Passing the Flame: Printmakers as Teachers, Mentors and Pupils in Aotearoa New Zealand

Curated by David Maskill

Passing the Flame is the follow-up to the Under Pressure exhibition from 2024. Where Under Pressure focused on the techniques of printmaking, Passing the Flame explores the metaphor of transferring knowledge and skills, responsibility, and tradition from one generation to the next, within the context of printmaking art education. Over the course of 100 years, artists have nurtured and shaped the field of printmaking through teaching, inspiring countless students to pursue careers as professional artists. This exhibition celebrates those educators and their legacies.

Printmaking is an art form that requires knowledge of a range of technical processes that are usually learned under the guidance of an experienced practitioner. The teacher-pupil model is typically found in the context of professional art education. It can also occur in a less formal context where the more experienced artist acts as a mentor to or even collaborator with the aspiring beginner.

The exhibition Passing the Flame is both a tribute to the artists who shaped New Zealand’s printmaking art education and a celebration of the continuing impact of their legacy. It is a chance to reflect on the profound role of art in education, where teaching becomes a means of preserving and evolving tradition, and where the flame of creativity is passed from one generation to the next.

The exhibition showcases an extensive collection of artist prints, with works from historical and contemporary educators. It highlights the diverse spectrum of printmaking practices that have been passed down through generations, emphasising the role of artists as art educators in shaping New Zealand's artistic landscape. 

The exhibition includes works by a diverse group of artists, some of whom came to our shores to pass on their knowledge and some who learned from them and in turn passed on their skills to the next generation.

Artist Bios