Printing workshop begins Wimble's Wayzgoose at NERAM

The free community workshop for UNE students and staff and members of the New England Writers’  Centre was held in the Museum of Printing, attached to NERAM, and will be replicated on Saturday afternoon.

Under the guidance of Cynthia (Cindy) Marsh, a letterpress artist visiting from the United States, and Clint Harvey, Queensland-based designer and letterpress expert, the participants created semi-autobiographical posters.

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They set the lettering using type from the 1850s and 1860s, and proofed and printed the printers on machines from the turn of the twentieth century, all part of the Museum’s collection.

“It was far more challenging than I expected,, which is great," said participant Lizzie Horne. “Because I'm a print-maker, I always do everything backwards, but now I'm doing it upside down and backwards, so a bit of fun, and a lot of great learning!”

Many of the presses and letter blocks belonged to F.T. Wimble, who made Australia’s first printing ink, and his descendants. This was a rare opportunity to use such old machinery, which in other places are often securely locked away.

“The exciting thing for us is to see this in use,” said Ms Horne, a member of the Black Gully Printmakers, who meet every Thursday to create new works and keep the museum open on Sunday afternoon.

“We used to print next door, and we weren't allowed in here, and if anyone did come in, it was strictly look and don't touch. Now we use it, we demonstrate it!”

On Sunday afternoon, as part of the festival, they will show the public how to use a printing press.

The Wayzgoose festival promises to be an exciting event for those interested in the art of printing.

“The Wimble’s Wayzgoose event was developed to create community interest in the Museum of Printing and its unique collection of printing equipment, wood and metal type as well as unique graphic material,” said NERAM director Robert Heather.

“It brings to Armidale print enthusiasts, artists, designers, collectors, researchers and makers from around Australia for a weekend of activities, talks, workshops and events.”

“We're using this weekend as an opportunity to share the F.T. Wimble Collection at NERAM with the print-making community of Armidale and abroad,” curator Clint Harvey said. “It is a fantastic opportunity for what is a historical collection to be put back to use.”

The festival’s other events include a seminar on Friday afternoon, where speakers will talk about subjects ranging from 18th century political cartoons to online typography and design; and workshops on the relationship between print, collage and books; solar plate printing; and folding books..

Shane Carmody, historian at the University of Melbourne, will give the inaugural F.T. Wimble Lecture on the print and rare book collections of Britain.

“This lecture is a must for anyone who loves books as Shane Carmody is a passionate speaker about rare books, the art of collecting them, and printing history,” said Robert Heather. “In this lecture, he will explore some of the great private, public and university libraries and collections in Britain, the sometimes-quirky characters who collected them and the history of these amazing collections.”

Mr Carmody’s speech will be the first Packsaddle Lecture, a new series exploring aspects of Australian and international artistic practices and history. The Howard Hinton lecture on Australian art history and the Chandler Coventry Lecture on contemporary art will follow later this year.

For bookings and more information, visit http://www.neram.com.au/portfolio-items/wimbles-wayzgoose-2018.