Platemark: prints and the printmaking ecosystem

Updated: 30 Dec 2025 • 155 episodes
www.platemarkpodcast.com

Why do fine art prints (etchings, woodcuts, lithographs, screenprints, etc.) and printmaking draw such fervent practitioners, collectors, and fans? Find out how prints were the first internet disseminating images since the mid-15th century. Find out why it takes a village to make, sell, study, and collect these affordable beauties. Who are all these people in the print ecosystem, anyway? Series one looks at prints and printmaking and how they fit in in the context of museums, the market, critiques, and the print ecosystem. Series two offers a history of prints and printmaking in the West. Series three offers interviews with the people who perform various roles in the print ecosystem. Join us and find out why prints and printmaking occupy the best little corner of the art world. We'll turn you into a fan, too. Platemark offers a bit of art history, artistic creativity, and introduces listeners to artists, printers, dealers, print publishers, gallerists, art historians, curators, and scholars. Host Ann Shafer is a curator specializing in prints and printmaking. Formerly she was a curator at the Baltimore Museum of Art and the National Gallery of Art. She's a podcaster, blogger, and organizer of the Baltimore Fine Art Print Fair (baltimoreprintfair.com).

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Welcome to Platemark, where we dive into the creative minds shaping the art world. This week, we connect with Chuck Webster, an exceptional artist whose deep and impulsive connection to drawing is both therapeutic and transformative. From publishing his own childhood sketches to constantly finding inspiration in source

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Ready to be globally inspired? On this episode of Platemark, Ann connects with the visionary Amé Bell, Director of David Krut Projects, who wears the hats of artist, historian, and curator. From the bustling print studios of Johannesburg, Amé brought South African voices to the world stage by curating the 2022 Venice B

65 min
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In this episode of Platemark, Ann converses with Yashua Klos, a passionate artist finding new connections through collaborative printmaking. They discuss his unique woodblock collage technique, his journey of self-discovery, and the impact of reuniting with family. We talk about the nuances of his artistic process, the

62 min
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In this episode of Platemark, Ann talks with Yayoi Shionoiri, an arts lawyer and Vice President of External Affairs & General Counsel at Powerhouse Arts. Yayoi, who has over two decades of experience in art law, discusses her unique career path, from her initial interest in art history to working in law supporting arti

62 min
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In this episode of Platemark, Ann delves into the intricate world of prints and printmaking with master printer Robert Townsend. With over 55 years of experience, Bob shares his journey, techniques, and notable collaborations with artists like Peter Milton, Jim Dine, and Michael Mazur. They take a deep dive into plate

69 min
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In this History of Prints episode, Tru and Ann look at the considerable output of British satirist James Gillray (1756–1815). Younger than William Hogarth by nearly sixty years, Gillray took Hogarth's social commentary, its energy, and caustic approach, and used his skills to skewer politicians and kings, laugh at Napo

116 min
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