The Gloucestershire Printmaking Cooperative (GPC) will celebrate its 20-year anniversary in 2026 with a series of exhibitions and events to showcase their facility and members’ work.
The cooperative, which runs a fine art printmaking facility in Stroud, Gloucestershire, will host a ‘festival of printmaking’ to celebrate the work of its over 100 members.
Events will include an exhibition of members’ prints at the Museum in the Park, Stratford Park from 13 March until 26 April, with over 40 members taking part. Works will be based around responses to the museum collection and gardens and arboretum.
During the event workshops will be delivered from printmaker tutors, including a collagraph workshop, wood engraving, tree ring printing and print workshops for kids.
Additionally, the group will host a Print Fair with over 20 stall holders showing and selling their prints, which will take place from 18-19 April. Applications are open for stall holders for the print fair on both the Saturday and Sunday.
There will also be a show at the Tetbury Goods Shed art centre to showcase members’ work, along with a further exhibition in September at the Limestone Hall, along with printmaking talks.
The events will help shine a light on the work carried out at the GPC, as well as celebrating its 20 years in action.
“We really wanted to celebrate this incredible facility we’re so proud of,” studio manager, Siobáin Drury told Printweek.
Founded in 2005 by artist printmaker Sue Drennen and a small group of printmakers, the organisation offers a variety of printmaking techniques through workshops and courses, such as etching, relief printmaking, silkscreen printing, letterpress, stone and plate lithography.
Drury said: “We have over 100 members which is fantastic, and we reach quite a wide community with our courses. Then quite often people get the printing bug and then they join as members and take part in our cooperative, in our community.
“It’s a really warm, friendly place, and people are really generous with their time, skill sharing, helping each other out.”
Every day running of the coop is carried out by volunteer members, while the organisation is run by a committee made up of a chair, treasurer, and a group of people who meet regularly to make decisions.
There are facilities for screen printing, textile printing and a studio equipped with a Vandercook proofing press for letter pressing and a Platinum press for lino and letter pressing.
