The annual UC Santa Cruz Print Sale draws crowds both on campus and from the surrounding community. Last year 3,200 attended the event for a chance to buy some exclusive art. Now in its 51st year, the event is almost as old as the university itself. On June 6 & 7, people from around the Bay Area will come for a chance to buy works by emerging artists.
“I’m always excited to see what the students have made because sometimes I don’t get to see all the work until the day of,” says Bridget Henry, a staff research associate who helps run the Print Studio and the Print Sale. “Every single year it’s new work and it’s always interesting.”
Sponsored by the UC Santa Cruz Art Department, the Print Sale highlights emerging artists. Almost all of the proceeds from sales of the art go directly to the student artists, with the remaining 20 percent used to help support the Print Studio. Print prices range from single to triple digits, largely depending on size and material used.
The Print Sale highlights the excellence of the Art Department and its emerging students. Students who’ve taken a printmaking class at UC Santa Cruz can participate, and every artist always sells their work. The Printmaking Studio in the Elena Baskin Visual Arts Center will be filled with tables full of prints that come in a variety of art styles. While most works are on paper, artists also use shirts, tote bags and more as their canvases.
For last year’s 50th anniversary, alumni were invited to participate in the print sale and this year is carrying on that tradition. Lucas Elmer (Kresge ‘11), Zoe Doniach (Kresge ‘22), Whitney Humphreys (Cowell ‘14), Krista (Wren) Midgette and Webster Nguyễn (Cowell ‘17), will be showing their work along with the students.
Live printmaking will be taking place in a room adjacent to the sale printing primarily on tote bags. This is a rare opportunity for the community to experience firsthand the process of art as well as the result.
With hundreds of original prints in a wide assortment of media including woodcuts, lithographs, etchings, photo-based prints and more, the Print Sale offers something for everyone. This event is also a fantastic way to contribute to the community both in the Arts Division and in Santa Cruz as a whole. “I think it’s an amazing community event, that generates community, much like print studio,” says Henry.
June 6 & 7, 2025
10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
Elena Baskin Visual Arts Center
UC Santa Cruz
Baskin Service Road
Santa Cruz, California 95064
Free and open to the public
Audience advisory – May contain mature themes, content, and nudity