Blanche Pringle Smith became a member of Tiger Lily Press in January 2018 and is an enthusiastic and engaging presence around the studio. She was elected to the TLP Board of Directors in 2020 and has graciously volunteered to be the Secretary for this year.
Smith brings a wealth of experience as an artist and a project manager to the Tiger Lily board. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Bowling Green State University in 1975, with concentrations in oil painting, graphic design, photography and drawing. She has exhibited her work in group shows at the McCree Theater in Flint, Michigan and William Monroe Trotter House during the Ann Arbor Art Fair; organized an alternative exhibit in A2 to give urban artists an opportunity to show their work during one of the nation’s largest art fairs; served as set designer for a small community theater in Detroit; coordinated the 5th Annual 13th Congressional District “Artistic Discovery” exhibition and served as Artist-in-Residence for the 6th Annual African Village Weekend in Pomona, California.
Smith also accumulated over 15 years of experience as a Manager/Project Coordinator/Program Director effectively initiating and managing large scale projects with involvement in higher and K – 12 education, government, non-profit and healthcare organizations. Several of these programs focused on institutional diversity, and recruitment and retention of Black students and employees.
Tiger Lily Press’s activities are in “suspended animation” due to the pandemic, but the board looks forward to her input on projects going forward.
“I do have some suggestions on community outreach that may expose urban artists to Tiger Lily Press. I think TLP has a unique role here. So few kids or artists in our community are even exposed to printmaking much less fine art printing,” says Smith. “I so hope others can discover the joy of printing as I have.”
In the meantime, Smith has been working in drypoint and attending the screen print class at DIY Printing at Essex Studios. “The thing I enjoy most about Tiger Lily are the classes and the sharing of the creative process. It’s a rich environment to learn and grow.”
— Carole Winters, July 2020