Drive by Press

On November 18th and 19th, UNC Charlotte's Department of Art and Art History will be hosting an event featuring a truly unusual traveling art studio named Drive by Press. The events are intended to increase the visibility of the visual arts on and off campus, but also to feature the honorable tradition of printmaking and its applicability to contemporary art practice. While the schedule of events is primarily educational in nature, Drive by Press events are typically a source of intense community-building and positive energy among the participants and the artists.

Drive by Press was created in 2005 when two artist and printmakers, Greg Nanney and Joseph Velasquez, met in graduate school and began mission to share their enthusiasm for printmaking with audiences everywhere. Before they could start, the two artists sold their art, pawned their guitars, amps, and all else but their souls in order to buy their printing press. They loaded the 600 pound 14th century style machine in the back of their vehicle and took off across the country and have been on the road ever since. The two, dubbed kings of DIY printmaking, have now traveled over 100,000 miles spreading ink and their style of guerilla art making at events across America.

At each Drive by Press event the two artists show their artistic prowess by drawing and carving several single-color woodblock designs exclusive to Drive by Press. The guests are then able to interact with the DBP during the printing process, selecting their own combination of color and placement of the designs. This way each guest gets to help create their very own piece of one-of-kind wearable art. DBP has worked over 100 events from coast to coast, ranging from parties with the contemporary bands like Spoon, White Rabbits, The Walkmen, Pepper, to art exhibitions, University events, and outdoor music festivals.

DBP has exhibited thousands of pieces of art in the form of prints on paper, and has made over 10,000 pieces of one of kind wearable art along the way.

The Department of Art and Design invites everyone to participate, and the list of activities is as follows:

Wednesday, November 18th, 2009
Lecture - 9:30 to 11:00 a.m., Macy 107, “The History of Printmaking”
Lecture - 12:30 to 2:00 p.m., Storrs 110, “The Story of Drive By Press”
Lecture - 3:30 to 5:00 p.m., Rowe 276, “Contemporary Print Media”

Thursday, November 19th, 2009
Demonstrations - 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. in front of Rowe Arts Building, cutting wood blocks, inking and printing T-shirts
Presentations - 2:15 to 5:00 p.m., Rowe 280, discussion about professional development for young artists

For further information, phone 704.687.0181 or e.mail jwford@uncc.edu.