Mottisfont hosts printmaking show

Printmaking is the thing on show here — not just a few framed works on a wall, but the whole idea of how prints get made and why they still matter. Mottisfont, the National Trust property near Romsey in Hampshire, opened “The Art & Craft of Print” on May 9, and it is a bigger, more ambitious exhibition than the usual country-house add-on. The point is not only to show finished images. It is to make the craft visible — the blocks, presses, textures, and design thinking behind them. That matters because printmaking often gets treated as either niche art or tasteful home décor, when really it sits in both worlds. ### What is actually opening? The exhibition is a major summer show at Mottisfont, staged by the National Trust in partnership with St Jude’s Prints, the Norfolk gallery and publisher known for contemporary printmaking. It brings together nearly 30 artists working in Britain today, alongside selected 20th-century figures, so the show is doing two jobs at once — introducing current names and placing them in a longer tradition. (nationaltrust.org.uk) ### Who is in it? The names that keep coming up are Angie Lewin, Mark Hearld, Emily Sutton, and Jonny Hannah, with Rob Ryan also highlighted in event listings. That gives you the flavor right away. These are artists associated with bold color, strong line, folk-inflected design, and prints that often travel well beyond gallery walls into books, fabrics, packaging, and interiors. (nationaltrust.org.uk) ### Why call it “art and craft”? Because the show is trying to collapse a distinction that museums often keep too tidy. Mottisfont is not presenting prints as rarefied objects detached from daily life. It is also showing tools, materials, film, photography, and examples of printed textiles and wallpaper. Basically, the exhibition argues that the same original image can live as a collectible print, a repeat pattern, or part of someone’s home. (nationaltrust.org.uk) ### How big is the show? Pretty substantial. National Trust materials describe it as one of the most comprehensive exhibitions of UK printmaking to date. The Hampshire-wide listing says it includes over 80 prints, while local coverage says the run lasts until November 1, giving it a long season rather than a quick splash. That length matters — it makes the exhibition part of Mottisfont’s main visitor offer, not a side room. (hampshirechronicle.co.uk) ### Why Mottisfont? Mottisfont already has a track record as a house-and-gallery site rather than just a historic interior with gardens attached. The National Trust uses it for changing exhibitions, and that gives it room to do something more contemporary without feeling out of place. Printmaking also suits the setting. It has heritage, technique, and visual charm, but it is accessible enough for visitors who did not arrive thinking they were going to an art show. (nationaltrust.org.uk) ### What is the bigger angle here? The bigger angle is audience. Printmaking can be a gateway medium — easier to live with, often more affordable in the wider market, and more familiar because people already know its language from posters, books, cards, and wallpaper. So when Mottisfont centers print rather than painting, it is making a case for craftsmanship as something broad and public, not specialist. (nationaltrust.org.uk) ### So what should a visitor expect? Expect a show that mixes finished works with process. You are not just looking at images. You are being let in on how those images happen. That is the hook here, and it is why the exhibition feels more alive than a standard hang of framed pieces. ### Bottom line? Mottisfont is using a National Trust setting to make printmaking feel current, tactile, and bigger than the label “works on paper” suggests. (hampshirechronicle.co.uk) That is a smart move — and for anyone who likes British illustration, design, or handmade processes, this is the kind of show that lands. (nationaltrust.org.uk)