Artifacts of the Present: Portrait of a Printmaker

Diagnosed with terminal cancer, printmaking artist Brian D. Cohen reflects on his life, work, and relationships. 

Artifacts of the Present immerses the viewer in Brian’s world at his home and workshop in Maine — his model airplanes and trains, wall-to-wall books and curling wooden staircase up to his studio, the vintage MG in his garage which shares space with a printing press — and above all, Brian’s work: the copper plates and engraving tools, mixing ink and wiping plates, working on his plates and printing from them, his hands and what it means to him to have spent a life working on metal. His son David composed the original music for this short, powerfully moving and poignant documentary portrait of an artist facing mortality. 

Available for streaming on New Day Films, Kanopy, and Vermont PBS