Useful Labor vs Useless Toil is a pamphlet and lecture given by the decorative artist, poet and philosopher William Morris in 1884. It was a critique of the waste and inequality inherent in the capitalist system exacerbated by the Industrial Revolution. A new relationship between man and machine was born and Morris felt the need to sound the alarm bell. While he did not object to the use of machines to ease and assist labor, he was concerned about the potential of new technology to replace skilled labor. He worried about out quality of life and in particular the sense of satisfaction and pleasure derived from meaningful work. This exhibit will examine our relationship to various forms of technology as creative tools. Industrial revolution era machines such as the printing press, jacquard loom, and knitting machines are still in use today. Can we express ourselves creatively and with a satisfactory level of craftsmanship and artistic expression using machines vs creating things wholly by hand? How does technology change the creative process? And what of the looming technology of our era? What are the dangers and benefits of artificial intelligence to the creative process and to the skilled labor of today?

Each year, The Ink Shop launches a Members’ show, giving our membership the opportunity to exhibit their newest work. This exhibit gives the public the opportunity to see the new work coming out of The Ink Shop, one of Central New York’s only community printmaking facilities.

The Ink Shop has its Annual Print Sale before the holidays. Our collection of prints is extensive and it represents some of the best printmakers around. The work exhibited in this print sale will make great gifts. We encourage everyone to bring some wonderful handmade prints home, support the Arts and local artists.

I See You showcases the talent of printmaking students from Ithaca College and Cornell University, featuring a diverse range of printmaking techniques, including relief, intaglio, and screenprinting providing a glimpse into the breadth and depth of the discipline.

Reaching Into the Lake is a series of etchings intertwining the real and imaginary. It is an act of noticing-things often missed– corners in stairwells, lingering hands, and dreams forgotten by the morning. To reach-into a lake is to extend a hand to something new, see one’s own reflection and the way it is broken up by-ripples, and come out different. Likewise, this selection of prints can act as a reflecting pool for the-viewer to consider their own life and memories, and leave a little bit different.

A hodophile is a lover of travel, a wanderer, a walker, a restless spirit: someone who travels to escape, walks to think, and wanders to learn about the world but moreover to repeatedly discover oneself. The works in Hodophilia are inspired by physical and psychic journeys: navigating labyrinthian footpaths on the island of Skopelos, Greece; climbing the sun-scorched hills of Santa Cruz, CA; and hiking in New Mexico’s Sandia Mountains.

The Mini Print International is a juried exhibition of prints no larger than 4” x 4”. The Exhibition has been held bi-annually since 1985 and was founded and directed by Bev McLean who sought to challenge artists and provide an affordable form in which international art could be brought together. The Ink Shop began organizing this exciting exhibit starting with 16th Mini Print International. Our Mini Print shows have attracted artists from around the world including Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Lithuania, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Uruguay as well as many artists from the United States.

These wonderful prints are displayed in 6” x 6" frames that make great gifts and can be available to take home during and after December 5th Mini Print Holiday Sale.