Halloween is around the corner, making it appropriate for me to start this post with a Ghostbusters reference. I’m specifically talking about the part in the movie where Dr. Egon Spengler is looking at his computer while Janine Melnitz reads a magazine nearby. Janine says that she thinks Dr. Spengler must like to read a lot too, but he replies by saying “print is dead.” Sure, people say this a lot now with the popularity of e-books and tablets, but this movie was made in 1984. I guess the screenwriters were pretty ahead of their time, or they stole the DeLorean from the Back to the Future set a year later. But that’s another story.

What I am getting at is that even in 2015, print is not dead. Is it used less in favor of digital technology? Yes, but people like Marywood’s very own Peter Hoffer still appreciate the art of print. On September 22nd, the Marywood Print Guild led by Hoffer held its annual opening show in the Kresge Gallery in the Insalaco Center.

The Print Guild started in 2003 and has continued producing work since then. Peter invites faculty, students and alumni to create anything that can be printed on 8”x10” paper. This includes photography, letterpress, digital, linocut, and any other printing method from past or present.

At the opening show, there was a mini “gallery talk” where many of the artists present stood up and spoke briefly about their work. I saw many familiar artists and styles, such as blogger Ty’s black and white landscape photos, Professor Dennis Corrigan’s quirky illustrations, and Professor Niko Kallianiotis’s photographic depictions of American small towns. There were also some new pieces from alumni Emily Wick, Bill Rusk, former blogger Shelby Farrell, and others.

So although many artists today keep their portfolios on a flash drive instead of a red manila pouch, there is something about physically experiencing a printed piece that people love. I think that’s why print has stuck around even after the first computer decades ago. Take that, Dr. Spengler.