91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø

Liz Ingram, Printmaker, Professor Emerita

, the internationally renowned printmaker, has showcased in countless exhibitions around the world, exploring the fragility of life and our relationship to the environment in a signature multimedia style. Her recent feature the human body immersed in water, earth and forest flora.

This past year, Ingram amplified the impact of her work through a major donation to the 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø’s Print Study Centre — part of the university’s vast museum network — including pieces that span the arc of her celebrated career.

This gift of her art is part of something much larger: a living, growing collection that is used every day by students, researchers and the public. Thanks to donors, these collections do more than preserve art — they open doors to immersive, hands-on learning that shapes the next generation of artists and scholars.

"Liz is constantly pushing the boundaries of contemporary print, using different techniques together," says Tamara Deedman, graduating this spring with an MFA in printmaking. 

Deedman first encountered Ingram’s work in the Print Study Centre — a model facility for object-based discovery and experiential learning.

"At a typical museum, people spend six to eight seconds with a piece of work. Getting to sit with prints in a space made for them is so important," she says. "I call it printmaking CSI — you sit with it and figure out how it’s made, and what it’s saying."

The Print Study Centre is part of the 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø Museums Collections, Canada’s largest network of academic museums. With more than 10 million objects across 30 collections, it reflects the diversity of the university and surrounding communities — telling powerful stories about human and natural history. At its core, this network is also a teaching and research engine, where students learn by engaging directly with the collections. 

It’s the mission of 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø Museums — and the donors who support it — to bring these pieces to life and broaden their reach. Direct interaction with artifacts and objects of art allows for research experiences that simply can’t be found in classrooms or textbooks. And donor support helps expand learning, engage the public and foster creative collaborations.

Over her career, Ingram has donated much of her work to the U of A's print collection, which, in addition to work by U of A artists, features contemporary Japanese, Canadian and eastern European prints. 

“She is a force, and this will allow us to document the breadth of her art over decades,” says Christine Conciatori, director of 91³Ô¹ÏºÚÁÏÍø Museums.

“We have a real gem in the print study collection” says Ingram, “It’s probably the best collection of limited-edition and hand-printed fine art in Canada, in terms of its national and international scope.” Some of it has been lent to other museums — such as the and the — for public viewings.

During her teaching career, Ingram often turned to the collection to inspire young artists, showing a variety of options for concept and technique.

"You can choose a range of prints for students to look at, and discuss how they were made, and how they relate to the project they're working on," she says.

Now a printmaking instructor herself, Deedman continues the tradition. “I use the collection to inspire students for their own art,” she says. “And Liz’s work is a huge part of that.”