Paula Panczenko, who for over 30 years has led UW–Madison’s Tandem Press, has announced that she plans to retire this summer.
Tandem Press is a premier publisher of fine art prints that hosts internationally renowned artists in its studio space, assisting them as they create original fine art editions. Using an array of traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques, Tandem Press stands at the forefront of research, experimentation, and new developments in the field of printmaking.
“Paula has been an extraordinary leader of Tandem Press,” says Diana Hess, dean of the UW–Madison School of Education and the Karen A. Falk Distinguished Chair of Education. “She is a true expert and also a wonderful collaborator with artists, her colleagues, and students in the School of Education and across UW–Madison, and many stakeholders near and far. Her commitment to supporting artists to create outstanding work is widely recognized and lauded. She is a joy to work with and has provided a wonderful example about how to lead with optimism, boundless enthusiasm, and incredible energy.”
Panczenko first joined Tandem Press in 1989 as co-director, and became the director in 1994. Under her leadership, it has grown to become one of the leading fine art presses in the United States, exhibiting its prints annually in major art fairs in New York, Chicago, Miami, and beyond. Since its founding in 1987 by UW–Madison faculty member William (Bill) Weege, Tandem Press has hosted over 100 artists in its studio and has printed and published over 1,000 editions and monoprints.
Reflecting on what makes Tandem unique, Panczenko explains that it places artists and their work at the center. She credits the late Irish architect Andy Devane (who, she notes, studied in Wisconsin under Frank Lloyd Wright in the 1950s) with sharing this advice with her while she was working at the Arts Council of Ireland in the early 1980s.
Devane was serving as a board member for the council, Panczenko explains. “We were sitting in the big board room with the council members, and he looked over at three of us who had just joined the staff, and he said, ‘What I want the three of you to remember is that the artist is at the center of everything.’ ”
Panczenko has held to this philosophy through her years leading Tandem Press. “It became my motto,” she says. “Our focus here is that if the artist wants to create something, and it’s complicated, give them the time — don’t rush people out the door. We need to recognize that this whole enterprise is a creative process, and it takes time.”
This approach has attracted many American artists to Tandem, including Judy Pfaff, David Lynch, Suzanne Caporael, Jim Dine, Sam Gilliam, Derrick Adams, Jeffrey Gibson, and Alison Saar. Panczenko gives much of the credit to Tandem’s creative staff. “We have two terrific curators. We have three amazing printers, an excellent business manager, and a preparator. They are all artists themselves and can multi-task if necessary. And in the last several years, we’ve managed to attract the ‘crème de la crème’ of artists, which has been amazing,” she says.
Panczenko spearheaded Tandem’s move to its current location at 1743 Commercial Ave. in 2013, and helped expand its footprint in 2017 with the addition of a formal gallery space and regular exhibition programming. Through the years Tandem Press programming has grown to include a popular Friday Jazz Series and annual summer workshops.
“Paula has transformed Tandem into a hub of cultural activity, a site for new reflections, and a singular destination for the artist’s ideas to take form and be repurposed for the common good,” says Faisal Abdu’Allah, the Chazen Family Distinguished Chair in Art and the associate dean of the arts in the School of Education.
The Tandem Press is also an important educational entity that’s affiliated with the School of Education’s Art Department. Students employed at Tandem Press complement their coursework with practical hands-on experience, gaining an unparalleled insight into the professional art world by working as assistants to printers and curators. This affiliation is a leading reason why the Art Department’s printmaking program is consistently ranked No. 1 in the nation.
Panczenko was born in Ireland where she received a BA in art history and archaeology from University College Dublin. She then spent a year at the Universita degli Studi di Firenze, Italy. Following her return to Ireland, she was appointed to the newly formed Wexford Arts Center and after 18 months she became the visual arts officer at the Arts Council of Ireland, where she spent five years before moving to the United States in 1980.
While living in Williamstown, Massachusetts, Panczenko founded the Ireland America Arts Exchange, through which she created a studio program for Irish artists at PS1 in New York, and organized a touring exhibition of contemporary Irish art throughout the United States and Canada. In 1985, she moved to Wisconsin and joined the staff of the Wisconsin Arts Board, the state arts agency where she served as grants coordinator and deputy director, before becoming co-director of Tandem Press in 1989.
Panczenko has lectured and written frequently on contemporary art in the United States and abroad. Since 2006, she has served as the curator of exhibitions at the Dane County Regional Airport in association with the staff of Tandem Press. She is also currently the president of the International Fine Print Dealers Association Foundation.
Thinking through her career at Tandem and what she’s most proud of, Panczenko reflects, “We’ve been able to attract world-class artists, and break into the upper levels of the art world.”
“Paula’s stewardship has transformed Tandem from a small regional press into an internationally recognized publisher of fine art contemporary prints,” says Jason Ruhl, one of Tandem’s collaborative printmakers. “And throughout this time, she has also made sure to integrate the Wisconsin Idea into its mission.”
Panczenko says, speaking of Tandem’s international reach and impact: “It really fits in with the Wisconsin Idea that what we do here doesn’t stop at the borders of the state — it goes way beyond.”
“Printmaking at this university has a long, amazing history. And so I think it’s good that we’re keeping our end up,” she says.
To honor Panczenko’s work and help continue her legacy, consider making a gift to the Paula Panczenko Excellence Fund. Gifts to this fund provide discretionary support for Tandem Press.