The Big Tuna Press Comes to Torrington for the Five Points Arts Print Festival

July 18–19, 10am–4pm | Torrington, CT

Five Points Arts Center in Torrington hosts its Print Festival on July 18 and 19, centered around BIG INK's legendary traveling press, the Big Tuna, for two days of large-scale woodcut printing open to the public at no charge.

BIG INK was founded in 2012 by Lyell Castonguay and Carand Burnet to give artists access to large-format woodcut printing, a process that normally requires a specialized press weighing over a ton—of which fewer than half a dozen exist in the US for public use.

In 2016 BIG INK raised $13,000 to build a modular traveling press that could be assembled virtually anywhere, and the Big Tuna has since visited dozens of cities across the country. Woodblocks up to four feet by eight feet are inked and run through the press to produce prints on acid-free paper. Castonguay has described the moment a print is pulled as "like magic—like watching a rabbit pulled out of a hat." The artists printing at the festival worked with Castonguay in advance, carving their woodblocks over the preceding weeks, and the public printing days are where everything comes together.

Alongside the BIG INK demonstrations, the weekend features an International Juried Print Exhibition on view throughout the arts center, juried by Kathleen Schroeder. Live demonstrations will cover screen printing, digital printing, offset printmaking, lithography, and printing on ceramics. Hands-on print activities are available for all ages, and there's a festival book sale, gift shop, and the Taco Shack food truck on site both days.

Five Points Arts Center, 855 University Drive, Torrington, CT. More at fivepointsarts.org.