Flatbed Press // A Printmaking Internship as a GFA Major

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Over the past few months I was keeping a personal log of all the available internship and job opportunities within my area of interest. However, none of the internships I found caught my eye. I took inspiration from my friends who were applying for more extravagant internships to finally start applying to places. Through my search my love for printmaking had resurfaced and I stumbled upon Flatbed's internship. I applied through their website and had a brief interview with the head of lithography printing/education supervisor.

Flatbed Press is a community and professional print shop with a gallery component. The press was started and is currently run by an intaglio printmaker. The owner and my supervisor work as the shop's professional collaborative printers working in monotype, relief, intaglio, and lithography. Flatbed also hosts regular workshops and classes taught by local printmakers and artists


I reported to both the owner and my supervisor although I believe I was technically only required to report to my official supervisor. The official list of Intern tasks consisted of cleaning surfaces, trash, cleaning pallet knives, refilling solvent bottles, and cutting down paper for community use. I was lucky enough to arrive at the same time as a visiting artist with an incredibly ambitious project. They had interns help more directly in printing and printing prep during the proofing process. They decided to train me in printing the most time consuming part and so this project essentially became my job over the summer.

I think I’m most proud of the fact that I was working in a place that was outside my comfort zone. The fact that I was able to successfully commute back and forth felt like a big achievement to me. Also being able to complete the over 100 runs and 360 sheets of paper for the printing project, which was a lot of work but seeing the project completed gave me a sense of pride. Through this internship I've realized that I really enjoy teaching larger groups of people.

My internship at Flatbed press helped me step out of my comfort zone and connect more with people outside my immediate area. They also helped me really get a handle of group printmaking projects. I really enjoyed my time there and I am so glad I was able to intern there.


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