PrintBay at Purdue intersects art and science with Convocations

January 23, 2026 Julia Moran

West Lafayette, IN — Purdue’s STEM-focused curriculum centers on experiential learning in various academic disciplines. Specifically in the John Martinson Honors College, Dr. J. Peter Moore leads a student cohort’s independent study of printmaking at their studio known as the PrintBay. This year, their study of letterpress poster creation led students to create designs for upcoming Convocations performances by Yellowjackets and Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

About PrintBay

Moore directs Purdue’s letterpress teaching lab. With a Ph.D. in American literature and a background in book design, he gives mentees the chance to learn the uncommon skill of printing. The creative process differs from his students’ usual problem sets or class projects.

“I also think,” Moore says, “it’s important to give students an opportunity to get all of the secret hidden lessons that lie in the process of making something.”

The printing lab, which opened in 2016, offers classes to Purdue students interested in the art of printmaking. While Honors College students get priority in class selection, any Purdue student may enroll. Moore currently leads PrintBay’s independent study, entitled Public Editions, a year-long experience in the practice of printmaking.

PrintBay’s collaboration with Convocations

A glimpse into the process

Audio: “Sugar Hill Penthouse” by Duke Ellington, performed by JLCO

Moore sought out Convocations as a client for his students’ work. For the upcoming Wynton Marsalis show, one student designed a promotional poster. The aesthetics of jazz and letterpress complement each other, according to Moore.

“Letterpress and jazz are like peanut butter and jelly,” Moore said. “[Both art forms] are historically American that emerged at the same time.”

The art of jazz and letterpress lie in their imperfections, as Moore says. The improvisations of jazz performances and slight errors of letterpress posters are a collaborative experience, leading to, what he calls, “innovation through variety.”

Two of Moore’s independent study mentees, Mihir Katkar and Cooper Ams, collaborate and innovate at the PrintBay. Both being engineering students, this study opens them up to creative outlets.

Katkar, the main designer of the JLCO with Wynton Marsalis poster, discovered the PrintBay last year. As a music enthusiast and printmaking student, this poster creation combined two of his main interests.

“I play a lot of music and like fiddling around with my piano in my dorm and around campus,” Katkar says. “This was more of an interest in creating something of my own, a poster that I create and will be given out.”

Ams gained an interest in PrintBay for the mechanical aspects as a hands-on learner. Being an aeronautical engineering student, he finds similarity in working with the printing press and airplanes.

“This study was very interesting to me,” Ams says, “It tapped into this hidden artistic quality I have.”