Gardner Astalos: Production Design and Fabrication for Art Exhibitions in the Czech Republic

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This project involved students assisting in all facets of pre-press design, proofing, printing and finishing of custom wallpaper and glass tiles for art exhibitions at museums in the Czech Republic. Gardner had the opportunity to engage with the local art community, connect with professionals and gained confidence in their path toward a successful career. Here is what Gardner had to say about the experience:

What I Did:

"My involvement in this project included assisting Noah Breuer with his body of work that he exhibited in the Czech Republic, revolving mostly around large scale repeating pattern screen prints on fabric. This project has helped Noah continue creating his work that revolves around reconnecting with his family past history of print making."

"This project helped me engage with the local art community and network with people in my field. This has helped me feel more confident about how to build and maintain a successful career. One of my strengths I recognized in myself during this project was my ability to problem solve. I also realized that when you are able to talk through a problem with another person, it makes it much easier to solve. I find that working as a team not only helps speed up processes, but it also builds the confidence that is often needed to finish tasks that may be difficult to do on your own. I hope to apply this in the future by communicating with my friends, educators and mentors whenever I am working on a project that feels overwhelming. It has become easier to define what my struggles are in the moment, and how I can work around them. I also feel that this project has helped me maintain and sharpen skills that I have learned in class, which is important because print making is something that I want to pursue professionally. I hope to continue to refine my skills and use them to assist others as well as apply them to my own projects."

What I Learned:

"The accomplishment I am most proud of is working at the Red Disk print studio. When I was working efficiently as a team and learning new techniques with many different people, I felt proud of myself because I learned a lot and will continue to apply the knowledge to my routines in the future. For example, when I learned how the printers at Red Disk clean their screens, they taught me how they maintain the hardware that they install into the frames of the screens for proper registration. In order to maintain an efficient workflow and keep the screen in good condition, it needs to be cleaned quickly and thoroughly. I first observed someone else do this as they explained to me exactly what was happening. I then was able to do it while they watched me. After carrying out the procedure correctly, I was able to do it on my own. This way of learning made sense to me, and I now understand better how print makers develop further each time they print at a different studio. I think other people should get involved with projects like this because it helped me feel more connected to people in my field within the Buffalo art community."