Patrons
Patrons at Printfest play a special role through their life experiences that support Printfest in untold ways. We are immensely grateful to them.
Ceri Hutton
In 2020 Printfest welcomed Ceri Hutton as our fourth Patron. Ceri’s role as a key member of Ulverston, her professional outlook on humankind, her fabulous sense of fun and her love of the arts on both a personal level and for social wellbeing are hugely welcomed.
Mychael Barratt
In 2019 Printfest welcomed Mychael Barratt as our third Patron. Mychael has been President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers, he has curated many international exhibitions and was responsible for launching two annual open submission print exhibitions held at Bankside Gallery – the National Original Print Exhibition and The Masters.
Alan Stones
In 2018 Printfest welcomed fellow printmaker Alan Stones as our second Patron. Alan brings a wealth of experience in printmaking and exhibited at the very first Printfest in 2001. Alan is playing an active role with the Printfest Team and will be part of the selection committee in January for Printfest 2019.
Tim Robertson
In 2017 Tim Robertson became our first Patron. In his opening speech at the Private View he talked about the importance of Art in all our lives, the impact it has in both creating it and in living with it. Tim presented all the Awards to Artists, closing the weekend on Sunday afternoon with by presenting the Visitors’ Choice Award.
We welcome Patrons to Printfest, and would love hear from all those who feel that they could support Printfest in the role of ambassador for printmaking.
Ceri Hutton, Patron
Ceri grew up in Wales and now lives in Ulverston, where Printfest is held each year. She studied French and Italian at Oxford in the 1980s but has done little with her degree other than to enjoy the head start it gave her in understanding and visiting Italy and its rich fund of artistic wonders.
Ceri has spent her professional career working in social justice and human rights. She now works with a wide range of national and international charities supporting them to evaluate their work and develop new programmes. Her main specialist areas are around refugees and migrants as well as the ‘corporate accountability’ field and she speaks with activists all over the world in the course of various research projects. She’s a great believer in funding art and creativity as an integral part of social support and change: one of her favourite projects currently is the ‘Flying Seagull Project’ which brings play, art and fun to some of the forgotten refugee camps on the edge of Europe where people still wait for life to begin again.
Ceri is also a very active member of Ulverston’s community. She acts and performs, loves singing and is a great supporter of visual and community art initiatives which, in Ulverston, abound. She is also the Chair of Ulverston Community Enterprises which, since 2016, has been seeking to establish as a viable social enterprise for the future and to make the Coronation Hall an ever more welcoming place for those who live in and visit Ulverston. She’s was also one of the team organising the successful ‘World Record Attempt for Throwing Foam Pies’ which Ulverston won in 2016 – a spectacular event which put Ulverston firmly on the ‘Foam Pie Circuit’.
“I’m delighted to become a Patron of Printfest, even though it doesn’t involve foam pies. Printfest represents a lot of what is great about Ulverston: a desire to share ideas, creativity, friendship and and have fun whilst putting art and artists centre stage. I’ve loved going ever since Ulverston became my adopted home, and look forward every year to the inspiration, cake and craic. My wallet doesn’t, but my heart does.”
Mychael Barratt, Patron
Mychael Barratt was born in Toronto, Canada, however considers himself to be a Londoner since arriving for what was supposed to be a two-week stay thirty years ago. He is a narrative artist whose career making original prints covers virtually every possible technique. During his term as President of the Royal Society of Painter-Printmakers he curated many international exhibitions and was responsible for launching two annual open submission print exhibitions held at Bankside Gallery – the National Original Print Exhibition and The Masters.
He was an artist in residence for Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre throughout Mark Rylance’s reign as Artistic Director as well as being a commissioned artist for Liberty of London. In 2011, just prior to the 2012 Summer Olympics, he was commissioned by T. V. Edwards to paint a 10 x 8 metre mural on an external wall of their headquarters on the Mile End Road. He has written three books: Intaglio Printmaking, published by A & C Black; The Master’s Muse: Artists’ Cats and Dogs, as well as London Map of Days, both of which were published by Unicorn Publishing. His work is held in many important collections including Her Majesty The Queen, the British Museum, the British Library (permanent collection of maps), Ashmolean Museum, V & A Museum, Canada House (UK Canadian Embassy) and the Jiangsu Museum of Contemporary Art, China.
“Printfest has been staging its popular artists’ focused festival for nearly twenty years and has become one of the most ardent champions of original printmaking. I am delighted to have been asked to be a patron of Printfest and hope that I can help draw a few more artists to printmaking and a few more enthusiasts to Ulverston!”
www.mychaelbarratt.com
Alan Stones, Patron
Alan Stones is a painter and printmaker living and working in the Cumbrian hamlet of Blencarn, just below Cross Fell on the Northern Pennines. He graduated from St. Martin’s School of Art, London in 1971 and has been working full-time as an artist ever since.
In 1984 Alan won a Gulbenkian Foundation Award to experiment in printmaking. This was the beginning of the creation of some 120 editions, to date, of his hugely popular lithographs – firstly working with master printer John Sutcliffe at Lowick House Print Workshop in Cumbria, then for a period at Northern Print and since 2000 from his own workshop at Blencarn. He has had a great many solo exhibitions of his work including touring exhibitions in UK public galleries . . . plus one touring exhibition on the Falkland Islands!
“I am honoured and absolutely delighted to become a Patron of Printfest. I vividly remember exhibiting in the very first Printfest back in 2001 when there were just 22 exhibitors. Since then, thanks to many wonderfully dedicated and enthusiastic supporters, Printfest has grown and developed, always presenting serious printmaking and always with fun. It is a very special event in the UK printmaking calendar.”
Photograph of Alan by Sam Toolsie www.toolsiephotography.co.uk
www.alanstones.co.uk
Tim Robertson, Patron
