Judy Pfaff and Tandem Press
Tandem Press Apex Gallery’s first show will be prints by 25-year veteran Judy Pfaff. Above: Pfaff’s “two foxes” (2017).
After three decades, prestigious Tandem Press will finally open its own gallery on Jan. 26. Exhibits, classes and more will be coming to one of the nation’s few professional art presses.
The Press hopes increased interest and a higher local profile will follow. “I sometimes feel that we’re more well-known outside of Madison than we are here,” says director Paula Panczenko. “Unless you have a gallery program, you don’t really build up a profile, because you’re not able to have regularly scheduled events.”
Tandem Press, founded in 1987, is very loosely affiliated with UW-Madison. Graduate and undergraduate students learn and collaborate with professional master printers.
“We describe ourselves as a professional press insofar as we raise the majority of funds through the sale of prints,” says Panczenko. She notes that there are only four other professional presses in the nation.
Tandem Press’ art prints have been collected by New York’s Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Art Institute of Chicago and the National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C. Tandem has also exhibited in Europe and China.
But never at its own home.
Judy Pfaff and Tandem Press
"spinner 5" (left) and “spinner 8” by Judith Pfaff (2017)
“We felt for some time that we should have a formal gallery, but we didn’t really have the room to do it,” says Panczenko, whose husband Russell recently retired as director of the Chazen Museum of Art.
Tandem’s studio is housed in a quirky, historic building at 1743 Commercial Ave., a former railroad roundhouse owned and managed by Apex Properties. (The firm has a caboose in its interior waiting area). The press talked to its Apex landlords about donating nearby space, and two of Tandem’s board members, Paula and David Kraemer, funded the renovation to create the new gallery.
Patrons will enter the new arts venue through the studio foyer. The 1,600 square foot space has two rooms with full-spectrum lighting, giving it “a real contemporary look,” says Panczenko.
The inaugural exhibit will showcase recent work by a 25-year veteran of Tandem Press, Judy Pfaff. The London native joined Tandem in 1992. A MacArthur Fellow, the New York City-based artist was featured in PBS’ Art21, a series on art in the 21st century. Pfaff’s work has been collected by the Detroit Institute of Art, the Museum of Modern Art and the Whitney in New York City, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. She’s also created large site-specific sculptures for corporate clients and the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Philadelphia.
In addition to being affiliated with UW-Madison’s art department, Tandem Press partners with the School of Business, providing real-world arts administration experience. Tandem also regularly stages jazz concerts featuring UW-Madison music students.
“We really try to have a range of students, stretching across the campus,” notes Panczenko.
She hopes that the general public will soon be able to visit and learn, too, during short weekend courses held in the gallery. “Many people in the community are anxious to get involved,” she says. “We haven’t really had the space to that. But now we can do so easily.”
Editor's note: This article was corrected to reflect the fact that the donors for the remodeling project were David and Paula Kraemer, not David and Paula Faulkner. There was also an error in the name of the gallery. The official name is the Tandem Press Apex Gallery.
