvas is peeled off to reveal the artwork and hung to dry in the Foundry’s Grand Hall, where guests can view and purchase the work.
Things to Do at Block Party
The unique, over-the-top method of steamroller printing is just one of many exciting things at this indoor and outdoor event. “The Foundry is proud to host Block Party and create a space where families can be entertained for hours through different art activities,” Foundry Art Centre Executive Director, Hilda Andres said. “It’s a fun and unique way to celebrate the art of printmaking by interacting with artists, making art, and listening to live music.”
Indoor Activities:
- Print market of makers and artists
- “Off the Block” print exhibition, open from June 5th to July 25th
- Dirty River Records playing requests from their vinyl collection (available to purchase too)
- Free art activities
- Hands-on demos with Craft Alliance, Homeward Bound Press (Lego print demonstrations), and MADE Makerspace (t-shirt screen printing)
- Flash tattoos with Benjamin Graham, Lew Smith, G Jones, & Kat Makarewicz
Outdoor Activities:
- Steamroller printmaking demonstrations
- Food trucks
- City of St. Charles Public Works heavy machinery and vehicles on display
- Paint a snowplow
Find a list of featured artists, organizations, demonstrations, and entertainment on the Foundry Art Centre website and plan your trip for one of the top family-friendly events in St. Charles this summer.