Documentary Screening and Director’s Talk: Black Printmakers of Washington, DC

Enjoy a screening of Black Printmakers of Washington, DC: Percy B. Martin & Michael B. Platt followed by a conversation between Susan Goldman, the film’s director, and Chadric Devin, CMA director of learning & engagement. Building connections between the film, featured exhibition Sam Gilliam: Printmaker, and Midwest Matrix (another Goldman documentary shown at the CMA on July 13), Goldman and Devin engage the audience in discussion on the inspiration behind these films and how artists like Gilliam have shaped the history of printmaking through innovation, creative placemaking, and community building. The screening takes place in the CMA Theater; the conversation takes place in the galleries. Free with membership, SC residency, or admission. Join today!

Popcorn and beverage packages available for purchase. Generous support provided by Art Bridges Foundation’s Access for All program.

Black Printmakers of Washington, DC: Percy B. Martin & Michael B. Platt is a documentary that explores the pivotal role of two Black artists in shaping Washington, D.C.'s vibrant printmaking community. Percy Martin’s WD Printmaking Workshop, founded in 1972, and Michael Platt’s Platt Studios, established in 1989, became essential spaces for Black artists to create, collaborate, and showcase their work during a time when they were excluded from mainstream galleries and universities. Through their dedication to teaching and fostering artistic growth, Martin and Platt helped establish a thriving community that continues to influence the city’s cultural landscape today.

Susan Goldman is an artist, master printmaker, curator, writer, and filmmaker. She is the founding director of Printmaking Legacy Project, a nonprofit dedicated to documentation and preservation of printmaking practice and history. In 2019, she curated PLP's first exhibition, Forward Press: 21st Century Printmaking, a major national exhibition at the American University Museum, Katzen Center for the Arts, in Washington, DC. Goldman is also the founding director of Lily Press, whose collaborations include Sam Gilliam, Keiko Hara, Renee Stout, Victor Ekpuk, and Elizabeth Catlett. Goldman received her B.F.A. from Indiana University-Bloomington in 1981 and her M.F.A. from Arizona State University-Tempe in 1984. Moving to Washington in 1990, Goldman taught printmaking at the Corcoran College of Art, MICA, and Georgetown University, and was master printer / program director at Pyramid Atlantic. From 2000 to 2012 she was adjunct professor / master printer for Navigation Press at George Mason University. Goldman is a recipient of an FY21 Individual Artist Grant and a 2021 COVID-19 General Operating Support Emergency Award for Artists & Scholars, Arts & Humanities Council of Montgomery County, M.D. Goldman also received a National Endowment for the Arts Grant 2011-12 for Midwest Matrix, a groundbreaking documentary on the fine art printmaking tradition of the American Midwest. Goldman sustains a fulltime vibrant studio practice and exhibits her own work worldwide.