Will Barnet has been considered one of the major figures in printmaking in the United States since the 1930s. He has created more than 240 print editions and also has worked as a teacher and arts administrator. The traveling collection of 58 prints to be exhibited at the Kennedy Museum was organized by the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art in Loretto, Pennsylvania. A relief is created when ink is applied to a raised surface, usually wood, which is then pressed onto a sheet of paper. An intaglio print is made from a recessed design cut in the matrix.
Ink is pressed into the matrix and transfers to the paper when pressed.
Examples of intaglio prints include engravings and etchings. A planographic print is created with a greasy crayon. Water is applied to the surface and then ink, which is held by the greasy image, is applied to the surface. A press is then used to transfer the image to paper. Lithographs are a form of planographic prints.