Edition 12
2026 Printmaking Open Call for Entries
Theme: Medium and Message
Submission deadline: Sun 26th April 2026
Enter 44AD artspace Printmaking Open Exhibition 2026.
The theme for this year is: The Medium is the Message
This year, our annual Open Printmaking exhibition Edition 12 will feature Louise Ingham and Nigel Leach and their printmaking legacy.
Louise and Nigel used to run the Bath Print Shop which operated from Longacre Hall on London Rd in the late 70's and early 80’s, and was connected to the Bath Arts Workshop. It was a great place where you could go along and screen print your own posters for a gig or event and a real snapshot of what was happening in Bath at that time.
Nigel died last year, and an archive of some of the printed posters have been lodged with the Bath Record Office. A selection of these will be on display as part of Edition 12, alongside a wider display trail of the posters, organised by the Bath Fringe Festival.
We are inviting artists to submit work for Edition 12, this year themed The Medium is the Message, a phrase coined by theorist Marshall McLuhan, who suggested that how something is communicated can be just as important as what is being said. In simple terms, it means the materials, processes, and methods you use in printmaking aren’t just tools, they are part of the meaning of the artwork itself.
Printmaking has long been associated with sharing ideas widely, from political posters to fine art editions. For this exhibition, we’re interested in how your chosen print process, whether traditional or experimental, helps shape the message of your work. We welcome all approaches that explore the relationship between process and meaning, and how printmaking continues to communicate in today’s world.
Ideas:
Counter culture. Expression. Identity. Call to attention. Platform. Mass production and dissemination of images. Transmission. Democratisation of information. Activism. Protest. Collaboration. Exchange. Storytelling. Types of communication. Intervention. Underground press. Zines & DIY culture.
Early printmaking changed the speed at which ideas could spread. Contemporary, rapidresponse printing (e.g. posters for protests) allows for immediate, relevant, and timely advocacy that responds to current events.
By embracing serial reproduction, printmaking can challenge traditional art-world notions of authorship, uniqueness, and value, favouring community, collective voice, and, in some cases, the more permanent nature of analogue, tactile printing over digital communication.
The medium of printmaking acts as a message by embodying the values of the cause, directness, solidarity, public engagement, and accessibility, rather than just passively carrying information.
Submission info
All 2D and 3D artwork submissions must explore at least one or more printmaking technique, and all work accepted must be ready to hang on submission.
Framed work is to be presented in either black or white frames.
The entry limit for Edition 12 is four works per individual. There is no fee to submit work but there will be a £10 gallery hanging fee for the first artwork accepted into the show, plus a £5 fee for any additional hung artworks.
All gallery displayed work can be made available for sale, with 20% sales commission (10% for Associate Artists) going towards 44AD artspace.
If an artwork is selected for the exhibition, you will then be able to submit additional prints or cards for display in the gallery browsers. Additional browser displayed artworks will not require a gallery hanging fee, though the sales commission will increase to 30% (20% for Associate Artists).
Please email a digital image of your submission/s to
It is important that you include your full name, medium and size of the work with your email.
Some dates to remember...
• Deadline for all submissions is Sunday 26th April 2026.
• Accepted exhibitors will be contacted by Monday 27th April 2026.
• Accepted work is to be brought to 44AD artspace on Monday 4th May 2026.
• Edition 12 Private View will be held (6pm – 8pm) on Saturday 9th May 2026.
• Party in the City (Live music event) will take place (6pm - 7.30pm) on Friday 15th May 2026.
• Edition 12 Exhibition will take place Friday 8th - Saturday 16th May 2026.