LTV Hosts 'Printaganza,' First-Ever Fundraising Event

In March of this year, local artist and master printmaker Dan Welden organized the preliminary “Printaganza” event with LTV Studios, bringing artists together over a single weekend to learn printmaking and create works of their own. The second half of this event, a benefit gala and auction, will be held this weekend at LTV Studios.

Welden has been creating work all his life.

“I always did art as I grew up,” he explained. “It kept me out of trouble.”

A love for printmaking, however, didn’t arrive until the 1960s, when he studied under a master of the art form in Munich Germany for two years. After he came back to the States, he worked in the studio of Tanya Grossman and the ULAE workshop, which he explained is “one of the two biggest [printmaking] workshops in the country, if not in the world.”

Welden would describe himself as a master printmaker, as opposed to the more commonly used term master printer. “There’s master printers and master printmakers — I like the term printmaker better, because I’m still learning,” he explained.

Welden continued that the title master printmaker encapsulates not only knowing everything about how to print, and the art of doing so, but also the concept of being “capable of working and collaborating with other artists and bringing the best to them.” Working together with and alongside artists is a big part of that job.

According to Michael Clark, LTV’s executive director, Welden came to LTV with the idea to bring over 70 artists together for one weekend to learn Welden’s famous “Solarplate Etching” printing technique. Solarplate is Welden’s safer, more environmentally-friendly method of printing that doesn’t involve chemicals.

Back in the 1970s, he became the “pioneer of polymer printmaking,” after which he realized that “sunlight and water” could do the same things as the classic materials used to print, which can be hazardous and toxic. On Welden’s website, he explains that Solarplate is a “light sensitized steel backed polymer material used by artists as an alternative to hazardous printing techniques.”

Speaking about the printmaking event held in March, Clark said “It was all Dan’s idea — we thought it was a great thing. He got everyone together — everyone from fairly well-known artists to ones that are just starting out — great artists in one way or another all together in this room.

“They had so much fun, it was a great time and a great community feeling — all these people working together,” he continued. “We had all these great artists together in one room — we thought ‘let’s capitalize on that and raise funds.’”

Welden explained his role in the event as well.

“There were many participating artists, but I was the one that oversaw everything,” he explained. “Many of the artists I chose. They all made their own works, and I picked their best one for the show.”

Clark emphasized that artists signed on “without hesitation.”

The workshop came with the knowledge that after the prints were created, Welden would select one piece from each artist to use as a donation for the upcoming gala benefit auction at LTV Studios which will be held from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Also receiving a portion of the proceeds of sales from the event will be Inspiration Plus, a not-for-profit that supports artists and includes Welden as a board member. The LTV evening will feature live music from The Hoodoo Loungers, cocktails and hors d’oeuvres, and a live auction featuring some of the prints made in March.

“It’s our first time doing this, but it could become a yearly event,” said Clark. “We’ll see.”

The reason it took so many months to come to fruition, Clark explained, was that there was a lot of planning that needed to happen between March and August, so that the event would run smoothly.

“We’ve never done a fundraising event here at LTV before, and this was the perfect time for us as we are in need of a new roof on our building here,” he explained. “It’s our first time doing something of this magnitude. We are really excited.”

A special, event-exclusive piece made by John Alexander in collaboration with Welden titled “Whoops” will be the special live auction prize at the event. Alexander also made two other pieces for the show — one of which will be auctioned online, the other raffled.

Patrons who buy tickets will also have the opportunity to attend a private screening of a new documentary, entitled “Lasting Impressions,” which was made by Chris Welden, Dan Welden’s son, and features many prolific East End artists including Eric Fischl, Justin Greenwald and Dan Welden himself. The screening is taking place from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. the same day at LTV’s Studio 3. Separate registration is required.

In a statement on LTV’s website about the upcoming event, Welden expressed his excitement and passion for his work. “Printaganza, to me, is the most sharing visual art activity on the planet … with multiple artists ‘pulling’ impressions from an etching press, their enthusiasm is above and beyond.

“Having created and organized this extraordinary event, I find it spiritually, educationally and physically rewarding while having the added benefit of raising money for nonprofit organizations that give back to the community.”

LTV’s Printaganza event will be held on Sunday, August 4, from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at LTV Studios, 75 Industrial Road, Wainscott. Tickets are $100 ($60 students, $275 for VIP seating) at ltveh.org. The prints available in the silent online auction are up on LTV’s website and bidding starts at $50. Supporters may also donate online if they cannot attend.