Today we’d like to introduce you to Tom Virgin.
Tom, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I am Tom Virgin, Proprietor of Extra Virgin Press (EVP), a small traditional letterpress shop in Little Haiti. I was awarded a Knight Arts Challenge Grant to bring letterpress to Miami in 2015. https://knightfoundation.org/articles/extra-virgin-press-letterpress-printing-miami/.
The grant was followed by an invitation from Emerson Dorsch Gallery to bring EVP to their new building, which housed their gallery and Exile Books. For twenty-five years before that, I was a high school Art teacher, adjunct professor, and serial collaborator. I have had over six thousand students since 1995. More on that later, I always save the best until the last.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It took me twenty years to complete a BFA in Painting and Printmaking at FAU, but the MFA in Printmaking at the University of Miami flew by in two years. Many would assume that was enough learning to last a lifetime.
However, during the next twenty summers, I took thirty classes/workshops in digital imaging, printing, letterpress, and book arts. I took multiple classes at the Minnesota Center for Book Arts. Miami mentors pointed me to Miami-Dade County Cultural Affairs’ Artist Access Grants to assist me (young artists look it up: https://miamidadearts.org/artist-access-art-grants-program). I met print titan and teacher Dinizulu Gene Tinnie several years ago, through another pivotal mentor Mary Luft. Both Mary Luft and Gene Tinnie worked with Miami-Dade Cultural Affairs to launch this student into a career in printing.
Gene Tinnie was recognized by Oolite Arts this year at their Ellies Awards ceremony with the Social Justice Award. I was offered the opportunity to print large woodcuts for Gene (60 in x 48 in). The original prints were printed with a steam roller on Flagler Street in downtown Miami in the late 1980s but were damaged in a flood. November 2023. I printed it by hand. Printers know what that means.
I attended my first international print convention in Wisconsin, at the Hamilton Woodtype and Printing Museum at the beginning of November. The Wayzgoose (what printers call this gathering) offered a class with two of my favorite book artists/ printers, Barb Tettenbaum and Julie Chen. We made pressure prints on three letterpresses in three small groups. Three other classes were going on in three other areas of the museum. This gathering with three hundred printers, surrounded by letterpress prints, classes, and a museum full of type was incredible for me. A few I knew from their reputations or earlier classes, and most I met virtually in “Ham Hangs” Zooms in 2020. Here in Miami, there are two letterpress studios, a mile or so apart.
The link below will take you to all of the Ham Hangs, should you want to start printing now.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-hTBsYtF0SSN6X65she0DWthSefabNwd.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
Anyone who ever experienced “group projects” in public schools may remember that one person generally carried the biggest load, delegating tasks to the rest of the group. Each summer between school years, when I was in artists residencies, I met many artists and writers and collaborated. Writers introduced me to more writers. Printers employ a traditional form to engage with writers called broadsides or broadsheets. They are works on a single sheet of paper combining images with text. My first bedroom at the Anderson Center at Tower View in Red Wing, Minnesota was filled with broadsides. I fell in love with that format. Poets often printed with me, and my collaborative practice grew. Printing side by side with poets inspired me.
When my presses arrived in Miami, I began printing for the incredible folks that I met through Books and Books in Coral Gables. My students and I also did printing demonstrations at the Book Fair. This year I printed an edition of prints for the 40th Anniversary of the Miami Book Fair. The print was unveiled at the Fair’s first-ever Gala. Each honoree received a framed print from the edition. Multiple projects with O, Miami Poetry Festival brought literary heroes to my students as well. A new publication in Miami, The Miami Native, asked me to create a print to stand alongside P. Scott Cunningham’s poetry in their debut issue. I was delighted to provide that work for the O, Miami founder and this brand new magazine in my hometown.
In 2018, I received an Oolite Ellies Creator Award to make artists’ books around important community issues with Miami writers. The first in the series was with John Dufresne, Signs. A feminist collaboration with Denise Duhamel and Maureen Seaton was the second book in the series. The most recent book is This Is My Body, Food, and Freedom with an essay by Edwidge Danticat. All were printed on letterpress and hand bound, one book at a time. I began my journey crazy about books, now I print them.
Tom Virgin, Denise Duhamel, Maureen Seaton & Mary Malm “Questionnaire for Two Pussies”
Before we go, is there anything else you can share with us?
Most of my work these days is printing on two 1500 lb cylinder proof presses and collaborations. I work with young people, writers, organizations, and institutions, teaching and printing. What sets me apart is after almost 30 years with over 6,000 students (kindergarten through college, but mostly teenagers) I am still learning from everyone that I work with. My students range from 18 to mid-40s in age. My most recent students were in their 60s to their 90s, and they were awesome.
Just this morning, I listened to a presentation by Betty Osceola, of the Panther Clan and Miccosukee Tribe about “reclaiming our stories.” The first thing she told us was that literal translation of her indigenous name translated to the Grandmother of her first granddaughter. Her story went back generations and spoke to keeping stories alive for future generations. Stories preserve all of our lives for new generations.
When Green Space sent out its most recent open call, I worked with Arsimmer McCoy to print her open letter to the community. It was letterpress printed for the opening event, and given away to attendees and artists to bring home. McCoy is an artist, writer, performer, and community leader. Kimberley Green was one of the Book Fair honorees (along with Dave Barry, Edwidge Danticat, Richard Blanco, Albert Ibargüen, and Dave Lawrence Jr.).
The best part as I promised… My students teach me. They make books. And they continue to tell the stories that they told me in my room for almost thirty years. Stories about Miami. I am still in school, but I am a student of all the people who inspire me, especially young people.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.extravirginpress.com
- Instagram: @extravirginpress
Image Credits
Tom Virgin, Proprietor, Extra Virgin Press, Alison Viana, Gene Tinnie, Val Hamilton, Henrique Nardi/Tipocracia, and The Miami Native
