By having board members work closely with more of our members, we know we will be able to better serve our community. Please consider volunteering in this capacity. Below are the basic descriptions of the committees, including when they meet.

Dowload the full Committee Descriptions

Aren’t sure if you want to be on a committee or not? Talk in person to the committee chairs at our next Member Meeting (May 16, 8pm). Reach out to any of us with questions!

Education Committee

Committee Chair: Megan Klawitter
First Meeting: Wednesday, May 30th, 6:30pm at Spudnik Press
The education committee is responsible for supporting Spudnik Press Cooperative’s mission to unite professional artists with a diverse community of emerging artists, established artists, youth, and adults.

Outreach Committee

Committee Chair: Anya Davidson
First Meeting: Tuesday, June 5, 6:30pm at Pauly’s Pizza (1744 W Grand)
The outreach committee is responsible for increasing the visibility of Spudnik Press Cooperative, reaching new audiences, including printmakers, potential students, potential partnering organizations, potential publishing customers, and the general public.

Exhibitions Committee

Committee Chair: Alison Kleiman
First Meeting: Wednesday, June 6, 6:30pm at Spudnik Press
The exhibition committee will work closely with Spudnik Press staff to coordinate exhibition opportunities for Spudnik Press members.

Letterpress Your Own Cards
Sunday, May 20, 2012 12:00-5:00pm
This short letterpress workshop will familiarize students with lead type and letterpress terminology. Each participant will create a business card or something similar (gift tags, thank you cards, etc!), and through this process become more comfortable with the concepts of letterpress printing and our Chandler & Price Pilot press. More information & register here.

Illustration & Play
Wednesday, May 30, 2012 6:30-9:30pm
This illustration class will lead students away from what and how they usually draw to explore new techniques and approaches to image generation. Students will get to play around with mark making, color, and a variety of materials like watercolor pencils, while being prompted to delve further into their imagination. More information & register here.

May Member Meeting

Wednesday, May 16, 2012
8:00pm at Spudnik Press

New Committees! Board Nominations!
We now have more ways than ever to get involved! Join one of our new committees (Outreach, Education, Exhibitions) to help Spudnik have as big of impact on our community as possible.

Plus, contribute to our mini zine! Printed right in front of your eyeballs!
We will all work together to create a 1-page, hand-drawn, offset printed zine! Stick around afterwards to get your hands inky and watch the offset press in action, as we all print together!

Ex Libris (From the Books)
Print Exchange

Spudnik Press is proud to announce our first member print exchange, in conjunction with Atlanta Printmakers Studio, who’s members will also be participating in the exchange. The theme compliments the Print Big! steamroller print event at APS, with imagery focusing on Books, Reading and Literature.

Bookplates were originally designed as small decorative labels pasted inside a book’s cover to indicate ownership. A long line of artists have been inspired and commissioned to design these miniature prints including Albrecht Durer, Hans Holbein, Aubrey Beardsley, Eric Gill, and Rockwell Kent to name a few. In the 19th century there was strong interest in ex libris collecting and society’s were formed to promote and commission bookplates from prominent artists.

Bookplates served as evidence of prestige and status as well as important documentation of the provenance of books. The images often related to the interests, career and accomplishments of the book’s owner, a play on the person’s name, and ancient myths or fables. Whether your print focuses on the traditional subjects of the bookplate or addresses the issues of ownership and consumerism, we invite all APS and Spudnik Press members to participate in this annual exchange and exhibition.

Print Exchange Details:

Paper Size: 7 x 5 inches
Edition Size: 13 numbered impressions – You may produce a larger edition but the first 13 should be designated for this exchange.
Registration Date: May 28, 2012
Due Date: Prints must be received by August 16, 2012
Cost: $15

Payment Options

Spudnik Membership Plus Entry Fee $65.00 USD Entry Fee $15.00 USD

Please be sure to include your full name and preferred email address in “notes to seller”.

You may register to participate in this exchange through May 28, 2012. If you prefer to register in person or by mail please fill out the attached Ex-Libris Print Exchange Form and submit with your $15 entry fee to (or drop it by the studio during Open Studio sessions): Spudnik Press, 1821 W. Hubbard #302, Chicago, IL 60622

*APS members may send/deliever entry fee to APS.

Prints should be made using traditional printmaking processes (no reproductions). Digital prints are acceptable if combined with traditional printmaking processes. No photographs. You will receive 10 randomly selected prints. The first two of the remaining 3 prints from each edition will be retained for APS and Spudnik Press archives. The third set will be reserved for exhibition and art auction fundraising to benefit APS. Information regarding exhibit details and art auction will be announced at a later date.

If you are not currently a member of APS or Spudnik and would like to participate in the portfolio exchange, please join either organization by May 28, 2012 by visiting atlantaprintmakersstudio.org or here. Basic memberships range from $20-$50.

Spudnik Press members may submit their prints to Spudnik Press during our open studio hours (Mon & Thur 6:30-11pm, Fri & Sat 12:30-5pm) or by appointment. Contact brandy@spudnikpress.com for details.

May 21, 2012 – June 29, 2012
Spudnik Press Cooperative
Mon & Thu 6:30 – 11pm
Fri & Sat 12:30-5pm
Or by appointment

Lithography, simply explained, is a printing process that capitalizes on oil and water’s natural inclination to repel each other. Since 1796, Lithography has evolved from a process using grained limestones and leather rollers to high volume, multi-color presses. Spudnik Press has unique facilities, allowing artists are utilizing this medium for all it is worth. Traditional lithography captures nuanced mark-making, and is a terribly expressive medium. Offset Lithography excels at self-published zines and chapbooks, and has wide aesthetic possibilities.

Recent work from our Lithography Department showcases the work that has been produced at Spudnik Press since we added Offset Printing to our repertoire. This show sheds light on how contemporary commercial printing methods grew from traditional lithography – that they are not too dissimilar at all!

Featured Artists:
Brandy Barker, Kelsey Donahue, Caitlyn Eakins, Edie Fake, Sarazen Haile, Angee Lennard, Morgan Sims, Aaron Smith, and others!

Spudnik Press Open House

With a Special Toast for Chicago’s Graduating Printmakers

Friday, June 15, 2012
6:00 – 9:00pm

Spudnik Press Cooperative
1821 W Hubbard, Suite 302
Chicago, IL 60622

Spudnik Press Cooperative would like to extend a warm welcome to all graduating printmakers to stop by our Open House and see how we can help support your artistic practice. Spudnik members will be on hand to give tours of the shop, share their experiences printing here, and field questions about how to get involved. Our studio provides access to professional equipment for screen printing, intaglio, relief, lithography, letterpress, and offset printing, and our doors are always open. So before you fret about what you’ll do post-graduation, check out the programming at Spudnik Press Cooperative!

We’ll celebrate the accomplishments of BFA and MFA graduates from all of Chicago’s campuses with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, a toast, and a raffle for complementary open studio sessions.

Concurrent exhibition: Hot Off the Press: Recent work from our Lithography Department

Untitled

by Regin Igloria

Regin Igloria is the founder and director of North Branch Projects, a project space that uses the book arts to expand the creative reach of individuals. Regin says about his artwork “My work is a study in humanistic movement: travel and tourism, suburban sprawl, and psychological decision making found within the context of Nature. My relationship to this subject developed from an urban upbringing; one encouraged by the romanticism of a Western value system.”

See more of his artwork at www.reginigloria.com

Medium: Screenprint
Edition of 35
Dimensions: 22″x30″
Price: $250

Sales from Collector, Subscriber, and Patron Memberships fund our Artist Residency Program and our Publishing Program. Without support, we are not able to offer these opportunities to Chicago artists.

CHECK OUT HERE

Multi-level Etching

begins April 24, 2012

Tuesdays, 6:30 – 9:00pm
Meets for 8 weeks
$170 ($144.50 for current members)

Learn the fine art of Intaglio Printmaking from one of the best printers in the city. This class will be led by Will Sturgis, who studied at SAIC, then spent 6 years printing at White Wings Press with Teresa James. He spent a year in the world of screenprinting with Jay Ryan at The Bird Machine. And after that he found himself working with Tony Fitzpatrick and Catherine Brooks (former Crown Point Press Master Printer) at Black Shamrock Press (Tony’s new printshop). It has been open for just over a year and Will says they have already produced over 60 multi-color etchings from four different bodies of work. And somehow, Will has been working on his own artwork too!

These are just a few reasons why you should take this class – even if you are already proficient at basic etching….

Read the full description and sign up today!

Untitled

by Dutes Miller

Previous Artist in Residence, and long-time friend of Spudnik, Dutes Miller stopped by one day with a charming artist book, constructed from taped together photocopies. He was interested in making an edition of them, but wasn’t sure how to proceed. We were excited by the format and the imagery, as well as the opportunity to figure out how to reinterpret a series of photocopies as hand-pulled prints.

Medium: Screenprinted Artist Book
Edition of 35
Dimensions: 3.5″x5″, unfolds to 7.5′
Price: $200