The LSU Print Guild quietly cultivates one of the campus’s most unique and collaborative artistic events every spring.

The annual Print Exchange is an event organized by and for student printmakers. This exchange invites participants from across the country to swap hand-printed artworks, building creative connections that span far beyond Baton Rouge.

Third-year BFA student with a concentration in printmaking and current president of the LSU Print Guild Sarah Lindrew is at the center of it all. The group is essentially just the printmaking club on campus, but have the title, because that’s what they wanted, Lindrew said. The Print Exchange centers around the printmaking tradition of creating multiples, a concept central to the medium.
“It’s kind of like making stamps,” Lindrew explains. “You make one design, and then print several copies of it.”

This system makes it uniquely suited for exchanges, where each artist sends in a set number of prints and receives a variety in return. Approximately 20 to 30 students from universities across the country participated this year, each submitting 16 prints of an original design.
“Fifteen of those get distributed back to participants, and we keep one for the archives,” Lindrew said. “It’s really cool to be able to say that you’re in an institution’s archive.”
However, the prints don’t disappear into portfolios. Each fall, the Print Guild curates a public exhibition showcasing all the prints from the exchange.
“It’s fun to see them all put up together,” Lindrew said. “You get to say your work was in a show, which is also really cool.”
While the guild’s leadership has changed over time, the tradition remains strong. Lindrew remembers hearing about the club in her introductory printmaking classes. For her, printmaking and the community around it, made the School of Art feel like home.
“Even inside the School of Art, it’s such a niche,” she said. “Everyone knows everyone. I’m a really social person, so I love that.”
Printmaking students are introduced to five primary techniques at LSU: screen printing, relief, intaglio, lithography and letterpress. Each has its own history and process.
“Intaglio involves etching into copper plates with acid, it’s really cool but complicated,” Lindrew said.
The potential of the medium and the ability to produce multiples remains what draws Lindrew to the field. After graduation, Lindrew hopes to pursue a master’s degree so she can teach; however, she explained that there are many career options for printmakers, including local shops like Blackbird Press and various screen printing businesses around town.
As for the Print Guild’s upcoming exhibition, dates will be announced in the fall. Whether you’re a seasoned artist or just curious about the medium, Lindrew encourages students to come see the work.
“It’s one of those things where once you’re introduced to it, you start seeing it everywhere,” Lindrew said.