On 19th June 1967, you might have been listening to the newly released Beatles album, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, attempting to dance to Procol Harum’s A WhiterShade of Pale or humming along to The Kinks’ WaterlooSunset.
In Edinburgh’s Victoria Street, a group of art college tutors were forming the first open-access printmaking studio in Britain: The Printmakers’ Workshop.
In June next year, that workshop, which went on to become Edinburgh Printmakers, in 1998, will celebrate its 60th anniversary. To mark the occasion, there will be a whole series of printmaking-focused events scheduled throughout the year.
Roseanne Tye, head of marketing and engagement at Edinburgh Printmakers, explains more about Edinburgh Printmakers’ workshop in the 1960s: “They were at the vanguard of democratising access to art, meaning you didn’t necessarily have to have studied printmaking to print, which was rare at the time. Art institutions were elitist, and up-and-coming artists found it hard to get work shown.”
At the time, printmaking was experiencing a resurgence in universities and colleges. But she adds, “you need equipment, presses, technical expertise, and the students found it hard to continue to practice.”
The workshop provided the resources and support which allowed artists like Alan Davie, John Bellany, and Kate Downie, amongst others, to flourish. It was pivotal in their artistic careers. They paired established artists with master technicians to adapt their creative styles into print processes.
Since being founded, Edinburgh Printmakers has moved homes several times: first to Market Street (1975–1984), then Union Street (1984–2019). But by 2015, the organisation had outgrown the capacity of the Union Street building, which had fallen into a poor state of disrepair.
Restoring ‘an encyclopedia of rot’
Edinburgh Council had a potential vacant property, the Grade C-listed former North British Rubber Company factory, in Fountainbridge. Although production had ceased in 1969, and it was now lying empty, having latterly been used as an administration office of the Scottish and Newcastle Brewery. The building was loved by the community, who wanted it to be saved.
The surveyors initially described The Castle Mills building, on Dundee Street, as an encyclopaedia of rot. Despite this inauspicious start, Edinburgh Printmakers took the project on and were able to breathe life into the factory where the world’s first Hunter Wellington boot was made. It took an £11 million refurbishment to transform it into a creative community art space and one of the largest print studios in Europe.
The building opened in 2019 and has a large light-filled printmaking studio, two galleries, and a shop selling original prints and handmade products. There is also a venue for meetings, events and learning activities, a café, a courtyard and a community garden. It also has digital studio facilities and is fully wheelchair accessible. But printmaking is firmly at its core.
Roseanne adds, “It is still a special place, because you’ve got the technical expertise, and you’ve got these really established artists coming in and experimenting, working alongside people who are just starting on their creative journey, or who are just doing it for fun in their free time; that’s unique.”
Janet Archer, current chief executive of Edinburgh Printmakers, explains what she was getting up to in 1967. “I was seven, living in Derby and my dad, who was half Scottish, sent me to Highland dancing lessons - he wanted me to connect with his Scottish heritage.”
Those early dance lessons provided a strong foundation for a career in contemporary dance, which in turn led to a succession of arts leadership roles at organisations including Dance City in Newcastle and Arts Council England, followed by appointments as chief executive of Creative Scotland and, later, at the University of Edinburgh.
Janet joined Edinburgh Printmakers in 2021 on an initial 3-month basis, to rebuild the organisation after the pandemic but explains, “I just fell in love with the place.”
The other appeal was working with artists daily, and adds, “I always favour the role that artists play in civic society and communities, in making beautiful things, but challenging us to see things in different ways. I’ve been fortunate enough to see how powerful arts organisations can be in places and creating pathways for people who perhaps haven’t had the opportunity to connect and engage with the arts.
“The principle of providing an open access studio and a place that can offer artists a safe haven to practice and experiment is critically important; that’s the basis on which we exist, and we want to hold on to that in the future. That is increasingly difficult because the costs of running buildings are just going up and up.”
She stresses that hard decisions need to be made and that there’s never enough money to go around, but adds, “We’re very grateful to Creative Scotland and City of Edinburgh Council for the support they give us with core resources. We’re very engaged with lots of different types of funders, and my job is to try and make sure that we hold on to those relationships in a productive, mutually beneficial, and positive way.”
Meeting the artists
Taking a studio tour is inspiring, and I get to see some of the print processes. These include screen printing, relief printing techniques like woodcut or lino cut, etching and stone lithography, which is an endangered craft on the Heritage Crafts Red List.
