John Sommers

John Sommers was born May 31, 1927 in Cassopolis, Michigan. He spent 15 years working for his family's bakery before earning his undergraduate degree in psychology at Albion College. In the late 60s, as a Printer Fellow, he trained at the Tamarind Lithography Workshop in Los Angeles. In 1970, he moved with the Tamarind Lithography Workshop to Albuquerque as its Studio Manager and Master Printer in charge of the Printer Training Program. From 1975-1983 Sommers was the Technical Director of Tamarind Institute. During Sommers' years at the Institute, he worked with 75 artists, including Fritz Scholder, Judy Chicago, Robert DeNiro and Elaine de Kooning. Sommers had lectured at other universities, juried exhibitions, and he wrote a number of technical articles on lithography. In 1975, Sommers also took on another commitment as Lecturer in the Department of Art and Art History at the University of New Mexico, which continued until his death in 1987 due to complications from the flu.