s3e62 artist Teresa Cole on the humanness of pattern

Platemark: prints and the printmaking ecosystem

In this five-part mini-series, Ann is talking to five artists who were selected to be included in an exhibition called 5X5, that was part of Print Austin's winter festival this year in 2024. The juror of the show is Mysczka Lewis, who is a curator at Tandem Press. Next up is Teresa Cole, an artist and printmaker from New Orleans. She has taught at Tulane University for nearly thirty years.

Teresa’s interest in the humanness of pattern has been a throughline in her work and she incorporates different cultures’ methods of patternmaking and storytelling in beautiful installations. In their conversation, they talk about orizome (a Japanese method of folding and dyeing paper), commissioning printed fabric for saris in India, printing on aluminum mesh, and Tulane’s tuition-free master’s program.

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Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Exchange. Installation shot of printed stainless steel and aluminum cylinders. Freeman School of Business, Tulane University, New Orleans. Photo: Neil Alexander.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Exchange. Pre-installation shot of printed stainless steel and aluminum cylinders. Freeman School of Business, Tulane University, New Orleans.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Cosmati, 2021. Hand-cut Washi. 26 x 18 in. Courtesy of the Artist.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Tessellation Entanglement, 2021. Screenprinted porcelain. 4 x 8 feet. Courtesy of the Artist.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Redeem, 2023. Puff paint screenprinted on digital velvet. Installation view at WhiteSpace Gallery, January–February 2023.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Bee Pattern, 2014. Screenprint. 25 x 16 in. Courtesy of the Artist.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Infusion, 2017. Dyed relief printed Washi with bamboo. 48 x 117 in. Courtesy of the Artist.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Saturate 2.0, 2017. Dyed relief printed Washi with bamboo. Courtesy of the Artist.

Printing fabric at Kanishka, India.

Hand-carved printing blocks carved for the artist at Kanishka, India.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Seep, 2015. Process shot. Courtesy of the Artist.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Seep, 2015. Relief printed and dyed Japanese paper with bamboo sticks. Installation at Artfields. Courtesy of the Artist.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Seep, 2015 (left). Relief printed and dyed Japanese paper with bamboo sticks. Installation at Callan Contemporary, 2025. Courtesy of the Artist.

Teresa Cole (American, born 1961). Tangled Conquest, 2015. Relief printed on folded and dyed paper with sumi and walnut. 65 x 77 x 25 in. Courtesy of the Artist.