2026 National MGC Community Print Studio Exhibition
Apr 23, 2026 9:00 AM
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7:30 pm
On view now through April 23
Exhibitions are a cornerstone of MGC Community Print Studio’s programming, which aims to provide access and visibility to artists working in a broad range of printmaking processes. Building on MGC’s legacy as a vital home for prints since 1986, we are excited that this will be our first open call print exhibition in our new home in Powerhouse Arts (PHA) in Gowanus, Brooklyn. Coinciding with PHA’s second annual Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair, MGC is pleased to announce our 2026 National Print Exhibition, a juried competition and exhibition devoted to fine art prints, which will be part of a series of events celebrating the 40th anniversary of MGC’s founding. The open call exhibition is juried by Ann Shafer and Diya Vij.
Ann Shafer is an independent curator, art historian, and a leading expert on intaglio printmaking by Stanley William Hayter and Atelier 17. Formerly Shafer was associate curator of prints, drawings, and photographs at the Baltimore Museum of Art, where she curated a variety of exhibitions and hosted myriad classes and visitors. She also organized the museum’s Baltimore Contemporary Print Fair in 2012, 2015, and 2017, featuring an international array of twenty presses, publishers, and dealers. In April 2022, she mounted a new, independent print fair in Baltimore, and in 2025, she consulted Powerhouse Arts on its inaugural Brooklyn Fine Art Print Fair. She hosts the podcast Platemark: prints and the printmaking ecosystem and writes a blog about favorite works of art (annshafer.com). Shafer has a BA from The College of Wooster and a MA from Williams College, both in art history. In addition to the BMA, Ann has worked at the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Williams College Museum of Art, and the National Gallery of Art.
Diya Vij is the Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and is committed to critically investigating the evolving role of art in politics and civic life. Most recently, she served as the Curator at Creative Time where she commissioned and stewarded large-scale public art work, launched the public programming space CTHQ, re-launched the Creative Time Summit, and initiated the R&D Fellowship for socially engaged artists. Over the past decade, she has held programming, curatorial, and communications positions at major New York City Institutions. As the Associate Curator of Public Programs at the High Line, she organized dozens of live events and performances with artists, activists, practitioners, and healers. At the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, Vij launched and co-directed the Public Artists in Residence (PAIR) program. Additionally, she helped lead the Agency’s citywide Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiative, and played an active role in public monument efforts, as well as CreateNYC—New York City’s first strategic long-term plan for culture. She was a curatorial fellow and the communications manager at the Queens Museum from 2010–2014. She currently serves on the Boards of A Blade of Grass, the Laundromat Project and the Poetry Project and was co-curator of the Counterpublic Triennial 2023 in St. Louis, MO.
more at PHA
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Inspired by the immersive virtual reality exhibition Masterpieces: A Virtual Experience of the Museo del Prado, we’ll paint and sculpt small-scale artworks to fill our museum diorama. Part of our series of free, drop-in art workshops for families, kids, and neighbors of all ages.
Art Where You Are: Preserving Technique and Artistry with Stained Glass Studio
With support from Stained Glass Studio founders Bryane and Jenny Fleming, attendees will learn the fundamentals of stained glass techniques while creating their own glass artwork inspired by the masterpieces featured in Masterpieces: A Virtual Experience of the Museo del Prado.
Crafternoons: Designing Puppets of Earthly Delights
Inspired by the immersive virtual reality exhibition Masterpieces: A Virtual Experience of the Museo del Prado, we’ll design puppets inspired by Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. Part of our series of free, drop-in art workshops for families, kids, and neighbors of all ages.
Crafternoons: Building Tunnel Book Worlds
Inspired by the immersive virtual reality exhibition Masterpieces: A Virtual Experience of the Museo del Prado, we’ll bring 2D artworks to life as we transform them into pop-up tunnel books. Part of our series of free, drop-in art workshops for families, kids, and neighbors of all ages.
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Explore the ancient art of fine clay slips, from raw clay to layered, colorful surfaces.
Masterpieces: A Virtual Experience of the Museo del Prado
An immersive virtual reality exhibition developed by ACCIONA Cultura in exclusive collaboration with Madrid’s Museo Nacional del Prado, Masterpieces invites visitors into a multi-sensory reimagining of one of the world’s greatest museums, including fantastical, in-depth explorations of its most celebrated, and rarely traveled, masterpieces.
Art Where You Are: Creating Emerging Worlds at Abolitionist Place
Participants are invited to create their own paper world inspired by Masterpieces: A Virtual Experience of the Museo del Prado's immersive themes. With support from Powerhouse Arts staff, attendees will craft either a pop-up paper scene that recreates the feeling of moving through virtual space or that captures the sensation of stepping inside a painting. Through folding, layering, and storytelling, participants will experiment with paper engineering to bring imagined masterpieces to life.
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PHA Artist Salon: Jean Shin
PHA Advocates members and above ($1,500+) are invited to an intimate salon-style reception with artist Jean Shin and PHA Printshop Director Luther Davis. Hosted in the PHA Printshop, the evening will feature an in-depth conversation about their creative process and collaboration on Tidal Reflections, the inaugural PHA Benefit Collector Edition.
Mold-Making and Casting for Ceramicists with Livia Miller
Delve into casting and ornamenting through your own plaster molds in this foundational hands-on course.
Figures of Speech: Abstract Figurative Sculpture with Peloloca
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Intermediate Wheel: Raised & Refined with Camila Lim-Hing
Height. Precision. Refinement. Take your throwing skills to the next level in 10 weeks.
Unfolding: Zines and Artists’ Books with Juliana Maurer
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The Ark pop-up at the PHA Store
Our onsite retail space currently features a pop-up of exhibition-related products and artworks made by staff and studio members, with the majority of proceeds going to the artists themselves. You’ll find everything from prints and sculptures to pillows and wallpaper.
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The Ark
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