VoyageMIA: Conversations with Lisa Conrad
August 20, 2026
Today we’d like to introduce you to Lisa Conrad.
Hi Lisa, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I’ve always been passionate about art. I have an early memory telling my kindergarten teacher that I wanted to be an artist when I grow up. I’m grateful that I am living out that childhood dream.
My formal training was in studio arts and art education at Kean University in New Jersey. However I would say my informal training is from the Newark NJ artist community, where I spent a decade of my artistic career defining myself as an artist, teacher, and community arts worker. During that time, I founded a non-profit fine art studio called Newark Print Shop, where I invited members of the community to learn the fine art of printmaking. Through this work, I was fortunate to immerse myself in the local art scene, and create alongside some really amazing artists. It truly was an inspiring and integral part of my journey.
NJ Spotlight News
August 17, 2017
“This is a passion project that just kind of spiraled out of control. But it just sort of happened organically,” Lisa Conrad, owner and creator of Newark Print Shop said.
Conrad founded the business in 2012 with a thrown-out Newark Museum etching press above a fried chicken restaurant downtown. Determined to share and leave an impression, she opened Wednesday nights and simply asked for donations. Within a year, a fire forced her to move and create another studio on University Avenue.
Press Highlights and Media Coverage
NJPAC
September 22, 2020
This week, meet Lisa Conrad, the founding executive director of the Newark Print Shop, a community printmaking facility in Newark. She’s also an artist, art director, and educator. Her works include fine art prints, ceramics, and works on handmade paper. Many of her pieces feature building facades and strive to capture both the evolving cityscape of Newark and the landscape of her own life as she moves around the city.
Making an impression at Newark Print Shop
December 29, 2014
Lisa Conrad, founder and director, started the shop in 2012 at her art studio on Broad Street, teaming up with volunteers and the shop’s founding principals and artists Stephen McKenzie, Samer Fouad and Jackie Cruz. Conrad had received a grant to teach printmaking to high school students, but artist wanted lessons, too. After seeing a photo of a once-existing Newark print club, Conrad began offering open workshops. She also drew inspiration from the more than 100-year-old art print collection at the Newark Public Library.
Newark Arts Journal
October 2018
‘The journey for the Newark Print Shop has not always been easy, but despite the tribulations, the project has continued to be blessed. Less than a year in, we were displaced abruptly due to an unfortunate fire. Getting the project back off the ground into our second location was definitely a milestone. Artists Jackie Cruz, Samer Fouad, and Stephen McKenzie joined me in spearheading Newark Print Shop in the new location. I learned a lot in the process; most importantly that if you put all of your good faith effort into something worth energizing, it is magnetized, and people will back it.” -Conrad