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Ron Adams, Haig Aivazian, Ralph Arnold, Xenobia Bailey, Carlos Barberena, Romare Bearden, Camille Billops, McArthur Binion, Chakaia Booker, Robert Blackburn, Betty Blayton, Ben Blount, Margaret Burroughs, Elizabeth Catlett, Ed Clark, Carlos Cortéz, Eldzier Cortor, Renee Cox, Chicago Printers Guild, Lizania Cruz, Devraj Dakoji, Nicolás DeJesús, Nia Easley, Raque Ford, Eric García, Michele Godwin, Maren Hassinger, Eric Von Haynes, Barbara Jones Hogu, Margo Humphrey, Richard Hunt, Michiko Itatani, Rose Iver, Joeri, Baseera Khan, Tsedaye Makonnen, Nicole Marroquin, Kerry James Marshall, Dindga McCannon, Glendalys Medina, Edward Millman, Nontsikelelo Mutiti, Otto Neals, Ademola Olugebefola, Richard Powell, Mavis Pusey, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, Krishna Reddy, Faith Ringgold, Kenny Rivero, Elliott Jamal Robbins, Shellyne Rodriguez, Stephanie Santana, Nicholas Sistler, CHema Skandal!, Raoul Varin, Jarrell Wadsworth, June Wayne, Ian Weaver, Charles White, Gerald Williams, Michael Kelly Williams, Industrial Workers of the World Wobbly Artist, Martin Puryear, John Wilson, among others.

Press & Pull: A Legacy of the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop is a survey exhibition marking 20 years following the passing of its founder, artist, educator, and master printer Robert Blackburn (1920–2003). With over 35 original prints, archival ephemera, and video drawn from the printshop’s historic collection and archive, this exhibition reveals the origins, mentorship, collaboration, and technical innovation that have made it the US’s oldest and continuously operating cooperative workshop.

Founded in 1947, the Workshop emerged during an era of racial segregation when opportunities for artists of color were severely limited. It arose in the aftermath of the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project (1935–43), which had supported community art centers across the country, including the founding of Chicago’s South Side Community Art Center. Blackburn filled the void with the Printmaking Workshop, creating a shared space for racial integration and collective creativity.

Press & Pull’s Chicago iteration will feature a supplementary exhibition with prints and archival materials that trace the city’s historical parallels to the Workshop, underscoring the artistic ecosystems that developed in the mid-twentieth century and their impact today.