Ernesto Caivano
Artist Interview – Neiman Center 25th Anniversary Catalogue
LNCPS: Why did you accept the invitation to make prints at the Neiman Center for Print Studies and did you accomplish what you had hoped to do in terms of the finished project?
Ernesto Caivano: It was a wonderful opportunity to explore and learn printmaking. We far superseded any ideas of what could be accomplished. The work made at the Neiman Center has been dear to me, and relevant to my art practice as a whole.
LNCPS: How do the prints you made at the Neiman Center relate to your larger body of work?
Ernesto Caivano: It allowed for a deep exploration centered around a foundation of drawing to push line work and story-telling to places I never guessed would work.
LNCPS: Had you ever made prints before your residency at the Neiman Center? If not, why were you open to trying printmaking at that time?
Ernesto Caivano: Did not make prints prior to the Neiman Center, which is the reason I was open to trying it out.
LNCPS: When you came to the Neiman Center did you have a project in mind? How would you describe your collaboration with the master printer?
Ernesto Caivano: I had a general project in mind, but it developed to a practical project as a result of experimenting and directly being in dialogue with the master printer—it was an equal collaboration.
LNCPS: The Neiman Center has a pedagogical mission statement and its workforce is comprised mainly of graduate and undergraduate students. Did this aspect interest you when you decided to work at the Neiman Center? What was your experience like working with the students?
Ernesto Caivano: It did. I am a Columbia University alumni, so it means much to be able to return and learn together.
LNCPS: For many artists working outside their studios, which is often a solitary space, can have its own set of challenges. How did you find the collaborative nature of printmaking at the Neiman Center?
Ernesto Caivano: I welcomed the change of environment. It has always been welcoming and fostering to new ideas. I loved it.
LNCPS: Did any of the print processes you tried at the Neiman have an effect on your working method back in the studio?
Ernesto Caivano: It did indeed.
LNCPS: Please share any additional comments or anecdotes about your time at the Neiman Center.
Ernesto Caivano: Just that it has been a gift to work at the Neiman Center, with Tomas Vu, and with the master printmakers. I always felt a sense of wonder to stretch far past areas I would in the studio, and in the collaborative nature of the center, new ideas emerged. The transparency of the process is very rewarding.
