Karen Baden Thapa, SeaWeed Medley Monoprint
ABOUT CSP
The California Society of Printmakers (CSP) is the oldest continuously operating association of printmakers and friends of printmakers in the United States. CSP is a nonprofit arts organization with an international membership of print artists and supporters of the art of fine printmaking. CSP provides professional development opportunities for printmakers, and educates artists and the public about printmaking. New members are admitted by portfolio review. Friends and supporters of printmaking are admitted by fee. CSP is based in the San Francisco Bay Area of California.
The CSP provides support for its members and serves the greater community by:
● Sponsoring print exhibitions on a local, national and international level
● Arranging educational activities for the public and technical workshops for members
● Publishing an annual professional journal, The California Printmaker
● Offering members and the public the opportunity to collect print artworks at a modest rate
● Maintaining an archive of fine art prints and print-related matter
● Providing general printmaking information and resources through this website
Anita Heckman, Rio Frio- American Pygmy Kingfisher
HISTORY
The California Society of Printmakers (CSP), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, is the oldest printmaking organization in the nation. Originally founded in 1912 as the California Society of Etchers, it reflected a surge of printmaking activity on the West Coast during the early part of the 20th century. In 1968 the California Society of Etchers merged with the Bay Area Printmakers to form the present California Society of Printmakers.
Currently, the CSP has a membership of approximately 250 artists, and welcomes new members twice each year. Though the majority of our members live and work in Northern California, membership is open to printmakers throughout the world.
The California Society of Printmakers archive is located at the Bancroft Library on the campus of at the University of California, Berkeley. The archive includes journals, newsletters, bulletins, minutes, exhibition information, correspondence and other miscellany.
Search the UC Berkeley online catalog, Pathfinder, using California Society Printmakers in the “author-organization keywords” field. The electronic finding aid assists locating CSP historical records from 1925 to the present. All of these materials are accessible to the public, but must be requested from storage five days in advance.
Additional historical resources include: CSP on Wikipedia and The Centennial Book.
OUR MISSION
The California Society of Printmakers (CSP), established in 1912 is a non-profit arts organization dedicated to the advancement and appreciation of printmaking and book arts. Our mission is to create a supportive community of printmakers and ensure equitable access to opportunities, tools, and resources for artists of diverse skill sets exploring traditional and new directions in contemporary print methods. CSP invests in the success of our membership through inclusive and intergenerational programs and events.
VISION
● Center the artist and maker, providing resources and opportunities for members to thrive.
● Inspire participation and engagement through the creation of an intergenerational and inclusive community of artists, makers, scholars, and students.
● Ensure equitable and accessible approaches to opportunities and events.
● Advance, preserve and sustain traditional printmaking and book arts practices while embracing innovation and technology.
● Leverage CSP’s 110-year-old history to grow the printmaking community, expand its international reputation, and create opportunities on a global scale.
● Expanding the discourse of printmaking as an art form.
● Embracing the intersection of innovation, tradition, and craft.
● Honoring traditional print media and manual processes.
● Collaboration and exchange of creative ideas.
● Community building through the arts.
● Accessibility and accommodation.
● Intergenerational and peer-to-peer learning.
● Education and transformational learning.
VALUES
DEI (Diversity, Equity and Inclusion)
CSP’s collaborative and inclusive spirit reflects the printmaking field and tradition, promoting the values of boundless creativity, and embracing the full spectrum of humanity, inclusion, collaboration, and respect. Printmaking brings people together and has often been an opportunity to share knowledge and resources, as well as being a catalyst for social change. CSP is a supportive community that believes in empowering artists of diverse skill sets and backgrounds through access to opportunities and peer-to-peer collaboration.
Rich Fowler, Grooves
Yuji Hiratsuka, Permian Utopia
2025
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
PRESIDENT
president@caprintmakers.org
Dana Zed
VICE PRESIDENT
vicepresident@caprintmakers.org
Sana Terrell
HISTORIAN
historian@caprintmakers.org
Karen Baden Thapa
SECRETARY
secretary@caprintmakers.org
Rich Fowler
TRESURER
treasurer@caprintmakers.org
Genesis Torres
MEMBERSHIP
membership@caprintmakers.org
Kelly Autum
EXHIBITIONS
exhibitions@caprintmakers.org
Kevin Harris & Susana Harris
EDUCATION
education@caprintmakers.org
Emily Kampa
JOURNAL CHAIR
journal@caprintmakers.org
Bob Rocco
JOURNAL COMMITTEE
Linda Craighead, Jane Gregorius, Marian Harris, Margaret Niven, Janis O’Driscol, Annie Pike, Bob Rocco
JOURNAL SPONSORSHIP/ADVERTISING
advertising@caprintmakers.org
Marian Haris
NEWSLETTER EDITOR
newsletter@caprintmakers.org
Karen Gallagher Iverson
PORTFOLIO REVIEW
portfolio@caprintmakers.org
Kristina Nobleman
SPECIAL EVENTS
specialevents@caprintmakers.org
Susan Leone Howe
RESIDENCIES
residencies@caprintmakers.org
Kate Deak
WEBSITE DEVELOPER
website@caprintmakers.org
Israel Campos
SOCIAL MEDIA
socialmedia@caprintmakers.org
Cassidy Skillman
AT LARGE MEMBERS
Donna Brown, Karen Gallagher Iverson, Tricia O’Brien, Summer Ventis, Maryly Snow, & Ellen Markoff
PRINT COLLECTION
The Society’s print collection is housed in the Bancroft Library Archive and in the CSP Flatfile.
Flatfile Prints include:
Associate Prints
Roberta Loach, Alice Searches for H. Bosch in His Garden of Earthly Delights.
Xavier Viramonte, Birdman, etching. 1999.
Jessica Dunne, Beach Balls, a multiple drop monotype, 2004.
Barbara Milman, Attic Vase, linocut, 2005.
Carol Montgomery, Mitch and the Spider Monkey, reduction linocut with 3 additional plates, 2007.
Sandy Walker, Yet If They Fail to Express, woodcut, 2008.
Nif Hodgson, Untitled (Origin Story I), multiple-plate etching (hard-ground etching, soap group aquatint), 2009.
CSP Commissioned Prints
Roberta Loach, etching.
Barbara Rogers’ My Neighbor, 2010, multiple-plate etching, edition of 16.
Robin McCloskey, San Gregorio II, photo-etching, etching, monotype, 2010. Edition of 20 with 2 artist proofs
Carrie Ann Plank, Ecliptic, stone lithography and screen print, 2013. edition of 20 with 2 artist proofs.
Jonathan Barcan, Live Move
Karen Kunc, Glass Towers
Portfolios
Women Artists: Realities: Seven Lithographs: Ann Leda Shapiro, Inez Storer, Yvonne De Miranda, Roberta Loach, Dorr Bothwell, Gilah Hirsch, Elizabeth Quandt
Members’ Exchange Portfolio 2015
Member Prints
Sissel Gryta, Black Mouser, linocut.
Ramon Marcus Kadi, eight screen prints.
Mehrdad Khataei, Duel, 2009; Daily Chronicle (aka Chernobyl Series) Professor of printmaking, Tehran University.
Raul Mendez Cerqueda, etching.
R. Pachman.
B. Rosten, drawing.
Mei She Tzeng, two lithographs.