Par·a·dox (/ˈperəˌdäks/) noun. A situation, person, or thing that combines contradictory features or qualities.
A print is a paradox. It exists as multiple copies, yet each one is an original. As such, printmaking has often been called the most democratic of art forms, since its products can be widely distributed and owned by many.
Requiring technical mastery, physical strength, and stamina, printmaking—or the art of producing multiple images or impressions from a single plate or matrix—has its origins in Sumerian cylinder seals rolling repeat impression into clay, as well as Chinese Han dynasty block printing on silk, and 8th century Japan where designs were carved into wooden blocks, inked and rubbed onto paper. By the 15th century in Europe, the availability of inexpensive paper and the invention of the printing press led to a proliferation of printed images in a variety of techniques. The second half of the 20th century witnessed an explosion of interest in the creative potential of printmaking methods such as etching, engraving, lithography, woodcut, and silkscreen, among others.
Printmaking became a perfect fit for the growing LUAG collection of the 1970s onward, highlighting the University’s commitment to engineering and technical innovation and inspiring generations of future makers.
With help from our friends in Lehigh Libraries Special Collections, we are also highlighting a newly digitized archive of LUAG’s past publications. Featuring catalogs, calendars, announcements, and even scrapbooks from the earliest days of exhibitions on campus to the present, this archive sheds new light on the formative history of the arts at Lehigh, part of the distinctive DNA inspiring generations of makers.
Explore archived publications about Printmaking below:
1979: 800 Years of Japanese Printmaking
1979: Bruce Onobrakpeya, Nigerian Printmaker
2003: Guido Llinas Printmaking 1964-2002
1992: Master Prints from the Rutgers Center for Innovative Printmaking: The First 5 Years
2014: th(ink)ing: The Experimental Printmaking Institute at Lafayette College
1983: Art & Technology: Offest Prints
2019: The Future is Female - Prints by Women Artists
PastFORWARD: Past exhibitions that continue to shape LUAG’s vision.
As Lehigh University Art Galleries (LUAG) celebrates its 100th birthday in 2025-2026, we are looking to our roots: revisiting past exhibitions and important themes throughout our network of galleries. These are the ideas that have shaped our identity and which galvanize our vision for the future.
Technical innovation paired with creative thinking has fueled significant exhibitions in PHOTOGRAPHY and PRINTMAKING, while the questions what is art? and who are artists? led to showcasing LATIN AMERICAN ARTISTS, SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS, and members of the LGBTQ+ community. These works have become part of LUAG’s extensive collection of over 20,000 works of art, a resource ready to shape minds for the next 100 years.
PHOTOGRAPHY: INTENTIONS & TECHNIQUES
Dubois Gallery, Maginnes Hall
SELF-TAUGHT ARTISTS: HOWARD FINSTER
Siegel Gallery, Iacocca Hall • September 2, 2025 - March 13, 2026
LGBTQ+ ARTISTS: SHOW AND TELL
Fairchild-Martindale Study Gallery
PRINTMAKING: A PRINT IS A PARADOX PART 1
Alumni Memorial Gallery • September 2, 2025 - December 12, 2025
PRINTMAKING: A PRINT IS A PARADOX PART 2
Alumni Memorial Gallery • January 19, 2026 - May 22, 2026
LATIN AMERICAN ARTISTS: ART HAS NO HOMELAND
The Gallery at Rauch Business Center
