JOSEPHINE

A printmaking exhibition featuring fine art prints published and produced at Josephine Press.

November 7- November 30 2026

Opening Reception: Saturday, November 7, 2026
Time: 7:00–10:00 PM
Location: 740 13th St, Suite 326, San Diego, CA 92101

About the Exhibition

What happens to a printmaking studio when the space that sustained it disappears?

Sometimes a studio closes because of financial hardship. Sometimes the circumstances are beyond the control of the artists who built it. And sometimes, as in the case of Josephine Press, a studio's future is interrupted by displacement.

Founded in Santa Monica in 1984 by artist and master printer John Greco, Josephine Press spent more than four decades as a center for artistic experimentation, technical expertise, collaboration, and fine art print publishing. Through its workshops and publishing projects, the studio brought together artists across generations and backgrounds, helping transform their ideas into carefully realized prints.

For Greco, printmaking has always been about more than the finished image. It is a process of discovery, a dialogue between artist, printer, and material. Josephine Press provided an environment where that dialogue could flourish, allowing artists to explore techniques, develop their practices, and create work that might not have been possible elsewhere.

The studio's closure raises a question for the broader printmaking community: how do we preserve the knowledge, equipment, and creative relationships that take decades to build?

Josephine presents prints published and produced at Josephine Press, honoring the artists, collaborations, and technical achievements that shaped its history. The exhibition also marks a new chapter through the San Diego Printmaking Society (SDPS), a newly established nonprofit organization dedicated to expanding access to printmaking through education, exhibitions, artist support, and community engagement.

As equipment and resources from Josephine Press find their way to San Diego, the intention is not to replace what existed in Santa Monica, nor to suggest that its history can simply be relocated. Rather, it is to carry forward the studio's commitment to artistic collaboration, technical excellence, and the possibilities of printmaking.

Josephine is both a tribute and a beginning. It recognizes what has been built over decades while considering what becomes possible when a community takes responsibility for preserving and continuing a shared artistic practice.

The presses may leave their original home, but the knowledge, work, and relationships they helped create need not disappear with it.

Preserving a Living Art Form

Printmaking requires more than creativity. It depends on specialized equipment, technical knowledge, dedicated spaces, and opportunities for artists to learn from one another.

The San Diego Printmaking Society was founded to make these resources more accessible through educational programming, exhibitions, public activations, and community partnerships. At the center of this mission is a commitment to preserving traditional printmaking processes that are becoming increasingly difficult to practice outside specialized institutions.

Lithography, for example, requires substantial equipment, limestone printing surfaces, and accumulated technical expertise. As academic programs and independent printmaking facilities face financial and institutional pressures, opportunities to learn these processes become more limited.

SDPS currently houses two lithography presses and more than seven lithography stones, alongside equipment supporting etching, relief printing, screen printing, and other traditional and contemporary techniques. Our collection also includes specialized lithography tools, including leather rollers previously used in university printmaking programs.

The acquisition of equipment and resources from Josephine Press represents an important extension of this work. By returning these tools to active use, SDPS seeks to create opportunities for artists to experiment, produce editions, develop technical skills, and share their knowledge with others.

Preserving printmaking is not simply about safeguarding equipment. It is about maintaining the conditions in which artistic knowledge can continue to develop and be passed between generations.

Help Carry the Legacy Forward

Support the San Diego Printmaking Society

Building a sustainable printmaking studio requires significant resources, particularly for a newly established organization.

Since our founding, SDPS has worked to secure a studio, develop educational programming, acquire specialized equipment, and establish a growing community of artists and supporters. Much of this progress has been made possible through earned revenue from classes and community events, personal investment, and the generosity of individuals who believe in our mission.

As we continue developing our organization, community support is essential to maintaining these efforts and meeting our immediate financial commitments.

We are currently raising funds to support five priorities:

• Studio sustainability: Covering rent, utilities, and essential operating expenses to maintain a dedicated space for printmaking.

• Josephine Press equipment acquisition: Fulfilling our financial commitments for the equipment acquired from Josephine Press.

• Equipment transportation and preservation: Supporting relocation, maintenance, and the care of specialized presses, tools, and materials.

• Federal tax-exempt recognition: Covering the costs of preparing and submitting our application for 501(c)(3) status, an important step toward developing long-term philanthropic and institutional support.

• Educational and community programming: Sustaining affordable classes, workshops, exhibitions, and shared studio opportunities for artists at different stages of their practice.

We are working toward a financial model supported by educational programming, memberships, grants, institutional partnerships, and individual contributions. While these efforts develop, donations from our community will help us meet immediate needs and establish a stronger foundation for the future.

An Invitation to Invest in Printmaking

The closure of Josephine Press reminds us how vulnerable independent creative spaces can be, and how much can be lost when the resources that support artistic practice become inaccessible.

At SDPS, we believe the preservation of printmaking is a collective responsibility. Artists need places where they can work, experiment, exchange ideas, and learn techniques that cannot be sustained through books or digital resources alone.

Supporting SDPS means investing in that infrastructure: the physical space, specialized tools, educational opportunities, and community relationships that allow printmaking to remain a living practice.

Every contribution, regardless of size, helps us continue this work. For those unable to donate, sharing our mission, participating in our programs, or introducing us to potential community partners is equally valuable.

Through the support of artists, educators, collectors, institutions, and the broader community, we hope to ensure that the legacy of John Greco and Josephine Press continues not only through the prints already made, but through the work that has yet to be created.

Printmaking has a future in San Diego. Help us build it.

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Donation Information: San Diego Printmaking Society is preparing to apply for federal recognition of its 501(c)(3) tax-exempt status and has not yet received an IRS determination letter. Contributions should not be assumed to be tax-deductible. Prospective donors are encouraged to consult a qualified tax adviser regarding their individual circumstances.