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GEORGINA COBURN speaks to Highland Print Studio Director Alison McMenemy and Studio Manager John McNaught about their much-anticipated return to their newly refurbished premises in Bank Street

THE OFFICIAL reopening of Highland Print Studio at its riverside location on Bank Street in Inverness in late September is an exciting and significant milestone in the history of the organisation. Financed by the SAC National Lottery Department, Highland Council Common Good Fund and Highlands & Islands Enterprise, the move from the Longman Industrial Estate to its current location in the heart of Inverness is an important development in the city’s cultural infrastructure.

As an open access studio, HPS has long been a vital cultural resource in the region, providing a range of education, outreach and artist residencies in surrounding areas in addition to its regular classes in Printmaking, Digital Imaging, Drawing and Painting. The newly refurbished and customised print studio has expanded, offering access to a wide variety of techniques including intaglio, screen printing, relief printing, lithography, digital imaging, video and animation, for participants aged 7 to 87.

Induction classes open to all will commence at the studio in October.

Highland Print Studio in Bank Street, Inverness

GEORGINA COBURN: How did the Highland Print Studio begin as an organisation?

ALISON McMENEMY: Originally it started with a group of art teachers in the area who wanted to create something for Inverness, some sort of cooperative or artist’s initiative, they weren’t sure what. They called a meeting and invited people to come and talk about it and had the idea of an open access print studio. That was in 1985, twenty four years ago this month that the meeting took place, so we decided to have our opening to commemorate the conception of the studio, because that group of teachers went on to source this building which they rented from the Co-Op. It needed a lot of work done on it, equipment was begged and borrowed and they started Inverness Printmaker’s Workshop. So this is basically our original home and this is where we’ve come back to.

GEORGINA COBURN: So how long was the Longman studio site in operation before the current move back to Bank Street?

JOHN McNAUGHT: About 6 years.

ALISON McMENEMY: When this space was converted to ART.TM Gallery they couldn’t have the print studio in the same space, or chose not to. So an alternative space was found out at Inchmore at first.

GEORGINA COBURN: I remember it well – it was incredibly cold, I don’t know how the life models survived!

ALISON McMENEMY: (Laughing) They didn’t!

JOHN McNAUGHT: After Inchmore we moved to the Longman Industrial Estate, which was significantly better but not ideal either, but it was a good stepping stone, it did its job. The studio did come close to disappearing at one point. When the decision was made to close the Bank Street Gallery, Arts Council funding was withdrawn, about five and a half years ago.

GEORGINA COBURN: I think the guts of the organisation has always been the hands on studio function, it’s what has kept going and has kept it alive, which is significant – it’s the baseline of the organisation.

JOHN McNAUGHT: When a choice had to be made between studio and gallery it came down to a vote – there was about 40 people there and it was utterly unanimous to go with the studio. The result was being left with two members of staff doing about three days between them, no administration and no revenue funding other than about £8,000 from the council and a debt of about £45,000. And now about five year’s on ….

GEORGINA COBURN: … that debt is cleared and you are back in this building. It’s a pretty extraordinary achievement for the studio.

JOHN McNAUGHT: Yes

GEORGINA COBURN: From the building’s previous layout as a gallery the interior has been transformed into a series of open plan spaces. Can you talk us through the customised studio building and its new facilities?

JOHN McNAUGHT: I think that flaws in the building have been addressed now, so it is not just the change of use from a gallery space, the feel of the downstairs has altered – it’s a calm space. Before it was a bit intimidating and disconcerting, and the modifications have addressed this. We were lucky in some ways where the plumbing was in the building, because it meant that the changes have been very efficient. There was money already spent on the building, so we didn’t want to just rip all of that out again.

When we started looking at it to be a studio, a lot of people thought that it wouldn’t take the equipment. The main physical change has been removal of the central staircase, and that has really opened up the floor space and the mezzanine level which used to be quite dark – this is now an open hall and a place for the printmaking processes to take place. There were also a lot of toilets in the building and some of these have become process areas. The lift gives disabled access throughout and enables us to carry heavy pieces of equipment and materials from one floor to another. Because the space is on split levels we had to plan carefully how you would work in the building and how it would flow.

ALISON McMENEMY: Another quite significant but simple change we made was to the façade – originally there were two metal cases actually in the window, and they were incredibly restrictive in terms of light coming into the building, and also passers-by being able to see what was inside. I think that was part of the problem in the past, why the building seemed intimidating, so removing those has created a really light and airy space. I was really keen that passers-by could see artists working inside. Artists tend to work in a very secluded way, in a studio hidden away somewhere, and because the processes we use are just so visually interesting, ideally a crucial part of the refurbishment is that people can see the process taking place.

GEORGINA COBURN: Yes, the first thing that people see is the Albion press which is quite intriguing for people, especially if they haven’t had contact with printmaking before.

ALISON McMENEMY: Since the press has been in that position we have had a huge amount of people looking at it and pointing at it. It has attracted a lot of attention.

GEORGINA COBURN: It is quite a unique set of spaces you’ve created with a different feel to each – what facilities are now on each floor?

ALISON McMENEMY: On the ground floor we have the printing presses, they’re visually interesting, very eye catching, so as soon as people walk in the door it immediately looks like quite an interesting space, a showcasing space. When you go up the stairs the mezzanine is a very much a functional space – it is where people will draw up etching plates, cut woodblocks, draw up litho stones, those slightly messier processes.

The etching process areas are also in that space. Screen printing tends to be a much cleaner process because it is water-based, so it is appropriate to have it in this fantastic new space above, very light, airy and pristine. We have this second pod up the top of the building that is absolutely perfect as the digital area. The Apple Macs and large format printer are in there. It’s a discreet space that gives people the privacy they need to focus on that kind of activity.

Installing equipment in the new Highland Print Studio

JOHN McNAUGHT: If you’re in the mezzanine working on a litho stone you can put it on a trolley and take it down to the printing room. The downstairs has a built in etching bath and paper stretching at the top end so it is all ergonomically good. You don’t have to go walking through places to access what you need.

GEORGINA COBURN: Apart from you two, what other staff are involved with the running of the new studio?

ALISON McMENEMY: Our studio technician is Brian MacBeath, and he has been with the studio for 16 or 17 years, so he has given fantastic continuity throughout the development of the studio. He has been a constant and has been great. We also have a part-time administrator.

GEORGINA COBURN: As an open access printmaking studio HPS is part of a network of facilities in Scotland in which professional artists work alongside complete beginners. As a learning situation this is quite unique. What do you think are the benefits of an open access approach?

JOHN McNAUGHT: I think the benefits are obvious, studios like that have a certain feel to them. I think we’ve always been really good at working with community. You don’t want to feel like you’re walking into a place where your work will be judged. I remember going into a studio myself where people didn’t talk much to you until they could see that you could print. I think if you have spaces that generate an atmosphere that encourages watching other people working, and also the other way, where professional artists work amongst beginners, that’s good too.

Where you have very high-end equipment to attract professional artists it is also easier to learn on, because it’s consistent and will encourage you back. Equally in these surroundings you’re not in a parker jacket with a drip on the end of your nose, which we provided in the past! When the place was struggling you needed to be of a certain character to come back. Hopefully now you’ve got the combination of a really nice working environment and great equipment.

GEORGINA COBURN: I have always thought of HPS has having several arms – outreach and education, artist residencies, ongoing studio work, regular classes, exhibitions – what are the plans for those various areas and how do you see them expanding in the new building?

ALISON McMENEMY: Our emphasis on those areas isn’t going to change with the move to different premises. We are still keen to do residencies. In the past we have run residencies in printmaking and animation and we have done a lot of work in schools. The animation project was with older people and we are currently working with older people at the moment.

None of that is going to change and we will still have that emphasis. As John was saying we have an ethos of being open access not just on paper but open in attitude. In addition, because we can now sell work from where we’re based, we will restart our publications and invite artists into the studio to create images to go into our publications programme.

GEORGINA COBURN: That’s exciting.

ALISON McMENEMY: Yes – we don’t have a dedicated exhibition space here, but because we are about encouraging people to come and have a look at the processes in the building, we will take advantage of all space where it’s available. There will be some space downstairs and coming upstairs to the screen printing area that we can exhibit work for sale, and we could possibly have exhibition-type events on a much smaller and integrated scale in the building. It’s fantastic that we can sell work and promote work of local artists and other printmakers.

GEORGINA COBURN: And make that work much more visible. I think there is still a lot of confusion about what printmaking is, especially with giglee [or Giclée, a form of machine-made print] in recent years. People think that printmaking is reproduction rather than the creation of original art work. I think the more visible you can make that process the better. The exhibition you curated at IMAG last year was fantastic because it took the work of printmakers and their process to an audience outside the old Longman studio site.

ALISON McMENEMY: That’s a much bigger battle and is something that we will do our bit to address. There is information on our website explaining the confusion between reproductions, which are essentially photographs of works of art, and original printmaking. Reproductions are like tearing the page out of a library book and putting it on the wall. People confuse reproductions with original prints because they are often packaged and marketed like original works of art.

JOHN McNAUGHT: I think the key thing is the price. I don’t think anyone would have an argument with them if they were a fiver, then you would know their place as glorified posters.

GEORGINA COBURN: How do you see HPS in its current location in relation to a wider cultural vision in the city?

JOHN McNAUGHT: I think we just do our thing really. One of the great things about HPS is that it has remained independent and has managed to fight back while keeping its own identity. I think we just keep doing that.

ALISON McMENEMY: It is a difficult question to answer. I don’t know what plans there are in the area for cultural development but the potential is huge.

GEORGINA COBURN: I think it’s something of a big question mark at present.

JOHN McNAUGHT: I think if you didn’t have a cultural strategy but you did have support that would be fine. You don’t necessarily need a strategy if you have a whole lot of people remaining independent doing their stuff, as long as they are being supported and valued.

ALISON McMENEMY: I think Glasgow appears to have developed like that. It has given the resources to allow people to develop creatively, so what you get is an environment of different arts organisations – even just in the visual arts there is huge diversity. They haven’t tried to be prescriptive, the people on the ground are the experts and that allows art to flourish. It has paid off, that’s my impression. It seems to be a model that works.

GEORGINA COBURN: The studio offers professional development training for teachers and other arts professionals, portfolio development, bespoke taster sessions and full day workshops in a variety of techniques. Are there plans to work with other local organisations as part of a wider programme of outreach and further education in the area?

ALISON McMENEMY: We do have links with Inverness College already – they do their print module with us. Their tutors come down and teach that here, and the student’s receive a three month membership to the studio to continue their work. We have done staff development with Moray College staff also. We have creative links with a lot of organisations, not just arts organisations because of the community work that we do.

JOHN McNAUGHT: Also I think that the success of the print studio since it was reformed is that it has quite a tight focus in terms of community work.

GEORGINA COBURN: What kind of groups have you continued to work with?

ALISON McMENEMY: We have worked with older people’s groups on the West Coast and we’re working with a group just now in Strathpeffer.

GEORGINA COBURN: What is the scope of the current project?

ALISON McMENEMY: A brief lesson in Caledonian Antisyzygy.

ong>JOHN McNAUGHT: We’ve had a long term theme developing over an unsung hero – something
I came across in primary school in Kyleakin on Skye. A woman called Mrs. Weir who went around all the schools on Skye and the Kyle of Lochalsh with a portable swimming pool. She took this into classrooms and taught a whole generation how to swim for 25 years so we’re still bubbling along with that.

ALISON McMENEMY: We were playing around with the whole concept of unsung heroes, which is what Mrs. Weir was, and we received funding from Highland Council to employ John, so we decided to develop this concept of the unsung hero a bit more. John has been working with four different primary schools and we researched unsung heroes locally.

GEORGINA COBURN: What media are you using to explore that with the children?

JOHN McNAUGHT: Artist books, relief printing and digital work.

ALISON McMENEMY: John has been making an artist book with each school on the theme of an unsung hero local to that community, like Dr Lachlan Grant, who was suggested by historian Jim Hunter – he was doctor at Ballachulish slate quarry. The workers paid for his services themselves and he was such a campaigner for working conditions that the quarry company sacked him. It resulted in a lock-out that lasted for over a year and plunged the people who were there into poverty. The Red Clydesiders sent food parcels up to keep them going and they succeeded – he was reinstated and worked there for 40 years. They set up a precursor to the NHS idea, it’s an amazing story.

John is working with the Ballachulish Primary School, who were totally up for it. They created an artist book based on Dr Grant’s life using drawings, digital imagery and text. Another strand of the project began when we actually Googled Unsung Heroes one day, and it came up with the Dingwall Auction Mart. They have the Drover’s exhibition there, and we took a look at the exhibition and decided that the real unsung heroes were the drover’s dogs.

These drover’s would come from all over the country, places like Kinlochbervie and Caithness, and they’d go down to the tryst in Crieff. A lot would then go down to Smithfield Market in London and it would take weeks and weeks to drive the cattle – you could only drive them so far each day before they would begin to lose weight.

Once the journey to London was made they would stay and work a harvest and they would send the dog’s back on their own. The dogs would make their way back to where they came from, and they would stop off at the pubs they had stopped off at on the way down to get fed. The next year the drover would pay for the dog’s dinners on the way back down! There are actually archive sightings of the dogs wandering back on their own. We worked with Kilchuimen Primary School because Fort Augustus is quite a significant crossing in the drove paths. They made an absolutely tear-jerking story about two dogs making their way back from Smithfield.

JOHN McNAUGHT: Like Lassie, but with more tears.

ALISON McMENEMY: The kids came up with the story themselves, and the images were a combination of relief printing and digital imaging. It was fantastic – they really embraced it and did all this additional research.

GEORGINA COBURN: I imagine it crossed over into a lot of the curriculum – it wasn’t just confined to art practice.

JOHN McNAUGHT: Yes, they took a bus and went to the drover’s exhibition in Dingwall, met up with an old drover in his 80’s and have since started to walk old drove roads. They also discovered a whole lot of information about him in the school log book from about 1904. They’ve been really great.

ALISON McMENEMY: The follow up from that in the brief lesson in Caledonian Antisyzygy is that we are now looking at Scottish icons who should have remained unsung – the very opposite of unsung heroes.

JOHN McNAUGHT: Scotland’s zeros.

ALISON McMENEMY: Basically we went to a talk one night by historian Tom Devine, and he was emphasising the fact that Scottish history is a hidden history of success. There have been books written on how this nation has impacted on the development of the world as we see it today – I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. It is remarkable for a tiny wee country.

GEORGINA COBURN: It’s a country of ideas, that’s for sure.

ALISON McMENEMY: And of contradictions as well.

JOHN McNAUGHT: All of our historic icons are essentially people who have failed.

ALISON McMENEMY: Like Bonnie Prince Charlie or Mary Queen of Scots. So John is now working with groups of older people on another set of artist’s books on that theme. In October during the Homecoming conference we’re going to exhibit a selection of these books and get a storyteller to do a performance piece based on the stories.

GEORGINA COBURN: So it’s not just about printmaking, then.

ALISON McMENEMY: If you have an idea you just run with it and bring in the tools you need to do it.

GEORGINA COBURN: It’s a very creative approach. I imagine the groups that have participated will also have a copy of their book?

JOHN McNAUGHT: Yes

GEORGINA COBURN: Looking at the content of the books it is great to see you using technology with traditional printmaking techniques.

ALISON McMENEMY: Yes that’s something John has been doing for quite a while and it’s been very successful.

GEORGINA COBURN: I think there’s a tendency to throw technology at children at the expense of developing an understanding of the craft behind the discipline.

JOHN McNAUGHT: You think they’re interested in technology on its own but given the chance to be hands on with other techniques they love it.

ALISON McMENEMY: And because there’s an artist teaching it they learn about aesthetics. Time and again you see people using technology and unfortunately they don’t have an understanding of aesthetics, which is why it is significant that an arts organisation uses these tools and teaches them.

JOHN McNAUGHT: It is important to use high quality equipment to get sensitivity out of the technology, to get rid of the harshness of it.

GEORGINA COBURN: There is not nearly enough art education in our schools or curriculum to facilitate that kind of understanding or visual literacy. How do you see your role in our particular region?

ALISON McMENEMY: Arts as a mainstay of the curriculum is becoming less and less, so it is most important that organisations such as ours continue to do that work. I think that even schools that do have an art department benefit from an injection of tuition from a professional artist. An art teacher and a professional artist are two different entities. We have found this hugely beneficial, for an artist to go into a school – it enhances the work being done there already. They come in from a different direction and perhaps they don’t have the same restrictions of curriculum so it can be quite free, it’s invaluable.

JOHN McNAUGHT: I think one of the things with this project that has been good as well is that the teacher’s were saying that the children enjoyed learning these stories that were on their doorstep, rather than things they couldn’t see. They could research stories around them. I think that’s something the studio does – it works big within its own community. In my own work I’ve been lucky to be able to do work that has always been fairly local, and you find something huge in the parochial – in all these books there are huge issues.

GEORGINA COBURN: It has taken years of dedication and hard work to reach this point – how did it feel to be standing in this newly refurbished studio space when you moved all the equipment back in?

JOHN McNAUGHT: Like winning a fifteen year old argument! (laughing)

ALISON McMENEMY: Marvelous. It just felt great. You’ve seen the space we were in before – it was functional but that was all it was.

GEORGINA COBURN: Looking around I think it raises the bar – it is an inspirational space as well.

ALISON McMENEMY: Absolutely.

© Georgina Coburn, 2009

Links

• Highland Print Studio