The public is invited to the Hamilton Wood Type and Printing Museum in Two Rivers for an Open House and Gallery Reception. The family friendly events will be held on Saturday, May 25th with the open house taking place from 11am to 4:30 pm and the gallery reception from 5-7 pm. Both events are free and open to the public.
Open House attendees are invited to explore the many aspects of wood type creation and letterpress printing – with a unique opportunity to print their own poster commemorating this special event. Staff members prepare the poster in advance, apply ink and the visitor works the printing press to “pull a print” which is theirs to keep. It’s a great opportunity for each visitor to take home a piece of art from the museum!
A fun carnival theme will enhance Open House activities to include free popcorn, door prizes and a scavenger hunt. Speakers Jim Van Lanen, Sr., museum founder and Jim Moran, museum director, will discuss the museum’s beginning and early growth (11am-12noon) followed by Dean Konop caricatures (12noon – 2pm); a Wood Type Cutting Demonstration by George Liesch and David Carpenter (1-2pm); Mystic Moods Band (2-3pm) and guest speakers; Jeff Dawson and Richard Zauft discussing growth and opportunity for the museum (3:30-4:30pm).
The public is invited to stay after the Open House on May 25 to enjoy a FREE gallery reception 5-7pm celebrating the current exhibit, New Impressions at which time awards will be announced. An international juried exhibition, New Impressions showcases exploration and creativity with letterpress printing techniques. This call attracted 254 entries from around the globe. The final 42 works on display are from artists in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Italy, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Uruguay, and the United States. What an array of remarkable art to behold! Visitors have an opportunity to vote for their favored piece with each vote attributed to the “People’s Choice Award,” one of three that will be announced May 25. Several of the artists are also offering their pieces for sale, making this exhibit an exclusive opportunity to own a piece of New Impressions 2019 art.
The Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum is the only museum dedicated to the preservation, study, production and printing of wood type. With 1.5 million pieces of wood type and more than 1,000 styles and sizes of patterns, the Hamilton collection is one of the premier wood type collections in the world.
As a working museum, preservation is encouraged through the use of the collection. The Hamilton museum staff offers the opportunity for workshops, demonstrations, group tours and lectures. Summer hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10am-5pm and Sunday, 1-5pm with a guided tour offered daily at 1pm.
For more information on the Hamilton Museum visit www.woodtype.org, email info@woodtype.org or call 920.794.6272.
