Studio Arts prof invents a portable printing press inspired by Concordia students
“Knowing that a student will have something so tangible and lasting that they worked hard for is a magical thing,” says Mitch Mitchell, pictured here.
Mitch Mitchell, associate professor of Print Media at Concordia, has donated a portable production model printing press to the Department of Studio Arts. The donation coincides with the establishment of a new annual prize, the Claude Truman Mitchell Press Award, providing a high-achieving Print Media student with their own custom intaglio press.
“Mitch Mitchell’s dedication to both his craft and his students is truly inspiring. This generous gift not only enhances our printmaking program but also empowers our students to continue creating art long after they leave Concordia. It represents a lasting contribution to our community and demonstrates the profound impact that thoughtful and innovative gifts can have,” says Annie Gérin, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts.
Made possible through the generosity of Mitchell Press Works, this annual award provides a top graduating student with a specialized tool to advance their artistic career.
The tool, designed by Mitchell, is available in aluminum and steel. The aluminum model is the first-ever portable and reasonably priced production printing press of its kind, and the steel model is the first and only of its kind available in Canada.
We sat down with Mitchell to understand his motivation for creating the tool, the award and its namesake, and his thoughts on the press’ potential impacts.
“This generous gift not only enhances our printmaking program but also empowers our students to continue creating art long after they leave Concordia,” says Annie Gérin, dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts. Photo: Mitch Mitchell
What inspired you to design this type of press?
Mitch Mitchell: It was a combination of events, the first being the pandemic. Unlike drawing and painting, printmaking is not a practice that can easily shift to online learning, as a printing press is your main tool to create an image via transfer. Printing presses are heavy, large, and extremely expensive. With students confined to their homes, it became a nightmare to teach printmaking, so I made a tool for my students.
At the same time, I became the Studio Arts chair, which significantly increased my workload. I am fortunate to have a well-equipped studio, and it became a refuge where I could work on these presses between meetings. I had also just undergone a major spinal surgery, but due to the quarantine and shutdowns, I had to teach myself how to walk again. Studio work became my physical therapy.
I needed to create a press that was affordable and portable enough to move, even when I could hardly move myself. I am proud to say that this project led to my becoming the only producer of printmaking presses of this quality in Canada. It’s a way for me to give back to the community I love.
The award is named after Claude Truman Mitchell. Can you tell us about him and why the award was named in his honour?
MM: Claude Truman Mitchell was my grandfather. He lived a storied life. He was a quiet WWII veteran who saw his fair share of trauma from the war. He was also a coal miner, heavy machine operator, master welder, master carpenter, and extremely hard worker.
He convinced the mine where he worked to fund a baseball team for local kids. He and some volunteers then built a baseball diamond from scratch, and he spent the rest of his life maintaining it for the community.
Grandpa Mitchell instilled in others the idea that hard work would deliver a thriving community. It is named after him because he was a strong individual that put others first. He was a true Midwesterner!
How do you see this award impacting future print media students and the field at large?
MM: When I graduated, I realized that everything, every tool, every work surface, was fleeting. I walked away with a diploma but with no print shop or access to a press, especially in Chicago, which didn’t have many community arts centres like Atelier Circulaire or L’Imprimerie centre d’artistes here in Montreal at the time.
The joke with a lot of the other print students was that we got a printmaking degree and immediately became painters. Presses are expensive, sometimes as much as a new car. For a student to graduate with a physical press — a lifelong tool — it changes their trajectory.
As faculty, we try to prepare students for the realities of the art world, where self-reliance is crucial. It can be scary. Tools and workspaces become gold; a press becomes a beacon. Knowing that a student will have something so tangible and lasting that they worked hard for is a magical thing.
I’ve already seen the impact of these presses on the community, the ripple effect of providing a simple tool to an individual. I hope they will inspire more faculty and donors in the field. Money is great, but physical tools and spaces carry weight and a different type of investment.
For more information on Mitchell Press Works, their handmade presses, and their apprenticeship program, follow this link: www.mitchellpressworks.ca
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