Southern Graphics Council International

A Letter from the New SGCI Board

June 6, 2025

To our valued members, future members, supporters, and friends of SGCI:

It’s with great excitement and gratitude that I introduce you to our incoming board members. I’m truly honored to work alongside this exceptional group over the next few years. Their energy, expertise, and commitment signal a powerful step forward for SGCI.

Please join me in welcoming:

Javier Flores (@lenguajevulgar) – Secretary / Co-Chair DEIA Committee
Ashley Hawkins (https://www.studiotwothree.org/ ) – Treasurer
Margaret Craig (@margaretacraig) – VP / Co-Chair:
Kim Van Someren (@kimmyvans) – VP / Chair: Membership, Grants, and Donations Committee
Julianne Hunter (@juliannehunterart) – Affiliate Representative
Phil Gresham (@pgdesignmake) – Chair: Exhibitions Committee / Student Representative
Jacq (@garciajacq) – Co-Chair DEIA Committee /
Moss Nash (@no.free.snacks ) – Co-Chair
Haley Kean (@haleykean) – Awards Representative
Calvin Custen-
Fahimeh Vadhat-
Claire White (@m_clairewhite) – Intern
Susan Czechowski Moore (@squeegeekween) – Immediate Past Treasurer (Exofficio)
Claudia Wilburn (@claudiawilburn) – Immediate Past President (Exofficio)
Myles Calvert (@squirrelpigeonfish) – President

These dedicated individuals are key to SGCI’s future success. Please join us in thanking them for their time, talent, and vision. Their commitment is entirely voluntary, and their efforts are vital to helping SGCI thrive. Don’t hesitate to reach out with your appreciation—they deserve it!

This new board marks a fresh chapter for SGCI.

We’ve learned valuable lessons from past conferences and navigated the challenges brought on by the pandemic and inherited contracts. We’ve honored prior commitments and emerged stronger because of it. To the members who stood by us through it all—thank you. Your perseverance helped carry us forward. Now, it’s time to focus on progress. Together, we have the opportunity to make meaningful change and build a sustainable future for SGCI and the broader printmaking community.

Where is the SGCI 2027 Conference?

We are thrilled to let everyone know that the SGCI 2027 conference will be… announced officially on our socials @sgcinternational no later than August 1. You’ve heard the rumors… hold tight!

Opportunities Galore!

So what are we doing now?

SGCI is voting to adopt a two-year conference cycle, giving us the ability to offer specialized programming in the years between conferences. These include international travel opportunities, exchange portfolios, exhibitions, live virtual events, and more.

This new model also allows for more thoughtful planning of future conference locations and creates space to spotlight key aspects of our mission that matter most to our members.

While membership rates have remained historically low, we must now adjust them to ensure the long-term sustainability of the programs and opportunities we offer. We need members. We need you! We have annual and 2-year membership options.

Why choose the 2-Year Membership now?

A year without a conference means a year without one of our primary sources of income. This revenue is crucial to covering our growing operational costs—even though SGCI is 99% volunteer-run.

By committing to a 2-Year Membership now, you’re doing more than securing your own benefits—you’re providing SGCI with the financial stability to:

• Secure more affordable housing options for the next conference
• Negotiate stronger, more cost-effective contracts, ultimately reducing costs for everyone
• Fund the creation of a paid Executive Director position, a key role for the long-term health and efficiency of the organization
• ACCESS: to 2+ international excursions and exhibitions… Thailand is secured! Join for more information!

Your early commitment gives us the financial buffer we need to continue serving our community with quality and care.It also saves you money. Delaying membership until a conference year significantly harms the organization. We need to be honest about that.

Now is the time to invest—not just in SGCI’s future, but in your own connection to a thriving, sustainable printmaking community.

Please note:

The membership levels have been updated and rates have been changed. That means rates for your next renewal will be changing.

For those of you with recurring payments, that means your rate for the next renewal has changed. If you’d like to make a change you may do so in your membership profile here.

If you are currently subscribed to one of the now obsolete membership levels (Friend, Collaborator, Collaborator Student, and the $100/year Sustaining) please consider changing your membership to one of the new levels as soon as possible. Please expect an email from the organization early next week with advice.

We’re going corporate—and that’s a good thing.

One of the greatest strengths of our printmaking community is the depth of talent and professional connections we share. We’re now leveraging those strengths as we seek corporate sponsorships to help sustain us over the next two years. Our goal is to build a financial buffer that will empower future board members to secure stronger, more strategic contracts—and we believe it’s entirely achievable.

At the same time, we’re taking a closer look at how we can better utilize the expertise of our current board members and volunteers. This is, and has always been, a volunteer-driven organization. By distributing responsibilities more effectively and making smart, deliberate choices, we’re committed to delivering what our members value most:
Exhibitions. Connections. Travel opportunities. Knowledge. And a strong, supportive community.

Lastly…

The 2026 Member’s Exhibition is secured! Open to all members in good standing, the Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA) in Lubbock, Texas (Taylor Ernst, Curator) is thrilled to have us exhibit. Their gallery space is gorgeous and their attendance at events is incredibly impressive, averaging 3000-6000 visitors to their monthly First Friday openings. That’s not their monthly total, that’s just opening night! Our juried call will open October 1st and close December 1st for a February/March exhibition. Please visit this link for details and information about awards, a panel discussion, and submission requirements.

In addition to a juried exhibition, LHUCA has ample space for a portfolio. This portfolio will be spearheaded by Phil Gresham (Exhibition Committee Chair), exhibited during the Member’s Exhibition, and also exhibited during the 2027 conference. Watch this space for our guest juror and awards!

Our Exhibitions Committee will be looking for members! Join today and help us create more exhibition opportunities!

Last, Lastly…

Our friends and collaborators at Hello, Print Friend and Platemark are offering an exclusive live virtual discussion for our members on Thursday, June 26th, 2025 – 8pm (est).
Topic: Art as Investment / Helping Demystify the Multiple / The Importance of Collecting
Details will be sent to members ASAP so please be a member in good standing before the registration link is provided. Thank you to Ann Shafer and Miranda Metcalf!

And speaking of live virtual events, our friends at Tamarind have an exciting announcement to make regarding future programming and opportunities for printmakers… stay tuned for the event date! Be the first to know! 

To cap it all off and really hammer down on the international scene and opportunities, Jenny Robinson (Jenny Robinson Studios), based in Sydney, Australia will be giving a tour and specific talk for SGCI members about creating a print studio from scratch and managing a workshop/residency program. This is your opportunity to hear first hand about overcoming necessary hurdles to achieve those print goals. Jenny was the winner of the Mario Avati Engraving Prize from the Académie des beaux-arts in Paris in 2019.

On behalf of the most energetic and forward-thinking board I’ve ever had the privilege to serve with, I want to sincerely thank you for your continued support of SGCI.

Now is the perfect time to review our membership options and join us—don’t wait. We’re actively developing exciting new opportunities in the coming weeks that you won’t want to miss.

As a member, you’ll gain access to exhibition opportunities both locally and internationally. We’re also collaborating with galleries to offer competitive show awards that are inclusive and accessible to many, not just a select few.

Join us today and be part of a vibrant and growing community!

With thanks and gratitude,

Myles Calvert

SGCI President

Join Our Community!

Southern Graphics Council International (SGCI) aims to encourage public interest in printmaking and graphic arts. We share professional information among artists and related individuals, organize and circulate exhibitions of prints and graphic arts in educational and arts-focused institutions, and recognize outstanding contributions to these arts through awards. Additionally, we engage and support artists and communities from diverse backgrounds (including but not limited to BiPOC, LGBTQIA+, disabled persons) in our programming, and keep members and the public informed about relevant activities and information through publications. Our goal is to foster study, research, enjoyment, and the advancement of printmaking and graphic arts. SGCI is the largest print organization in North America and artists from all 50 states and international attendees from Canada, South and Central America, and Europe attend the conference.

“SGCI Conferences remain, by my estimation, the most incredible way to meet passionate and dedicated people in our field of printmaking.”

-Miranda Metcalf: Director, Curator, and Found of Hello, Print Friend