Printmaking Masterclass | Astypalea 2026

The successful 10-day International Printmaking Masterclass is returns to Astypalea in the Summer of 2026!

A unique intensive program that combines art and vacation, organized by the Athens Printmaking Art Centre – Pandolfini & Siaterli at the “Lefteris Xanthos” workshop.

The ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI C.N.P.P., in collaboration with the “Lefteris Xanthos” workshop, is organizing the International Printmaking Masterclass on the island of Astypalea for the second consecutive year, between September 1 – 12, 2026. Following the successful inauguration of the 2025 program, this intensive masterclass returns with the aim of becoming an annual artistic event dedicated to art, education, and printmaking. The Athens Printmaking Art Centre’s vision is to create a permanent artistic meeting point for etching and printmaking, welcoming artists from Greece and abroad.

As an open workshop dedicated to the Art of Printmaking, ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER has been running in Athens since 1977, with an ongoing cultural activity until today focused on educational programs on printmaking, intensive seminars, cultural events and exhibitions. This 10-day summer masterclass will unravel through an intensive program and is designed for visual artists, printmakers from Greece and abroad, as well as everyone with basic knowledge of drawing. The program will be conducted and facilitated by renowned printmakers Pino Pandolfini and Dimitra Siateri through a series of daily sessions at the “Lefteris Xanthos” workshop in the heart of Astypalea.

The programme is inspired by the activities of the Artistic Workshop of Astypalea (aka KEA), a successful artistic and participatory initiative of graphic designer, printmaker and writer Lefteris Xanthos, which has been actively operating on the island from 1987 until 1993. Focusing on etching, a group of eight students and two experienced teachers, initiated a series of four-week summer gatherings at that time. The initiative was motivated by their love for and interest in etching and copper engraving, the study and practice of the technique, while fostering the promotion of printmaking locally with the aim at setting it in the center of the cultural chart of the island.

Upon invitation of the artist’s wife Zigrid Xanthos, ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI has designed and inaugurated a new printmaking masterclass programme for visual artists and printmakers, with an attempt pay honor the fellow artist, collaborator and friend, while reactivating the initiative of Lefteris Xanthos’ Artistic Workshop of Astypalea. The masterclass aims at fostering and highlighting this exceptional local artistic initiative as part of the cultural heritage of the island, as well as establishing the art of printmaking in the wider cultural community of Astypalea through an international summer programme.

Participants will have the opportunity to work in an equipped workshop under the guidance of the facilitators. Through a structured and thoughtfully designed programme of ten consecutive sessions they will be introduced to the visual vocabulary of printmaking. The masterclass focuses on learning hands-on techniques combined with conceptual themes, fostering technical skills and experimentation. The program will culminate in an exhibition of contemporary printmaking at a local exhibition space in two of the traditional windmills of Astypalea where the artworks and outcome of the ten-day program will be presented to the public and the local community. This intensive summer masterclass seeks to introduce participants to the visual language of printmaking and the expressive capacities of the medium with the aim of developing their own visual expression and artistic identity. During the masterclass, participants will also have the opportunity to further explore the unique local history of the island, folk traditions, cultural sites, traditional dances and local gastronomy, while enjoying afternoon breaks for swimming, walks and tours around the island.

A. The programme includes

• 3,5 hour morning sessions in the workshop per day under the supervision and guidance of the artists and mentors Pino Pandolfini and Dimitra Siaterli. In addition, Participants will also have the opportunity for two (2) additional afternoon studio sessions on the days closer to the exhibition, in order to work on and complete their artworks before the final public group presentation.
• Materials, equipment, printmaking tools, inks, matices/printing plates, fine printmaking papers and other supplies.
• The program offers professional learning and implementation of specialised printmaking techniques with a particular focus on zinc (maximum size 20x33cm): etching by hard ground, softground, aquatint, sugar-lift (oxidation of metal plates will be carried out with light nitric acid solutions in a well-ventilated environment)
• Use of the printmaking press and workshop equipment of the “Lefteris Xanthos” workshop
• Personal meetings, guidance and mentoring sessions throughout the whole duration of the programme by Pino Pandolfini and Dimitra SIaterli, mentors and founders of the ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER
• A group exhibition of contemporary printmaking with the participants’ artworks that will be produced as an outcome of the 10 day intensive masterclass programme. The group show will be presented in an exhibition space in the heart of Astypalaia and will be open to the public and the local community.
• Installation, hanging of artworks and coordination of works and activities in collaboration with the co-organizers
• Communication and dissemination of the program and the exhibition in the cultural digital media, press and the social media of the ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER
• With the completion of the masterclass, all  participants will be given as a complimentary gift the book of Lefteris Xanthos entitled “Astypalea: People and Images” (2015).
• With the assistance and guidance of the mentors, all participants will produce one work printed in three (3) original prints, the two (2) of which, together with the respective engraved matrix, will be able to take with them after at the completion of the programme. The third copy, which will be presented at the exhibition, will remain the “Lefteris Xanthos” workshop and the historical Archive of the ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTRE as part of its collection of artworks.
• All participants will receive a certificate of participation to the masterclass
• ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER will undertake the communication and promotion of both the programme and the exhibition, as well as the PR and design of the visual material (posters, digital invitations, social media material)

B. Application deadline

To apply for the 10 day masterclass programme, fill out the following form by May 25th, 2026:
https://forms.gle/KbF62ukgaS4yPPBh8

The number of participants to the programme is limited and the selection is on a first-come, first-served basis.

Applicants will be notified of their participation request via email from info@athens-printmaking.com within one week from the date of submission of their application.

C. Participation fee

The total participation fee for the ten-day printmaking masterclass is €1,200 and includes all supplies, training, equipment, materials, mentoring and applications specified in Section A.

Upon acceptance and confirmation of participation in the program, the following are required:

a) A registration fee of €100 to secure your place in this year’s summer cycle.
b) Payment of the first installment (€500) of the total participation fee by June 20th, to be deposited into the following bank account:

KENTRO CHARAKTIKIS ATHINON – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI  A.M.K.E. (ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI C.N.P.P)

IBAN: GR 58026 0099 0000 3102 0073 6666          

BIC/ SWIFT Code: ERBKGRAA

Name of Bank: EUROBANK 

Εδώ είναι η συνέχεια της μετάφρασης σε επαγγελματικό και ξεκάθαρο ύφος:

c) Payment of the second installment (€600) of the participation fee by August 30th.

• In the event of cancellation or non-attendance, the registration fee and the initial installment are non-refundable. Bank transaction fees are be covered by the participants.

• The participation fee does not include accommodation, transportation, or meals.

• Prices do not include insurance. Participants are responsible for their own private insurance coverage. In case of an emergency, the Athens Printmaking Art Centre will provide any necessary assistance to facilitate the resolution of any issues that may arise.

• Participants are encouraged to combine the masterclass with their summer holidays and are welcome to bring family or friends. In such cases, the participation fee applies only to the individual attending the seminar.

D. Programme duration and information

Total duration of the programme: 1 – 12 September 2026

Suggested arrival – departure dates: 30/8 or 31/8 and 13/9 or 14/9

For any questions or inquiries, please get in touch by sending an email at info@athens-printmaking.com using “Printmaking Masterclass Astypalea 2026 – Name/Surname” as the Subject Line.

Ε. Transportation

• How to arrive on the island

The arrival to Astypalea is facilitated by ferry boats departing from the port of Piraeus as well as by direct flights from the Athens Eleftherios Venizelos Airport to the island. Additional regular routes are carried out daily by ferry boats from Kos to Astypalea. Arrival in Kos is facilitated with direct flights from Athens.

• Transportation on the island

Transportation in Astypalea is facilitated by a local bus service with regular routes to/from the town of Astypalea where the workshop is located.

In addition to the public bus service, there is also the Astybus service which can be used via the Astymove application.

Besides the options above, there is also the option of renting a car, motorbike or bicycle locally, in case the participants wish to combine their stay with excursions and trips around the island allowing themselves for greater flexibility and autonomy in their transportation.

The estimated cost of car rental ranges between 25-30€/day, while for a scooter 13-15€/day (*costs are indicative and depend on the category of the vehicle)

Participants who confirm their place in the masterclass will be provided with a detailed Welcome Kit including detailed itineraries of arrival/departure to and from the island as well as other useful information for the programme and their stay.

The programme is organised by Athens Printmaking Art Center – Pandolfini & Siaterli C.N.P.P. in collaboration with “Lefteris Xanthos” Printmaking Workshop and the Municipality of Astypalea.

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More about ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI

The ΑΤHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI was founded by the artists Pino Pandolfini and Dimitra Siaterli. It has been running in Athens since 1977 as an open workshop for art and printmaking. Its activities include many cultural activities, exhibitions and exchange exhibitions in Greece and abroad, printing artworks, art editions, cooperation with artists, cultural organizations, galleries, schools, regular seminars and lesson programs. The aim of the ΑΤHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI, from its founding until now, has been to make accessible the language of printmaking, the history, the potential and its particular expressive power in the art world. The lengthy historical pathway of the space includes important collaborations with artists and institutions from Greece and abroad, which have strengthened the cultural exchange and community of the domestic art scene. By supporting the participation in the creative process and the personal stylings of the artist, the organization encourages the inherent production of printmaking, as well as the interdisciplinary workings of art.

After an artistic mission of 44 years, the ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER – PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI, today estimates the production of approximately 1500 prints from 160 artists, who have collaborated with the workshop during its many years within the domestic and European art scene. The collection of the Athens Printmaking Art Center continues to be enriched with new works to this day. Since 2018, the ATHENS PRINTMAKING ART CENTER PANDOLFINI & SIATERLI opened for the public as a non-profit the cultural center ETCH INK art space, in the center of Athens. ETCH INK art space operates as the headquarters of C.N.P.P., as an exhibition space for art and printmaking, as a space for seminars and printmaking workshops, as an artistic space for projects, conferences, lectures, screenings, research programs on printmaking and its relations with other art forms, with other cultural organizations and galleries.