Membership

Records relating to membership of the Printmakers Couuncil.

• 1. Membership Forms and Subscriptions
• 2. Membership Lists
• 3. Members CVs
• 4. Slide Index
• 5. Members Questionnaires and Surveys

The Printmakers Council was founded in 1965; by 1966 there were 55 members which had risen to 90 in 1970 (with 34 associate corporate members) and to 125 members by 1974. Membership rose dramatically when the membership selection criteria changed going from 120 members in 1984 to 700 in 1989. However by 2008, the honorary treasurer reported that there were only 48 paid up members, this had risen back to 180 in 2014.

Membership entrance fees were £2 2 shillings in 1967 with annual subscriptions £5, 5 shillings. By 1985, subscriptions were £25 for artist members, £15 for associates and £10 for students.

Members of the Printmakers Council were initially selected by the committee or a subsection of the committee. The question of whether to have honorary or invited members who bypassed this system was discussed early 1970s. A number of important ‘names’ were invited but not all agreed to become members. Graham Sutherland agreed to become a member (see minutes 1 Dec 1969).

In 1980, a vote was held to change the membership system from portfolios submitted to a selection panel to either election without portfolio or trial of each member inviting a new member i.e. bypassing selection process (pros and cons and a voting form are in the May 1980 newsletter), a special meeting was held which endorsed the existing scheme. Peter Ford continued to press for a model used by the World Print Council that is that membership should be open with selection for exhibitions. There was also a debate in 1981 as to whether photographic printmakers should be included with a special meeting convened which favoured have a special subgroup for photographers, which members were asked to vote on. Open membership was later introduced but in 1994 Karen Bosy wrote a memo proposing the introduction of standards for eligibility to membership which was defeated by nine votes to one with one abstention.

Members were asked to send in CVs from 1981 a sample pro forma is in the Winter 1981 Newsletter. A slide library of member’s works was started in 1994 which was offered as a marketing tool for potential galleries and purchasers, this was superseded by a membership database in the early 2000s. Member’s information from the database was then put up on the AAD/2015/8 webpages c.2004 onwards.