Periodic Table Printmaking Project

The Periodic Table Printmaking Project is an international collaboration where 96 artists produced 118 prints, each representing one element. They used a variety of techniques: woodcut, linocut, monotype, etching, lithograph, silkscreen, or a combination. The idea is to "promote both science and the arts." Etsy interviewed AzureGrackle, the organizer of the project. From the interview:

How did this project originate?
It came from an afternoon last March when I spread all my prints out on the floor of my apartment and thought "Gee, they look like the periodic table." I was chatting with my friend/coproduction artist Nathan Cannon of Procyonidae and he dared me to see if I could do it for real. So we set up the basic guidelines and sent out a call for artists. I posted it on Etsy and the BarenForum.org (a group for printmakers, primarily woodcut artists), and it spread from there...

What was the intention behind this project?
The original intention was just to see what would happen. Now I hope to get it published as a coffee table book, datebook, calendar, poster, deck of flash cards, and also shown in a gallery. So many people have told me they wished they had something like this when they were in high school chemistry class. This visual interpretation makes it easier to remember information about the elements, gives you a story or a tidbit or fact to hang onto. I know far more about a lot elements now than I did a year ago or in 10th grade.

Link to Periodic Table Printmaking Project, Link to Etsy interview (Thanks, Paul Saffo!)

• [Cheqyr]

  Obligatory Tom Lehrer:

  http://www.privatehand.com/flash/elements.html

• [Takuan]

  thanks for that, brings back fond memories of romance in the park (with pigeons)

• [ainesse]

  Hi there

  I am also a printmaker who has participated in this project. I think the idea of a giant poster is a great one!! Don’t quite know who would support its production and distribution financially?…………… but it would look really great!!.

  Lets hope that we can find a gallery with a large enough wall space which can display the works in the best possible light (so to speak!)

  and a big thank you to Jennifer Schmitt (Azuregrackle) for initiating and co ordinating the project)

  Aine Scannell

  http://ainescannell.blogspot.com

• [megfrazer]

  Love those chemicals.

  Look at my elements paintings too!

  A few of the 30 I’ve done so far are on my website: megfrazer.com

• [kevin143]

  Do they sell this? I can’t find a price anywhere.

• [kevin143]

  I see that some of the individual prints are for sale for $15-20, but I would like a poster size print of the whole thing…

• [Drhaggis]

  Thanks for posting this. I just bought the Tungsten print.

• [teatree]

  I was one of the participating artists (#26, Iron.) The moderator of the exchange is entertaining ideas for putting this out as a full scale poster, or a coffee table book, lots of different formats. Keep your eyes peeled. It will probably get more attention after the story on etsy and now this.

• [The Engineer]

  Is anyone familiar with the wooden periodic table table created by Theodore Gray? Check it out. http://www.theodoregray.com/PeriodicTable/index.html

• [Cat]

  This will be a great addition to the periodic table of vegetables, fruit and elements.