Tia Blassingame was born in 1971 in New Haven, Connecticut. She is an artist and educator who initially got her start in architecture. Now her work focuses on printmaking and letterpress, producing beautiful works that exhibit a clear vision and a commitment to research which informs her more historical pieces.
Combining handmade paper, printmaking techniques, and bookbinding with letterpress printing, Blassingame employs period typefaces to create a look and ambiance to transport the viewer to the appropriate era. The disturbing images and histories that she renders using wooden or metal letters, a lithographic stone, or an etching plate become atmospheric and allow for a nuanced discussion on issues of race to be introduced that might otherwise repel the viewer.
SELECTED AWARDS & HONORS
Artist-in-Residence, Yaddo, Saratoga Springs, NY, 2011
Artist-In-Residence, MacDowell Colony, Peterborough, NH, 2000, 2004, 2010
EDUCATION
Master of Fine Art in Printmaking, Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, Rhode Island 2015
Master of Art in Printmaking and Book Arts
Corcoran College of Art & Design, Washington, DC 2012
Bachelor of Art in Architecture, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 1993, Magna cum laude