EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop

EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop is a co-operative printmaking workspace that provides prof and to South Africa, Morocco, Ghana, and Australia.

Robert Blackburn's workshop was started in 1948 with the help of Bob's teacher and mentor, artist Will Barnet. From its first beginning, with one lithography press, Blackburn's workshop was shared with artist-printmakers, pioneering new techniques with artists such as Will Barnet, Jacob Lawrence and Romare Bearden throughout the 1950's. In 1957, while still maintaining the workshop, Blackburn beca

me the first Master Printer for Universal Limited Art Editions where he collaborated with and introduced printmaking to artists such as Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, Helen Frankenthaler and Robert Motherwell. Bob Blackburn took this professional experience back to his expanding workshop and shared it with many artists, encouraging more and more artists to use the medium. Blackburn's innovative spirit and generosity made him an excellent collaborator and teacher. His welcoming, egalitarian encouragement of artists of all ages, backgrounds and expertise created a unique community workshop where traditional techniques were honored even as experimental methods were explored. By 1971, the workshop was incorporated as the not-for-profit Printmaking Workshop (PMW) and Blackburn continued to expand the reach and the goals of the workshop. Fellowship programs to bring in artists from around the globe changed the dynamic of the studio and helped to spread printmaking workshops in the U.S. The workshop served as the training ground for many printers working in the premier publishing printshops and gave many artists their first introduction into the New York City art scene. PMW served as the model for community based cooperative printshops in the United States and abroad. In 2001 the Printmaking Workshop closed its doors for the last time. The closing of PMW left many artists without the support, access to facilities, and expertise they needed. Although Blackburn's health was failing his dedication to printmaking and his innovative spirit were strong. Robert Blackburn challenged The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts (EFA) to create a program to serve the needs of the printmaking community in New York City much like his Printmaking Workshop had done. The EFA Board of Directors accepted Blackburn's challenge and with the guidance of Blackburn and other community arts leaders, EFA began working toward opening a community space modeled on Blackburn's vision. Blackburn passed in 2003 and never got to see the fruits of his tireless labor on behalf of underserved artists of New York City: A new community printshop. EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop (RBPMW), a program of The Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, opened its doors in September of 2005 with the expressed purpose that the workshop would live up to Blackburn's vision of community access, professional level printmaking, and support for all artists regardless of race, gender, creed, or socioeconomic background. RBPMW has accepted Blackburn's challenge and continues to honor his spirit with a mission focused on supporting artists' creative risk taking and innovation through print. RBPMW serves more than 8,000 people per year from the United States and countries all over the world.

08/08/2026

TOMORROW is the FINAL DAY to apply for the Studio Immersion Fellowship 🔥 Apply by August 9th 2026 11:59pm EST!!!

8 artists are selected and provided:

✨ Access to a community and professional printmaking workspace
✨ $2,000 stipend
✨ 1 year free EFA RBPMW membership
✨ Orientation program (see mandatory dates below)
✨ 3 printmaking workshops
✨ Class materials
✨ Flatfile & Locker Storage
✨ Group Exhibition (the following year)

🎟️ Residency Dates: February - April 2027

Mandatory Orientation Dates:
Tuesday, January 26, 2027 | 6pm– 8pm.
Every Saturday January 30th- March 6th 11-3pm

🎨 Eligibility is limited to artists living and working in New York State that have no affiliation with any institution as a full or part time student, be in a residency program during the time of the SIP fellowship.

🔖 Prior printmaking experience is NOT required! We welcome all artists, sculptors, photographers, painters, etc., to apply!

Link to apply here: https://www.rbpmw-efanyc.org/sip-fellowship-2027

The SIP Fellowship is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs.

Photos from EFA Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop's post

07/09/2026

Summer Sale @ RBPMW! ☀️🍦Use coupon code PRINTTHISSUMMER to save 10% off your next class purchase! Enroll and save today!

✨Upcoming classes: Watercolor Monotype, Photopolymer Letterpress, Intro to Screenprinting, Photo Litho: Digital Films, Discover Your Collagraph, & Riso!

Coupon valid until July 31.

07/08/2026

Reminder that the 2027 Studio Immersion Project Fellowship is still open! ⚡Apply by August 9th 2026 11:59pm EST

8 artists will be selected and provided access to a community and professional printmaking workspace, a $2,000 stipend, an orientation program (please see mandatory dates below), and three printmaking workshops,

🖇️ Residency Dates: February - April 2027

Mandatory Orientation Dates:
Tuesday, January 26, 2027 | 6pm– 8pm.
Every Saturday January 30th- March 6th 11-3pm

🎨 Eligibility is limited to artists living and working in New York State that have no affiliation with any institution as a full or part time student, be in a residency program during the time of the SIP fellowship.

🔖 Prior printmaking experience is not required! We welcome all artists- sculptors, photographers, painters, etc. to apply!

Link to apply here: https://www.rbpmw-efanyc.org/sip-fellowship-2027

07/01/2026

Etching II NEXT WEEK with Catherine Stack 🫖😶‍🌫️ Catherine Stack

Looking to expand your printmaking repertoire? Build your etching skills with RBPMW! In this class, students will learn painterly techniques like Sugar Lift, Spit Bite, Whiteground, and more.

THURSDAYS
7/9, 7/16, 7/23 & 7/30
6:30PM-9:30PM

$445 Members
$495 Non-members

Class registration includes all materials and 12 hours of studio time. Sign up on our website today!

06/18/2026

We are pleased to share our open call for the 2027 Studio Immersion Project (SIP) Fellowship! 🚀

⭐ This intensive fellowship is designed to introduce artists from multiple disciplines to printmaking. We invite artists seeking creative exploration through printmaking, regardless of expertise, to apply their creative knowledge and conceptual goals to the print medium. Selected artists are each provided access to a community and professional printmaking workspace, a $2,000 stipend, three printmaking workshops, and assistance from EFA RBPMW staff.

🖋️ Eligibility is limited to artists living and working in New York State that have no affiliation with any institution as a full or part time student, be in a residency program during the time of the SIP fellowship, nor have received any other fellowship from EFA RBPMW in the past 2 years.

📜 Prior printmaking experience is not required and artists working in other media are greatly encouraged to submit to this intense printmaking immersion!

We are now accepting Applications!
📆 Apply by August 9th 2026 11:59pm EST

🖇️ Residency Dates: January 26th - April 30th, 2027

06/11/2026

The 2026 Studio Immersion Project Fellows really left their mark with this Show and Tell! ❤️‍🔥

Shout out to our 2026 SIP Fellows who worked so diligently to create beautiful works of art that highlight their unique talent! Thank you for sharing your creative body of work! 💫 It has been a gift to share these special moments with you. Looking forward to seeing what you’ll print next! 🎨

Many thanks to our jurors (E. Jane glorious_nobodies, Chantal Lee Chantal Lee, Paige Laino paige laino 😎, and Sika Bonsu Sika Bonsu )for lending their expertise in selecting this year’s fellows.

Thank you to our incredible instructors for leading the way for the SIPs, to our bright, dedicated team of interns for their continuous support of this program, and to the Kahn | Mason Foundation Wolf Kahn Foundation Emily Mason Alice Trumbull Mason for providing this special opportunity and support to well deserving artists!!

Coming up: 📅

Watch out for our next open call for the 2027 Studio Immersion Project Fellowship opening later this month!! 🎊

2026 SIP Fellows
Claire Gilliam Claire Gilliam
SHAN Wallace SHAN Wallace
Kearra Amaya Gopee Kearra Amaya Gopee
Cameron A. Granger Cameron A Granger
Diana Guerra Diana Guerra
Brandon Foushée Brandon Foushée
Alicia Mersy Alicia Mersy

06/05/2026

Last weekend to view Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground, curated by and Amina Ahmed - Sunday, June 7, 4PM special appearance combining his trumpet, santur, voice with analog modular synthesizer, inviting listeners on a meditative journey into a trans states he will be joined by

Exhibits and Programs curated by and Amina Ahmed

Programs at the Blackburn Study Center are made possible with major support from Teiger Foundation. The exhibition is also supported by The Jenni Crain Foundation, dedicated to preserving the legacy of the esteemed artist and curator.

For more information: rbpmw-efanyc.org

Thank you to our partners: .studio.nyc

05/26/2026

Join us for the closing program of Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground on Saturday, May 30 at 4 PM: An Ode To You, a literary reading featuring New York–based Sudanese writers.

Daad Sharfi is a poet and immigrant-rights advocate from Chicago, originally from Sudan. She earned dual BAs in Economics and Ethnicity, Race & Migration from Yale University.

Dalia Elhassan is a Sudanese-American poet and writer based in New York City. She is the author of In Half Light, a chapbook in the New-Generation African Poets Series (Sita), published in collaboration with Akashic Books and the African Poetry Book Fund.

Mayada Ibrahim is a literary translator, editor, and writer based in Queens, New York, with roots in Khartoum and London. Working between Arabic and English, her translations have received the inaugural PEN Presents x International Booker Prize grant and the English PEN Translates Award. She is also a recipient of the MacDowell Fellowship.

Mohammed Zenia is a Sudanese/Eritrean poet and the author of Tel Aviv, James Baldwin’s Lungs in the 80s, and Black Bedouin. Their work has appeared in e-flux, the Poetry Project, and 240 magazine, among other publications.

For more details, visit rbpmw-efanyc.org

Programs at the Blackburn Study Center are made possible with major support from Teiger Foundation. The exhibition is also supported by The Jenni Crain Foundation, an initiative dedicated to preserving the legacy of the esteemed artist and curator.
.studio.nyc

05/21/2026

Mohammad Omer Khalil’s Common Ground has been extended through Sunday, June 7 at The Study Center at the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, a program of the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and through June 1 at JaySeven, Inc. (Brooklyn).
Widely recognized as the first major printmaker from the Arab world, Mohammad Omer Khalil (b. 1936) has developed a multidisciplinary practice spanning more than six decades. Curated by Amina Ahmed and Jenna Hamed in collaboration with the Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop, Common Ground presents a selection of paintings and prints that trace the depth and evolution of his work.

Currently on view at The New York Public Library (May 16–31, 2026): ephemera from Khalil’s Artist File in the Rose Main Reading Room. The display is curated by the curatorial duo in collaboration with Hiba Abid, Curator of Middle East Studies at NYPL.

Final public program:
May 30, 4–6 PM
An Ode To You — a literary reading with New York–based Sudanese writers Daad Sharfi, Dalia Elhassan, Mayada Ibrahim, and Mohammed Zenia.

Programs at the Blackburn Study Center are made possible with major support from Teiger Foundation. The exhibition is also supported by The Jenni Crain Foundation, dedicated to preserving the legacy of the esteemed artist and curator.

For more information: rbpmw-efanyc.org

Thank you to our partners: .studio.nyc
Photo credit:

05/12/2026

Reflecting on a series of programs and gatherings surrounding Mohammad Omer Khalil’s work. Thank you to everyone who joined us for live music, exhibition walkthroughs, print workshops and meaningful discussions around Khalil and his influences from films, music, print and community. Curated by Jenna Hamed () and Amina Ahmed.

From Give Me Your Ear: A Listening & Reading Room is every Monday 1–8PM (through June 1) with Jay Seven Inc.; live music with Zekkereya El-Magharbel () and Kweku Sumbry (.drums), Alsarah and the Nubatones (); 12 Gates print workshop with Jazmine Catasús (), and their panel with Isra El-beshir (), Anna Arabindon-Kesson and Bayan Abubakr (). We welcomed IFPDA visitors for Print Week and Brooklyn Rail’s New Social Environment Joshua Chee Sanford ().

Pre-Order Catalog available rbpmw-efanyc.org/

UPCOMING

Friday, May 15, 11AM | 1-54 Walkthrough & Archives Tour at Blackburn Study Center (VIP)

Sunday, May 17, 2PM | Print Workshop at Queens Museum

Saturday, May 30, 12PM | Africa Day at The Africa Center

Saturday, May 30, 2PM | An Ode To You: Literary reading with Daad Sharfi, Dalia Elhassan, Mayada Ibrahim, and Mohammed Zenia

PICTURED: Exhibition Walkthrough, Photo by Leslie Jean-Bart (); Blackburn Study Center, Amina Hamed; Blackburn Study Center with Ademola Olugebefola (); Blackburn Study Center with Judy Reddy () and Devraj Dakoji (); Blackburn Study Center Joshua and Cecilia Cano-Daly (); MOK with curators Jenna Hamed and Amina Ahmed; Photo by Bill Phipps; Photo by Bill Phipps MOK, Gina and Kaleb; 12Gates Workshop with Jazmine Catasús; 12 Gates Workshop with Jazmine Catasús; 12 Gates Discussion with Isra El-beshir, MOK, and Bayan Abubakr; Live Music Zekkereya El-Magharbel and Kweku Sumbry, Photo by Samoel Gonzales ( ); Alsarah & The Nubatones at the Study Center, ; .studio.nyc Homage to Umm Kulthum

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Location

New York

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Telephone

+16464766886

Website

http://efanyc.org/

Address

323 W 39th Street
New York, NY
10018

Opening Hours

Tuesday	10am - 10pm
Wednesday	10am - 10pm
Thursday	10am - 10pm
Friday	10am - 10pm
Saturday	10am - 6pm
Sunday	10am - 6pm