Get it in print: An alum brings printmaking to the public

Alum Caitlin Harris (MFA, '20), co-owns Wheelhouse Press, a printing agency here in Boise and teaches as an adjunct in the School of the Arts. Also founded the Open Letter Collective, a non-profit organization focused on providing quality education in printmaking, book arts, and independent publishing, for Boise State Magazine, photo by Priscilla Grover

In the age of digital magazines, ebooks and social media, print may seem out of style. But one Boise State MFA graduate and Salmon, Idaho, native wants to remind us what it feels like to dog-ear a paperback, unroll a poster or finally open a long-awaited letter.

Caitlin Harris (MFA, visual arts, 2020) makes art, teaches printmaking classes at Boise State and recently founded the Open Letter Collective, a nonprofit promoting media literacy with workshops and studio space for community artists.

Harris specializes in book arts. "It's basically the idea of the book as an art form or as something to be used in an interactive way," she said. It's an expansive field that includes everything from illuminated manuscripts to Harris's art - pieces like a spinnable wheel of prints imitating film or intricately folded pages that unfold to reveal colors and text.

While the world seems to move away from print and towards digital media, Harris's artistic journey followed the opposite path. She earned her undergraduate degree in graphic design from Pacific Lutheran University. By the end of the program, she was intrigued by her university's letterpress studio.

Alum Caitlin Harris (MFA, '20), co-owns Wheelhouse Press, a printing agency here in Boise and teaches as an adjunct in the School of the Arts. Also founded the Open Letter Collective, a non-profit organization focused on providing quality education in printmaking, book arts, and independent publishing, for Boise State Magazine, photo by Priscilla Grover

After graduation, she continued working with Jessica Spring, an influential instructor from her undergraduate program. Spring helped her appreciate the time-honored techniques and physical processes used in printmaking. It was a big change from the digital design tools she had worked with as a student. "Seeing typography in an actual physical form was exciting for me, so I fell in love with it," she said. She came to Boise State in 2017 to pursue her MFA.

"Caitlin showed refinement in her ideas and in the craftsmanship of the work itself," said Professor Jill AnnieMargaret, who advised Harris as an MFA student and recalls her application to the program. Harris so impressed the faculty that they invited her to fill in for AnnieMargaret when she took a sabbatical.

Start the presses

In the fast-paced digital world, Harris's art calls on viewers to slow down. "My work explores using old technology to point out what new technology is hiding from us," she said. "Having this painstaking, laborious and tangible process makes us think about the form of media and the inner workings of our modern media."

The difference isn't just aesthetic. Harris is also concerned about the skills we're losing in the digital age. "I work with all kinds of different age groups and I've noted a real lack of physical skills," she said. "Kids have a really hard time just folding a sheet of paper. They don't know how to fold a letter."

She stresses, though, that everyone can learn these skills and the Open Letter Collective can help. The organization reflects Harris' commitment to that idea. "We're focused on community and making the space as open and accepting as possible," she said.

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