Graphicstudio: One of the most renowned ateliers on an American university campus - Tampa Bay Times

In an unassuming building next to the University of South Florida’s Tampa campus, a small sign says: GRAPHICSTUDIO. Open the door, and you’ll see rooms full of prints, photos, collages and sculptures. Here, a print by Robert Rauschenberg, the late great contemporary artist. There, a photo by Robert Mapplethorpe, famed for his provocative portraits. On display, a Diana Al-Hadid sculpture.

It quickly becomes obvious that this is not just another classroom or administrative office. It is the home of an actual “atelier,” or printmaking studio, one of the most renowned on an American university campus. This is where printers make limited editions of artworks, display them and sell them around the world.

Opened in 1968, Graphicstudio was the brainchild of Dr. Donald Saff, then dean of the College of Fine Arts. The idea: create a space where artists, printers and fabricators could collaborate on projects, share ideas and experiment with techniques. Since its inception, the studio has worked with about 100 contemporary artists — both world-renowned and emerging on the art scene — and produced more than 1,000 limited editions and objects.

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