Printmaking by the People

What’s It All About?

What would the Declaration of Independence say if it could be written today?

What visions do Philadelphians have for the promise of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?”

Next year marks the 250th anniversary of the writing of the Declaration of Independence. This city-wide project will feature discussions about essential aspects of freedom, the importance of printing in communicating and mobilizing during the Revolutionary era, and the urgency of poster-making as a means of advocating for change. Participants in dozens of workshops around the city will create their own posters to express their ideas about the rights that are essential for a just, inclusive and sustainable community. The work will inspire a signature mural and an exhibition at the Free Library of Philadelphia.

What’s New?

If you are an artist or printmaking organization interested in working on this project, please see “Current Opportunities” below. Please note that the deadline for artist applications is now May 1.

If you are interested in attending a free community workshop, please see “Upcoming Community Workshops” below to learn more and register. We are scheduling new workshops – free and open to the public – on an ongoing basis.

Current Opportunities

DESIGN ARTIST

We are searching for an artist to lead the mural design process. Depending on the artist’s availability, interest and skills, the artist can also be involved in the production / installation of the mural. The artist must have a strong connection to Philadelphia, and can work in any medium, including printmaking, graphic design and mural design. Teams are welcome to apply.

If you are interested in leading the mural design process, please review this background information and respond to this form.

Deadline: May 1, 2025

Upcoming Workshop Schedule

Type Setting at The Arts Affair 2025!

Thursday May 15 | 7pm-9:30pm

REC Philly | 901 Market Street | $45 General Admission

On May 15 our friends at Philadelphia Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (PVLA) will host their annual fundraising celebration, The Arts Affair 2025, at REC Philly. An evening full of live music, dance, poetry, and connection, you will get to experience performances from Philly artists including PHILADANCO’s D2, John Viscardi & Shekhinah B. and Jazz Trio, DJ Amber Lang, and more, hosted by Cookie Diorio.

Printmaking by the People is proud to participate with a typesetting workshop led by teaching artist Belle Handler. Participants will choose one word to embody their vision for “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” set it by hand and print it on a poster template.

No prior printing experience is necessary. Register for this event here.

Learn Linocut at the Brandywine Workshop and Archives!

Saturday May 17 | 10am-1pm

Brandywine Workshop and Archive | 730 S Broad St | FREE

This is the second workshop in a three part series with Brandywine Workshop and Archives. Led by teaching artists Caleb Perez and Marta Sanchez, participants will create their very own relief print using linoleum inspired by the voices of Philadelphians on the Declaration of Independence.

Linocut printmaking is a relief printmaking technique where a design is carved into a linoleum block, inked, then transferred to paper by applying pressure. We will work with images and text to voice our thoughts about the Declaration of Independence as Philadelphians. You will make three prints and keep one for yourself, with the help of a printmaker from Brandywine Workshop and Archives. Come join the fun and bring your ideas and creativity!

No prior printing experience is necessary. Register for this event here.

Blueprint for our Future: Declarations of Interdependence

Saturday May 17 | 1pm-3pm | FREE

DaVinci Art Alliance | 704 Catharine Street

In this workshop led by teaching artists Sofie Rose Seymour and Joy Lai participants will be able to rearrange, recombine, and layer together excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, their own writing and illustrations, and personal possessions, in order to interrogate, challenge, and reclaim this document and the nation it created. By having excerpts from the Declaration prepared on transparent sheets, participants will be able to cut up and rearrange words, block out or annotate the text, and add their own words, creating a new declaration from the building blocks of the old while using the cyanotype process.

All are welcome to stop by and print, no prior experience is necessary. Register HERE.

Liberty, Freedom, and Social Justice

Thursday May 22 | 6-8pm

Tacony LAB | 6918 Torresdale Ave | Free

In this workshop led by artist Lori Raggio, we will discuss the phrase “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness” to create a dialogue of what Freedom and Social Justice mean in relation to the Declaration of Independence. We will then translate our ideas into imagery and make prints using a Gelli plate!

Learn how to Gelli print! No prior experience necessary. Please register HERE.

Silkscreens & Signatures!

Sunday May 25 | 1pm-4pm

The Arts League | 4226 Spruce Street | Free

Join artist Kathryn Lien and civics teacher Grace Palladino in exploring Philly’s rich printmaking history, the world’s most famous break-up letter and how to start a revolution! Then, make your own poster with a message that you think should be included in an updated Declaration of Independence! Choose from three dates in May and June for a screen-printing workshop offered in collaboration with The Arts League.

Participants will take a deep dive into the history of the Declaration itself, the writers and who they ripped off; and some lesser known Philadelphians who brought the Declaration to the masses. Participants will learn how to screen print and take home an original work inspired by the document and our fair city’s storied past.

No prior printing experience is necessary. Register for this event HERE.