Shop Talk: Korean Woodblock Printing with Lars Kim

Dive into Korea’s rich printing history! We’ll explore Korean woodblock printing through an introductory lecture that examines the rise and rapid development of woodblock printing, the visual process of woodblock carving and printing, and key historical differences between printing from woodblocks vs. movable metal or wood type. Lars will demo woodblock printing using handmade paper and a hand-carved woodblock from a master South Korean wood engraver, a faithful reproduction of a fifteenth-century text that includes both traditional Chinese characters and the newly invented Korean script. Other woodblock and metal/wood type specimens from Korea, China, and Japan (both antique and contemporary) will also be on display. Participants who wish to print and take home their own Korean woodblock print can pay a $20 materials fee and stay for an informal workshop following the lecture.

Lars Kim is a Korean American designer, printmaker, and educator based in Portland, Oregon. Her projects frequently blended multiple print processes (letterpress, offset lithography, screen print, and intaglio), Western and Eastern styles of hand papermaking and fine bookbinding. Lars is also a long-time instructor at the San Francisco Center for the Book and co-founded Hanji Edition, which features limited-edition art works on Korean handmade paper by artists from around the globe. As an independent scholar, she investigates the early development of Korean printing and the transmission of sacred arts along the Silk Road. Her current research includes natural fibers and dyes used for hanji production in the Chosŏn dynasty; historical Korean woodblock printing and metal typecasting; and overseas Korean movable type collections.

Part of Community Print’s monthly Shop Talks series running through May 2026. These talks are free, but donations for the presenters are accepted.

Also check out other Arts events in Olympia, Workshops in Olympia.