Whelan Etching Press Installed at the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University
On Thursday, November 21, 2002, a new Whelan Etching Press was inaugurated at the Ho Chi Minh City Fine Arts University in Ho Chi MInh City, Vietnam. This was made possible through the generosity of the owner of Whelan Press Mr. Mel Whelan who donated the press and Mr. Wann Caron who donated the necessary funds to ship the press to Vietnam.
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Above: Printmaking faculty at the Ho Chi MInh City Fine Arts University standing withy the new Whelan Etching Press.
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With the donation of this press, all three Fine Arts Univerisies in Vietnam (Hue City, Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) now have modern etching presses. The donation of another Whelan Etching Press to the Hue Fine Arts University was made possible last year by the generous donation to the IAP by Joan Winer and several years ago a Tackesh Press was donated to the Hanoi Fine Arts University by Tackesh Press with the assistance of American artist David Chamberlain. Wann Caron also donated the funds to make the shipping of all of the presses to Vietnam.
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Above left and right: Faculty and students pull first print from the new press.
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Above left: Ho Chi Minh Cirty Fine Arts University Director Mr. Nguyen Hoang looking over first print pulled from the new press. Right: Pulling the first print from the press.
Below: Whelan Press in the background with press that it replaced in the foreground.
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Now that the three major art schools in Vietnam have modern etching presses, the IAP is in search of donations for lithography presses. Below is the only lithograhphy press in Vietnam today. It is more than one hundred years old and can no longer be used. If you can be of any assistance in our search, please contact the IAP at cdavidthomas@yahoo.com.
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