Cary Hulbert
Printmaking Alumni Interview – Neiman Center 25th Anniversary Catalogue
LNCPS: Printmaking at the Neiman Center is community driven. What was your experience of community at the Neiman Center and did it have an impact on your experience as a student in the MFA program at Columbia?
Cary Hulbert: The Neiman Center offers a central hub for the printmakers. You know the staff is there Monday through Friday 9 am - 5 pm. So if you have any questions, concerns, need advice or just somewhere to eat lunch you can find someone in the shop to talk to. I think because of that, the printmakers are close. The support system is just more available, which I felt as a student and appreciated beyond words.
LNCPS: Do you have a favorite project that you worked on as a Fellow? What made it memorable?
Cary Hulbert: My favorite project I worked on was the David Altmejd edition, Ringers. I had never seen so many materials incorporated into a print. It was completely eye-opening into what a print could be. Also, the problem-solving was amazing. How the master printer had to find a way to allow the artist to Dremel and sculpt the print. It opened a door for me I didn’t know existed. It surpassed what I thought a contemporary print could be. I still look at those prints for inspiration.
LNCPS: Did working at the Neiman Center influence your artistic practice?
Cary Hulbert: Definitely. It has opened up what a print can be to me. So much of what I learned at the Neiman Center I have tried in my work. Even if it’s not for me, I’m always excited by a new technique to incorporate, share, and teach.
LNCPS: What was your experience working collaboratively with a master printer, invited artists and your peers to edition artists’ projects?
Cary Hulbert: I was scared at first, that I wasn’t a good enough printmaker to work on the editions, but then I realized the mission is pedagogical and although no one wanted to make one, that a mistake was ok. Then it became fun. I remember when I was working on the Altmejd’s, the master printer put me on gold leaf duty and every week I did that until it was done. It was nice to be trusted to work on the edition and to have a specific role to focus on. The more you work, the more you learn and the more you can work on.
When you have other students working your shift with you, you become closer, it becomes a work bonding moment since you're together for those six hours. When I was a student I wasn’t always there when the artist was in, and sometimes they felt untouchable. It depends on the artist and their personality and how much they are there. But I always thought it was amazing that a glimpse into their process and practice was there and available to students.
LNCPS: Was there something that you learned at the Neiman Center that has stayed with you even after graduation?
Cary Hulbert: Yes! My editions are so clean now!
LNCPS: Please feel free to share any additional comments or anecdotes.
Cary Hulbert: This is a bit harder for me to answer because I am still there as the assistant manager. I would also say good communication. I try to reflect on how I felt as a student and use that to help me welcome and work with the new printmakers. You have eight students who come in on different days to work on the same project. Communication is so important, and we’re all visual people from the master printer to visiting artists to the students. Even as a student I constantly thought about how the person before me was doing this technique so I can match it exactly for the edition. How do I make it easy for multiple people to step into a project one day a week? It's a lot of teamwork. Everyone who steps through the Neiman Center understands the amount of energy and precision it takes to create an edition together.
