Press & Pull: Two Decades at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop is a survey exhibition marking 20 years following the passing of its founder, artist, educator, and master printer Robert Blackburn (1920–2003). With over 35 original prints, archival ephemera, and video drawn from the printshop’s historic collection and archive, this exhibition reveals the origins, mentorship, collaboration, and technical innovation that have made it the US’s oldest and continuously operating cooperative workshop.

Founded in 1947, the Workshop emerged during an era of racial segregation when opportunities for artists of color were severely limited. It arose in the aftermath of the dismantling of the Works Progress Administration Federal Art Project (1935–43), which had supported community art centers across the country, including the founding of Chicago’s South Side Community Art Center. Blackburn filled the void with the Printmaking Workshop, creating a shared space for racial integration and collective creativity.

Press & Pull’s Chicago iteration will feature a supplementary exhibition with prints and archival materials that trace the city’s historical parallels to the Workshop, underscoring the artistic ecosystems Black artists developed in the mid-twentieth century and their impact today.

Support for Press and Pull is provided by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council, the Terra Foundation, Teiger Foundation, the School of Art & Art History, the College of Architecture, Design, and the Arts, and the University of Illinois Chicago.

Press & Pull originated at the James Gallery—CUNY Graduate Center (August 26 – November 14, 2025) and traveled to the MassArt Art Museum (January 22–May 31, 2026). Generous support is provided by the Terra Foundation for American Art, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Dedalus Foundation, the Hauser & Wirth Institute, and Speedball Art Products.