Local Print

On view Jan 29 – Mar 13, 2026

University Art Gallery, Dexter Building 34 - (Google Maps)

Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

 

OPENING RECEPTION

Thu, Jan 29, from 5-7 pm

 

Local Print is a pop-up workshop and evolving installation that offers a space to learn more about Risography and its role in advancing physical print in a digital age.

 

The Riso printer was first launched in Japan in 1980 and designed for inexpensive but high volume printing using environmentally-friendly soy-based inks. Since then it has become a catalyst for a thriving community of artists, graphic designers, printmakers, zinesters, and independent publishers who value its hands-on operation and its “perfectly imperfect” aesthetic of vibrant, saturated colors that is unlike any other printing process. The Riso printer also plays a significant role within the field of socially engaged printing and publishing, allowing individuals to bypass the gatekeepers of traditional publishing houses.

 

The gallery will become a participatory space for learning about Riso printing and independent publishing. It will also be the temporary home for the RiSLO Studio, the Riso printing lab within Cal Poly’s Art & Design department.

 

Visitors to the show can:

• Take part in hands-on demonstrations of Riso printing as well as zinemaking workshops

• Print their work during Friday Open Studio hours

• Take home posters from an ongoing installation with reflections from the growing community of Riso printers and studios

• Learn more about Riso printing via ongoing screenings and the growing RiSLO zine library

 

Proceeding the opening of the exhibition, the University Art Gallery will be open Tuesdays through Saturday, 11am – 4pm.  As always, the gallery is free and open to the public; however, we do receive charitable donations that support our operations and exhibitions: University Art Gallery - Giving