Garo Antreasian was born on February 16, 1922 in Indianapolis. He attended Arsenal Technical High School from 1936-1940, where he studied art and was first introduced to lithography by his teacher Sara Bard. Antreasian majored in painting and continued to study lithography at the John Herron Art School, part of the John Herron Art Institute, from 1940 to 1942. He took a break from school to enlist in the Coast Guard, where he was stationed in the Pacific and served as a combat artist. After being discharged in February 1946, Antreasian returned to Indianapolis and resumed his studies at Herron. In 1948, he received his BFA and joined the Herron faculty as the first instructor of printmaking. In 1949, Antreasian spent the summer in New York studying at the Art Students League and Atelier 17. During the 1950s, Antreasian?s work was exhibited around the country, including the First International Biennial Exhibition of Color Lithography and Prints U.S.A. In 1959, he published an important article on the state of American lithography in News of ?Prints,? the journal of the Print Council of America. Antreasian took a year leave of absence from Herron to serve as first Technical Director of the new Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles, CA. After his return to Herron in 1961, Antreasian created a mosaic mural for the Indiana State Office Building, and initiated a Tamarind-Herron partnership for training Tamarind Printer Fellows. It is at this time that he began to draft the Tamarind Book of Lithography: Art & Techniques, of which a third draft (1965) is included in this collection. In 1963/64, Antreasian was offered and accepted a position as associate professor of art at the University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, and was promoted to the rank of professor and the University of New Mexico in 1968. The Tamarind Institute was transferred to UNM in 1970. Antreasian served as co-director with Clinton Adams, who also co-authored Tamarind Book of Lithography: Art & Techniques, which was published that same year. Antreasian received the distinguished alumni award from the John Herron School of Art and an honorary doctor of fine arts degree from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis in 1972. It is in that year that Antreasian designates the Indianapolis Museum of Art as an archives for his graphic work. Soon after, he retired from his position at the Tamarind Institute to return to teaching full time. Antreasian divided his time between his faculty position at UNM and guest instructorships at many colleges and universities until his retirement in 1987. After his retirement, he continued to accept invitations to serve as visiting artist and guest lecturer at multiple institutions. Antreasian maintained an active retirement, creating prints and painting in New Mexico. He passed away peacefully November 4, 2018.
