The Print Consortium is a print advocacy organization dedicated to the promotion of the print as an art form. It has as secondary objectives, the exposure of its members to a wider audience and the providing of museum quality print exhibitions to museums, art centers, college and university galleries and other venues. Artists whose primary concern is sales are not encouraged to consider membership. Membership is only through the personal recommendation of a current member, by invitation, or through application and screening.

Since its founding in 1983, the consortium has continued to evolve as a major print organization and has mounted more than 60 major print exhibitions. It has also grown into an international coalition of printmaking artists from the United States and a number of foreign countries including Canada, England, Japan, Holland, Germany, Sweden, Spain, India and New Zealand. Exhibiting members are included in numerous reference works.

Each participating member pays a one-time membership fee of one print from an edition. All other prints in the edition , including proofs, are held in the possession of the artist. Members pay an annual maintenance fee (dues) of $25.00 to help defray the costs of maintaining the exhibition inventory.

Membership prints are matted and framed, at the consortium's expense, and assembled into exhibitions which are rented to cover the consortium's operating costs. Exhibitions are comprised of prints which relate to each other thematically or by imagery, technique, or process.

As exhibitions are rented, artists included in the exhibit are notified as to where their work is being exhibited to assist them in building a bone-fide exhibition record. Artist-teachers are provided with valuable documentation of professional development for annual evaluations, tenure, and promotion.

Sales are arranged through the consortium which charges a modest 25% commission. Since sales are not a primary objective of the consortium they are relatively infrequent - we do not sell much work. When a print is sold the artist is paid immediately by the consortium and the artist is instructed where to mail a print from the edition. Prices are set by the artist, not the consortium. Prints are not sold from exhibits. Membership in the consortium in no way precludes individual artists from selling their own work or entering into contractual arrangements with galleries, dealers and/or print publishers.

Monoprints and unique variants are acceptable as membership prints; artists submitting such prints must remember however, that the prints can not be sold. Members may also choose to send more than one membership print to enhance exhibition possibilities. Whenever possible, and appropriate, additional prints are consigned to different exhibitions to maximize exhibit possibilities.

Artists wishing to be considered for membership should forward the following materials:

1. A minimum of 10 slides of recent work (printmaking only)

2. Recent resume

3. Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope for return of materials

Forward to:

Executive Director
The Print Consortium
6121 NW 77th Street
Kansas City, MO 64151