AWAD is delighted to share a blog post by NYC founding member Deborah Freedman. In it she shares the genesis of her partnership with Marjorie Van Dyke and their unique business model.
What happens when a master printer, Marjorie Van Dyke and an artist, Deborah Freedman, decide to join forces and collaborate with other artists to expand their aesthetic vocabularies and even sell the Work produced? VanDeb Editions of course – a women owned and operated printing studio. Our nearly 25 year unique partnership has served and benefited ourselves and the over 50 artists we have worked with.
We began our association at Robert Blackburn’s Printmaking Workshop in 1998 – sharing a passion for etching and monotype. Deborah came to the Workshop when she was commissioned to produce an eight-plate folding screen of etchings. In 1999 we founded VanDeb Editions. It has been a joy to work with artists producing prints of originality and superlative production values.
One of the key reasons that our partnership is successful is that we have learned to capitalize on our individual strengths.
As the master printer, Marjorie facilitates every artist in realizing their vision by working in a supportive and inventive collaboration. They then produce an edition that is informed by their practice whether it be painting, sculpture or photography. Many have not made prints since in art school and in some cases not at all.
Deborah is responsible for promoting the editions on our website and social media, co-curating with Marjorie the yearly Women’s History exhibition, and client cultivation. One of the secrets of our success is that we always agree on with whom to work to produce editions of the highest aesthetic and production values.
The over 50 artists on the VanDeb website have appreciated not only creating their prints but have seen them sold and exhibited widely. We attend art fairs, mount exhibits and widely promote on social media. We have developed relationships with art consultants and curators all over the country who refer to our constantly updated website for things that can work for their clients whether they be private, corporate or institutional.
Prints published by VanDeb Editions are included in selected collections: The Cleveland Clinic, The US Department of State, Tod Williams Billie Tsien Architects, Rutgers Archive for Printmaking Studio, IPCNY, The Cleveland Museum of Art, the Detroit Institute of Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Architects Newspaper, Nordstrom, J. Crew, Marriott, Montefiore Hospital, NYU Langone, Memorial Sloan Kettering, New Standard Hospital, Capital Group, and NY Presbyterian Hospital.
A partial list of venues that have included VanDeb prints: IPCNY, SITE Brooklyn, the Grolier Club, Susan Eley Gallery, NYC, the Metropolitan Museum of Art Mezzanine Gallery, Guild Hall, Kent State at Canton: “Painters Prints”, Knox College:Galesburg, Ill., Gallery Ami & Kanoko: Osaka,Japan, CCP, Silvermine Arts Center ,Denise Bibro Gallery,The National Arts Club, Paul Kuhn Gallery,Calgary, Pyramida Center, Haifa Israel, Salmagundi Club NYC, VSOP Projects, Greenport, NY, Lori Bookstein Gallery NYC, SchoolHouse Gallery, Portland, Me. and Chandler Fine Art,San Francisco.Ca.
