Ilam Press wins top design award for Bulletin

Ilam Press wins top design award for Bulletin

Ilam Press and the Christchurch Art Gallery are celebrating being awarded the top prize for Bulletin, an art gallery magazine at this year’s Museums Australia Multimedia and Publication Design Awards (MAPDA).

Director of the UC School of Fine Arts, Aaron Kreisler, says that the magazine is a smart piece of design.

“It is great to see the team, both lecturers and students, receiving notable accolades for a publication that marries art, teaching and critical discourse.

“We are all very proud of what Ilam Press is creating in the world of publishing, but even more than that what it is contributing as a vital graphic design and unique collaborative studio model, “ says Kreisler.

Ilam Press is a boutique publishing house operating out of the Ilam School of Fine Arts at the University of Canterbury.

Started in 2011 by Fine Arts lecturers Luke Wood and Aaron Beehre, Ilam Press has quickly garnered a significant and even cult following among artists, designers, curators and a wide-ranging readership. As part of this Beehre has been a driving force in bringing Bulletin into Ilam’s studio programme.

Beehre says design students have learnt invaluable skills and innovative approaches to producing this quarterly arts magazine.

“Using unique production processes and an open studio environment, Ilam Press has allowed students to learn first-hand the role publishing can play in both disseminating research and shaping an artistic practice.

“Its connections with artists and institutions such as the Christchurch Art Gallery, has provided industry-leading experience for students graduating into the graphic design industry and arts community,” says Beehre.

Graphic Design students Narelle Denmead, Jose Sanchez, Gemma Banks, Alice Bush, Klaudia Krupa, Sarah Jones and Lisa Maloney have worked on the Bulletin project.

Kreisler says that there are a number of projects Ilam Press are working on that are providing opportunities for top students to work directly on a rich range of printed materials.

“Projects at Ilam Press have seen them liaising with acclaimed artists, designers, curators and institutions in New Zealand and overseas,” says Kreisler.

Kreisler says Ilam Press’ following is largely on the back of these designers and lecturers’ interests in producing and distributing a diverse, yet distinctive range of limited edition artist books.

“This independence of spirit is important because it provided the crucial space for the design/editorial team to make clear decisions, about the types of projects that they have sought to champion and kinds of people they wish to work with,” says Kreisler.

ENDS

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