November in the Hosmer Gallery
Rollin' On the River: 25 Years of Zea Mays Printmaking
On View: November 3 - 26, 2025
Artists Reception: Friday, November 14, 5-7pm
This exhibition showcases prints and artists’ books made by the members of Zea Mays Printmaking, an important art-making institution in the Pioneer Valley celebrating their twentieth-fifth anniversary this year. The founder and director of Zea Mays, Liz Chalfin, in 2000 established a studio space in Florence, MA devoted to the practice of “green” or non-toxic printmaking, then in something of an infancy, now an acceptable (and even preferred) alternative to more chemical-dependent methods of art-making. (The studio now operates in its own space at the former Cutlery Building in Florence, its third home in twenty-five years.) Chalfin was not only a pioneer in safer printmaking practices but is also an advocate and recognized authority in the worldwide printmaking community. Under her leadership, Zea Mays continues to oversee research not only in safer methods by which artists can do their work but also in more environmentally friendly practices that reduce or eliminate the amount of printmaking byproducts (such as hazardous solvents and microplastics) released in the air and water.
The work in this exhibition encompasses all the traditional methods of printmaking—etching, engraving, woodcut, silkscreen and their myriad hybrids—and also a number of artists’ books created with some of these same methods. As diverse as this work might be, all the artists working at Zea Mays share a commitment to safer practices and to spreading the word about what might be called non-invasive and environmentally sound methods of visual expression.
We hope you enjoy the work of the many Zea Mays members on view here.
Exhibition Contacts:
Suzanne Artemieff: sartemieff@gmail.com
Elisa Lanzi: lanzielisa@gmail.com
Gallery Hours
Monday - Thursday: 10am-8pm
Friday - Saturday: 10am-6pm
Closed Sundays and holidays
See forbeslibrary.org/info/hours for any updates.
The Hosmer Gallery is located on the second floor of Forbes Library. It is accessible by stairs or elevator.
