Bill Franson | Intro to Cyanotype

The Griffin Museum is thrilled to partner with the Somerville Toy Camera Festival to celebrate the art of photography and creativity. As part of the month of events, join us on our Griffin Rotary Terrace for this free and open to the public event.

We are so pleased to have Bill Franson on the Terrace to spend a few hours playing with us to work with the creative medium of cyanotype.

Join us on Saturday September 16th from 11am – 2pm. This event is FREE and open to the public. Registration link is here.

Just as inexpensive toy cameras can be a fun and easy introduction to film photography, cyanotype often “sinks the hook” (as Christopher James puts it) into people just starting to explore alternative processes. The chemistry is inexpensive and easy to work with, and no darkroom is needed – prints are made with just sunlight and water.

In this introductory workshop, Bill Franson will demonstrate the cyanotype exposure & development processes using his own negatives and sensitized paper he’s coated ahead of time. Registrants can learn through observation, or may bring their own negatives to participate in the demo (medium format or larger, ideally; high-contrast photos will yield best results). Info on supplies and materials needed to begin making cyanotypes on your own at home will be provided. 

Artist and educator Bill Franson has taught photography and darkroom courses & workshops throughout New England (including several popular toy camera workshops for STCF!). His work has been exhibited across the US. Most recently, his series Landscape in Blue, which captures the beauty of Appleton Farms’ mature landscape in large format and cyanotype prints, has been exhibited in Ipswich and Boston MA, and Nashville TN. He is represented by Gallery Kayafas.