What a whirlwind these past few weeks have been! Before you know it, it will be spring. These past weeks we have been hard at work, bringing out type cases that had been in storage and cleaning them up for display. Hamilton has been blessed with a generous benefactor, who has created over a dozen of new type display cases. This wonderful gift will enable us to display more of the Grahm Lee collection than ever before.

Upcoming in the Gallery, March 7th until April 30th, we will have the Russian Civil War Posters from the Cellini Collection. It will be a stunning exhibition, focusing on the posters from 1918-1923, with bold colors and amazing design. These beautiful originals are amazingly preserved, almost as if they just came off press and sat in a drawer waiting for this exhibit. Each of the posters are lithographs, a printing method in which an image is drawn with wax or grease on a smooth metal or stone surface and then treated with gum arabic and acid solution. To print the image, the surface would be moistened with water and then inked. The ink would only adhere to the original image on the plate, so the image drawn would be the only image printed. From experience I have found it to be a challenging process, but highly rewarding.

As the Hamilton Intern, I was given the privilege of helping select the breathtaking works for display, and creating the show posters for the exhibition. I was thrilled to get back on press, and quickly remembered how much time goes into each letterpresse printed artwork! Three days of poster printing later, I don't just have posters- I have informational ART, each with their own “character” and “special design elements.” When you see them around Two Rivers and Manitowoc, I hope you enjoy!