Black Rock Press

Black Rock Press The Black Rock Press is the letterpress and book arts studio located within the Art Department at th

Founded in 1965, the Black Rock Press is a unique place that is committed to advancing the art of the book while educating students and the broader community about book arts as both a historical and contemporary medium. It is a classroom where courses are taught in both the book arts and the graphic arts. Additionally, it functions as a publishing entity focusing on the book as art, craft, and con

cept. Located within the Art Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Black Rock Press is a working museum with printing presses that span the centuries. Cases of metal and wood type live alongside computers and other digital media used in our teaching, publishing, research, and outreach programs.

We are so thrilled that our portfolio published last year at the press made it into the PressOn Exhibition at Pyramid At...
05/29/2025

We are so thrilled that our portfolio published last year at the press made it into the PressOn Exhibition at Pyramid Atlantic! Thank you to the juror and exhibition coordinators for the opportunity to share these works and the inspiration from Corita Kent.

Artists from all over the US, with additional participants from Canada, France, and Japan, are featured in this exhibition that celebrates letterpress as a powerful medium for artistic expression. Jurors Celene Aubry of Hatch Show Print (TN) and Allison Tipton of Globe Collection and Press at MICA (MD) had the difficult job of selecting from over 400 entries. The resulting show features a wide range of formats, including 22 artist books. In addition to traditional letterpress printing, varied techniques include inkless pressure printing and linocut blocks reconfigured to be used on a letterpress machine. The resulting show has nearly 100 works and is a testament to the creative possibilities of letterpress.







We wrapped up our semester by having Reno’s Poet Laureate, Jesse James Ziegler, come sign his limited editioned broadsid...
05/16/2025

We wrapped up our semester by having Reno’s Poet Laureate, Jesse James Ziegler, come sign his limited editioned broadside. This has become an amazing tradition we get to do with the City of Reno every year.

The broadside was created by our graduate student, Bekah Sullivan, as part of her first year assisting in the press. From communicating with the poet, selecting paper, and choosing type! She has done a great job of collaborating with Jesse and (as he put it) allowed for the tenderness of the words to come through!

We’ll have this hanging in the studio, so please come and check it out!






We are so excited to be hosting Anthea at the press this week!! Reno and beyond, you can tune into Anthea’s talk tomorro...
04/30/2025

We are so excited to be hosting Anthea at the press this week!!

Reno and beyond, you can tune into Anthea’s talk tomorrow in person and online!

Anthea Black (b. 1981) is a Canadian artist, art publisher, and curator based in San Francisco and Toronto. Her studio work takes the form of prints, limited edition publications, artist-books, drawing, and textiles, to address feminist and q***r histories, materiality, and archives. Black has exhibited in Canada, the US, Korea, France, Germany, The Netherlands, and Norway, and her artist publishing work is represented in over 60 libraries and galleries.

Black is curator of the touring exhibition The Embodied Press: Q***r Abstraction and the Artist’s Book and her forthcoming book focuses on handmade artist’s books by q***r and transgender artists from the 1950s to today. She writes on contemporary art, craft, and performance and is co-editor of two previous books, The New Politics of the Handmade: Craft, Art and Design and HANDBOOK: Supporting Q***r and Trans Students in Art and Design Education.




Join us tomorrow at the press! Our fabulous grad student Bekah has two layers done and needs your help in finishing the...
04/08/2025

Join us tomorrow at the press!

Our fabulous grad student Bekah has two layers done and needs your help in finishing these!

Come print your own to take with you 🧡






Join us for our last FREE event at the press for the semester! On April 9th from 1:00-3:00 you can print your own on o...
04/01/2025

Join us for our last FREE event at the press for the semester!

On April 9th from 1:00-3:00 you can print your own on our press!

We’re also going to be screening the documentary about the one and only on our projector!

All are invited, free, and open to friends!







What a blast we had over the last three days! We’re so lucky that .moxon came to the press! It had been about 12 years s...
03/26/2025

What a blast we had over the last three days! We’re so lucky that .moxon came to the press! It had been about 12 years since he was here last.

We were able to fix all the fixes needed and then some! We learned how to take out the drum from our 219, cleaned it thoroughly and replaced a very bent screw (😆)

We couldn’t have done it without the crew




Now we can keep printing all the good prints and we can’t wait to show what’s ahead!

If you haven’t had Paul visit you, reach out to him now as he gets busy quickly!






Today our class got to have a private view of the Off Kilter, On Point exhibition at the Lilley Museum! Our final proj...
03/21/2025

Today our class got to have a private view of the Off Kilter, On Point exhibition at the Lilley Museum!

Our final project of the semester is taking inspiration from the artists and artist movements in the 1960’s for students to create their own version. Thank you to the Lilley staff for having us! We can’t wait to show you what comes from it

Image 1- 4
Bridget Riley work with Lilley Museum Logo
Student standing in front of Charles Hinman work
Title wall installation shot
Bridget Riley’s work







We are so excited to be hosting an engaging workshop at the Society for Photographic Education Conference , where we wil...
03/03/2025

We are so excited to be hosting an engaging workshop at the Society for Photographic Education Conference , where we will explore the theme of adaptation through the art of bookmaking. Participants will learn how to create flag book and panorama book structures and engage in discussion around the potential intersections of book arts and photography. This workshop aims to empower participants to explore the multifaceted theme of adaptation through a hands-on, creative experience. By the end, each participant will leave with flag book and panorama book models that can be used as references to create their own versions at home. Join us in this journey of discovery and expression!

Instructor: Bobby Lee is a landscape photographer and book artist whose work focuses on the natural world and sense of geologic time revealed in exposed rock layers and other landforms. Rooted in a sense-based experience of encountering and exploring landscapes of the Sierra Nevada and Great Basin, his photographic work incorporates multiple image arrangements and the creation of photobooks to allow for a deeper examination of ideas around human relationships to land.





The light leading you to the press! Stop by and check out our many display cases. Have a great weekend!
03/01/2025

The light leading you to the press! Stop by and check out our many display cases.

Have a great weekend!



Now more than ever. Come grab yours before they’re gone! Jot Travis 118 🩵🩷
02/21/2025

Now more than ever.

Come grab yours before they’re gone!

Jot Travis 118 🩵🩷



Mark your calendars! We can’t wait to talk books with you.
02/18/2025

Mark your calendars! We can’t wait to talk books with you.








Join us for our next free workshop at Black Rock Press!Learn the art of creating your own Sumingashi paper. Whether you’...
02/11/2025

Join us for our next free workshop at Black Rock Press!

Learn the art of creating your own Sumingashi paper. Whether you’re an artist or just curious, this workshop is perfect for all skill levels. All supplies are included – just bring your creativity!

When: Wednesday, March 12th | 1-3 PM
Where: Black Rock Press
All are welcome – don’t miss out 👁️






Address

Art Department/224 University Of Nevada, Reno 1664 N Virginia St
Reno, NV
89557-0224

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 12pm - 5pm

Telephone

+17756826547

Website

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Our Story

Founded in 1965, Black Rock Press is a unique place that is committed to advancing the art of the book while educating students and the broader community about book arts as both a historical and contemporary medium. It is a classroom where courses are taught in both the book arts and the graphic arts. Additionally, it functions as a publishing entity focusing on the book as art, craft, and concept. Located within the Art Department at the University of Nevada, Reno, the Black Rock Press is a working museum with printing presses that span the centuries. Cases of metal and wood type live alongside computers and other digital media used in our teaching, publishing, research, and outreach programs.