Sponsoring the 40th Annual Fine Print Fair

WOOD-LEE Sponsors the 40th Annual Fine Print Fair at the Cleveland Museum of Art

Each year, WOOD-LEE sponsors the Fine Print Fair, the Print Club of Cleveland’s annual benefit to support the Cleveland Museum of Art. This year marks the 40th year of the event. The Fine Print Fair took place the weekend of April 25th through April 27th  in the Ames Family Atrium of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Fine Print Fair included family friendly demonstrations on print and papermaking, discussions about print collecting as well as conservation consultations. There were 15 fine print dealers from across the United States at the Fair.

What classifies a work as a fine art print? According to the California Learning Resource Network (CLRN), a fine art print is a reproduction of an original artwork, such as a painting, drawing, or etching, created by an artist. The print is a faithful reproduction of the original, often using traditional techniques like etching, lithography, or screen printing. The print is considered fine art because it is a high-quality reproduction of a work of art, rather than a commercial print or mass-produced reproduction. It is typically created by a limited number of prints, often signed and numbered by the artist. There are several types of fine art prints including limited edition prints, unique prints, posters, and digital prints which includes giclée prints.

The booklet from the Fine Print Fair offers a useful glossary of 12 fine print terms. To create an original fine print, a design is drawn on a matrix-a woodblock, metal plate, or stone, for example-that is inked. The design is transferred under pressure to a sheet of paper or other suitable material. Although the more common terms like engraving, etching and lithograph are explained, other lesser-known ones like aquatint, mezzotint and roulette are described as well.

The Print Club of Cleveland was founded in 1919 and upholds the founders’ purposes of maintaining interest in old master and contemporary prints and print collecting, as well as enhancing the Cleveland Museum of Art’s print collection. The Print Club has purchased some of the finest pieces of the Museum’s print collection, including prints by masters of every period including Rembrandt, Edgar Degas, and Pablo Picasso. More than 5,000 prints in the CMA’s collection are gifts from the Print Club or its members. The Print Club of Cleveland’s many activities include outreach to the greater community, by providing lectures that are open to the public, as well as the Fine Print Fair.

At each dealer’s booth, a Cleveland Museum of Art curator selected a print that is personally appealing. If a visitor purchased a “Curator’s Choice” print, a percentage of the sale benefits the Print Club of Cleveland, supporting its mission to promote prints and print collecting and to enrich the print collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. 

The Fine Print Fair offered many fine art prints for a variety of tastes. With exhibitors from different states including New Hampshire, Florida and Texas, prints not readily accessible in person were able to be viewed. In addition to opportunities to browse and shop, visitors were able to learn via live demonstrations.

WOOD-LEE is proud to sponsor this art event which benefits the Print Club of Cleveland, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the public.