Austin Armstrong (Printmaking B.F.A., ’16) will be one of eight internationally diverse candidates to begin the highly competitive Tamarind Printer Trainer Program starting in Fall 2020.

The Tamarind Institute at the University of New Mexico offers the only formal educational program in the world for professional fine art collaborative printers. Tamarind’s two-part Printer Training Program is designed for students who wish to pursue careers as fine art collaborative printers. This intensive, full-time program concentrates first on strengthening and refining the students’ technical skills, then on the application of those skills to collaborative projects. Students who complete the Tamarind Printer Training Program often pursue careers as Master Printers for professional publishers and workshops focused on contemporary collaborative printmaking such as Gemini G.E.L. in Los Angeles, California, or Universal Limited Art Editions in New York, New York.

Printmaking Area Coordinator Johnny Plastini: “During his time at Colorado State University, Austin proved himself as a key asset to the communal functioning of the printmaking studio and interacted collaboratively with his peers both technically through larger lithographic projects and conceptually through in-depth critique situations. These foundational skills were exemplified after he finished his BFA in Printmaking and continued on to well-regarded internships, first at Oehme Graphics in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, and then at Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Snowmass Village, Colorado. At both of these institutions, his technical and interpersonal skills were put to the test in real-world professional printing applications. His personality and professionalism shined while working as an assistant to artists such as John Thompson and Jason Karolak at Oehme Graphics, and Christian Rex van Minnen, Umar Rashid, Glen Kino, Linda Darling, Andy Buck, and others at Anderson Ranch. I have stayed in contact with Austin since his graduation from CSU and was pleased to see that he found employment at the Art Gym Denver after his internship experiences. Knowing his proximity, I recently invited Austin as a visiting artist to give a presentation and share his experiences with my intermediate/advanced Printmaking students in Spring 2019. When Austin asked me for a recommendation to the Tamarind Institute earlier this year, I gladly wrote a letter for him as he so clearly exemplifies the qualities necessary for professionalism as a collaborative printer. It is no real surprise to me that he has been selected to join the Tamarind community and I have no doubt that he will flourish and grow throughout the duration of their intensive program.”