About Print a Fish
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About Print a Fish *
The Print a Fish Project is a collaborative art project and social sculpture by artist, printmaker, and educator Lindsey Frances Jones.
The project invites participants to create and exchange fish-themed prints, fostering a community of creativity and connection with the transformational practice of printmaking. The project also celebrates the mystical and spiritual symbolism of fish across cultures as it encourages artists of all levels to engage in printmaking.
Both the collection of these works, the individuals who create them, and the designing of future public projects and installations that include these fish make the project a social sculpture.
Social sculpture, coined by Joseph Beuys, see’s “life is a social sculpture that everyone helps to shape.”
Why a printed fish?
Printmaking is transformational. First, I want to encourage people of all skill and ability levels to try their hand at printmaking. Learning how to create prints was transformative for me. I love sharing the craft with as many people as possible. Plus, art making changes us, together and alone, especially in these unprecedented times.
Community and Social Sculptural Forms interest me above any one piece of art I create. I want to create a space for collaborative and social sculpture art-making. With permission and attribution, your works are here, part of the social sculpture of the print a fish project. And when instances arise, with attribution, these fish prints will be incorporated to create something new and shared it with the public.
Why a fish?
I have always been drawn to fish as a subject of my art because they symbolize our mysterious life on Earth. They are an integral part of the mystical, creative, spiritual, and visual languages that cultures worldwide employ.
Plus, anyone can draw one! And if you can draw a fish, you can definitely print one.
Why Social Sculpture?
A social sculpture see’s human practice as essential, seeking to transform society through art.
This is an idea developed by artist Joseph Beuys that expands the definition of art beyond objects and into human relationships and community. A social sculpture can be anything: an exchange of ideas, a conversation, a place we gather, or a collective action. The artwork is created through the relationships and participation of the people involved.
Print a Fish is a social sculpture because the project brings people together through the exchange of handmade prints. Each fish becomes part of a larger network of artists, participants, and shared stories, making the relationships between people an essential part of the artwork.
Why printmaking?
Printmaking is the artistic process of transferring an image from one surface to another. From stamping intricate patterns on fabric to creating letterpress protest signs, printmaking studios and artisans represent a craft that dates back to some of the oldest known art forms. The earliest humans created prints of their hands deep in caves. Those mystical relief stenciled prints of our ancestors’ images are embedded in our DNA as modern humans.
Printmaking is also a dynamic art form that bridges the realms of fine art, graphic arts, and craft, uniquely well-suited for those with diverse visual arts experience—or no experience at all! You don’t need to be a trained artist to begin as a printmaker. I first discovered printmaking online during the pandemic in my apartment, where I relied on YouTube videos and Instagram tutorials.
Through my artistic journey, I also discovered that printmaking can be almost like meditation. It is a practice and a process we can call on whenever we need it, similar to mindfulness meditation. Printmaking asks us to notice, simplify, follow along, and ultimately find a way to do it on our own in the presence of our lives. It asks us to reckon with the essence of an idea or image, not just the image we are trying to make.
As I’ve progressed in my artistic endeavors, I’ve also become interested in introducing others to the medium. I’m passionate about creating work that bridges the space between printmaking works, both mine and others', transforming them into new pieces that combine the collaborative and individual aspects of our art.
What happens to the fish?
My goal is to use some of the fish prints I receive to create to be incorporated into a public sculpture. I see this as an opportunity to create something new and collaborative—between my work and your fish—that will swim into an entirely new artistic direction.
My sculpture will be installed in New York City in the fall of 2026. Stay tuned for more information!
In addition, the goal is also to create a living, breathing, swimming archive of fish.
You can always add to the Print a Fish Project.
We will also feature them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/printafishproject/
Have questions?
Contact me at madebyfrances@gmail.com