Get ready to kick off the summer at the best block party in town: Foundry Art Centre’s Block Party! This isn’t your typical block party - it’s the Midwest’s biggest steamroller print event. Carve out time between 11 AM and 5 PM on June 15th to visit and celebrate all things printmaking.
It’s go big or go home at Block Party. That’s meant literally - the main event is printmaking with a 22-ton steamroller. Images are carved onto large blocks by regional artists using chisel-like tools. Artists from St. Louis’ print house, Grafik House roll the large carvings with ink using a roller to make it even and smooth. A large canvas is placed on top and then the steamroller runs it over, squishing the canvas onto the carving to transfer the ink. The canvas is peeled off to reveal the artwork and is put on display (and for sale!) in the Grand Hall of the Foundry.
“It takes a lot of skill, patience, creativity, and hard work to create prints. We got the idea of using a steamroller to print from college printmaking classes throughout the country that use the same technique,” Foundry Director of Exhibitions, Jessica Mannisi, said. “Hearing people 'ooh' and 'ahh' as a print is revealed makes it really fun as people gain a new appreciation for the art of printmaking."
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 to create a space where families can be entertained for hours through different art activities,” Foundry 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.”
Cool off inside where you’ll find a print market, live music from the Buckhannon Brothers, Crim Dolla Cray, and The Bishops, free art activities, demonstrations by Craft Alliance and Central Print, and you can even get inked yourself with a flash tattoo from tattoo artist, Benjamin Graham. Outside, you can find steamroller printing demonstrations, food trucks, vendors, a demonstration by Homeward Bound, heavy machinery and vehicles on display with the City of St. Charles Public Works, and you can paint a snowplow.
The celebration of printmaking extends to the Foundry’s galleries, too. The “Off the Block” print exhibition opens at June’s First Friday event and runs from June 7th to the 22nd. It showcases a wide range of different printing techniques like traditional etching, silkscreen, and digital processes.
“I’m humbly blown away with how well-received Block Party has been throughout the community,” Mannisi said. “To think that we’re 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.”
Click here to find a list of featured artists and organizations, demonstrations, and entertainment. Print market artists will be announced on the Foundry’s website June 1st.