Amanda Burk, who received her MFA in Printmaking at the Lamar Dodd School of Art in 2007, opened the Athens print studio Flat File Print Shop this past summer. The Athens-Banner Herald published a feature on the new studio on August 9th. Read an excerpt of the article below, written by Alex Anteau.

Flat File Print Shop officially opened in June for business. 

Named for the flat file cabinets used for storing artwork in a printmaking studio, the shop aims to provide printmaking services, studio space, equipment and classes for the local community.

“It’s just been really cool hanging out. The shop has a great vibe to it,” said Ben Reese, who’s taken two of the shop’s printmaking classes. “It’s been really neat to see what I’ve come up with and physically created.”

Flat File also provides screen-preparation services, where clients can drop off their blank silkscreens and the images they want printed on them. The process requires a darkroom, an exposure unit and two days for the stencils to fully dry in the Georgia humidity.

“I like the idea of helping people who want to DIY at their house,” Amanda Burk, the shop’s founder, said. “The idea of helping artists create was really interesting to me and teaching people who don’t know [the printmaking process] yet was really exciting.”

Amanda Burk, owner of Flat File Print Shop, poses for a portrait at her studio on Friday, July 29, 2022 in Athens. Burk has been in the printmaking business for 20 years and opened Flat FIle Print Shop this past June. Kayla Renie, Athens-Banner Herald USA TODAY NETWORK