Spudnik Walk Through from Angee Lennard on Vimeo.

To attend Open Studio, please first join us for a free Orientation Session.

Your donations are crucial to keeping Open Studio available and low cost.

What is the Community Challenge?

Each year, Spudnik Press supports thousands of people in our community— art-lovers, printmakers, explorers, academics, creatives, students, and dabblers, alike. You are part of the artistic community and the Spudnik Press family, and as 2016 winds down, we are seeking support from our friends and family to end the year in the black and keep our studio running smoothly.

We are in need of $5000 in donations by 12/31/16 to keep presses running smoothly and 2017 programs in full swing. The Board of Directors has set the pace for our fundraising:

They donated the first $1000…
and they challenge you to help us raise the rest!

We are already 20% there! Please help us complete the challenge!

Make a tax deductible donation

What Do Donations Support?

If we meet our $5000 goal, we will be able to cover the following costs:

• One month of Studio Access supplies. In other words, 7 gallons of screenprinting ink, 8 lbs of oil-based ink, 4 tubes of risography ink, masking tape, newsprint, emulsion, and many other miscellaneous supplies.
• Direct costs for 6 Exhibitions presented in the Spudnik Press Annex.
• 5 Field Trips for 80 Chicago-area highschool students.
• Ongoing maintenance of our 9 printing presses and 70 screens.
• Sponsoring 11 local artists through our Studio Fellowship and Residency Programs.

Over the next few weeks, we look forward to sharing more details about each of these programs, and the value they provide our community.

A Few Inky Incentives:

First Time Donors:
A special offer for our friends and family who are making their first donation to Spudnik Press Cooperatve: Donate at any level to be entered in a raffle for any Winter 2017 class or workshop.  The winner can keep the class for themselves or pass it along to a creative friend!

Donors at $100+ Level:
You and a guest will be invited to our donor-exclusive Ink & Drink Art Party on January 13.

Rise to the Challenge:
Make a tax deductible donation

Whether we like it or not, the year is winding down and at Spudnik Press, we are turning our attention to 2017 and another energetic year of making prints with our community! While each person that comes to the studio has their own goals, ambitions, and motivations, we all can rally behind the possibilities of printmaking as a creative outlet and a tool for community building.

Our 12 new classes and 16 new workshops present a wide array of opportunities for everyone from first-time artmakers to Spudnik alumni. Take a look at our new schedule. Sign yourself up. Or consider gifting a class or workshop to a friend who needs to spend more time being creative….

Brand New Super Special Classes: This Winter Only!

The Artist Book: Design & Construction NEW
Saturday Morning Zine Club  NEW
The Great Pronto Plate: Polymer Plate Lithography NEW

Giftable  DIY Workshops:

T-Shirts & Totebags Screenprinting Workshop
DIY Greeting Cards: Letterpress Printing
Illustrative Lettering: Combing Word & Image NEW
DIY Valentines: Screenprint Your Own Cards
Make Your Own Wall Art: Chicago Edition  NEW
DIY Letterpress Coasters
DIY Screenprinted Tea Towels

Core Classes & Workshops: Learn to Print at Spudnik Press:

Relief Printmaking
Screenprinting Explorations
Risography 101
Letterpress I: Wood and Metal Type
Printmaking Foundations

Build on Prior Skills: Special Topics and Intermediate Classes:

Offset Printing: High Speed Print Production
Screenprinting Refresher
Color Theory for Screenprinters
Risography 201: From Pre-Press to Publication (details forthcoming) NEW
Photoshop for Printmakers
Letterpress Finesse
Adobe Illustrator for Printmakers  NEW

Browse all Classes & Workshops

The holidays are upon us! It is time to search high and low for awesome gifts that feel great to give. We thought we would share a few ideas from our favorite local artists and our own humble studio.

To begin the guide, we have some gift options for people who just need a little push to be creative and make art. Here are a few ways to encourage your friends and family to make things with their hands:

1-Day Workshop | Hands-on art making for the DIY inclined
Annual Membership | 365 Days of Discounts & Member-Only Opportunities
Back to the Studio Special | Annual Membership + 3 Open Studio Coupons
$50 Gift Certificate | Good for classes, studio time, membership and more

Shop Local at Spudnik Press

This fall, we spruced up our store area, and have an all new “Spud Shop” with some of our favorite giftable items including posters, shirts, chapbooks, totes and a $5 print bin. Come by during our business hours (Tuesday – Friday 12-5pm) or Open Studio hours (Mondays & Thursdays 6-10pm, Saturdays 1-5pm) to browse the store. A few highlights from the online version:

Ten x Ten Collection | LP and Publication
Whole Inventory for Future Earth Survival | Limited Edition Print by Sarah Hotchkiss
Swim Time T-Shirt, Totes, Tea Towels & Bandanas | Design by Jeanine Coupe-Ryding
Guide to Being Broke & Fabulous | By Julia Arredondo, 2015 Resident Artist

Shop Local From Our Members

The members at Spudnik Press are a talented group of artists with online shops that stock everything from handmade wrapping paper to illustrated maps of the midwest to jewelry and apparel to weird gifts with dark humor. If you like art and you like your community, show your support by shopping local!

Bred Press | Brad Rohloff
Current Location Press | Raychel Steinbach Lauen
DrawAshleyDraw | Ashley Elander
Littlehahas | Heather Anderson
Perfectly Acceptable | Matt Davis
Radiator Comics | Neil Brideau
rovePrints | Alexandra DiVito
Takorika | Erika Harano
Tararchy Screenprinting | Tara Zanzig
TotesFerosh | Josh Epstein
Used Sweats | Gabe Howell
Vice Versa Press | Julia Arredondo
Who Cuts Your Jib | Miden Wood

Browse the Spudnik Press Cooperative Online Store

Internships at Spudnik Press focus on bringing students into every aspect of facilitating a community studio. Interns assist with daily maintenance of the shop, included cleaning, stocking, and ordering supplies, marketing, exhibitions, record keeping, fundraising, workshops, and classes, and more. Students typically work two days a week (Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays) 10-5pm.

Responsibilities include:

Art Administration: Fundraising, accounting, event planning, etc.
Online and Print Marketing: Design and distribution for small non-profit environment
Teaching Assistance: For group classes, workshops, and field trips
Printing Assistance: For Publishing projects and promotional materials
Exhibition Assistance: Organization, installation, documentation, and promotion

Spudnik Press staff begin reviewing applications on December 4, 2016.

See all the Details or Download the Job Description.

The Spudnik Press Fellowship  is a flagship opportunity for young artists, emerging artists, artists in a transitional point in their career, and artists who are unable to utilize our fee-based Studio Access Programs to gain unrestricted access to the many resources at Spudnik Press.

This November, our Fellowship Program is in full swing with three exciting events that highlight our fellows (past, present and future), and offer unique opportunities for our community to meet and learn from Chicago’s up-and-coming printmakers.

First, this Saturday, November 13, outgoing fellows Rob Kelsey and Matt Wead present The Exquisite Risographic Flip Book! With donation-base tuition, all are welcome to come dabble with a new skill, including educators looking for new ideas, first-time artists, professionals, and everyone in between. We suggest $20 when able, but are happy to accept whatever amount works with your budget. Space is limited, so sign up soon!

Then, on Saturday, November 19, we welcome back 2014 Fellow, Kim Morski, for her first solo exhibition in Chicago! Now a resident of Denver, Colorado, Morski is flying in to present a short talk about her exhibition, Populace Mechanics, Saturday at 7:00 p.m.

Plus, coinciding with the Opening Reception of Populace Mechanics, the incoming and outgoing fellows team up to present The Fall 2016 Crossing of the Fellows. This is your chance to raise a glass to our Summer/Fall Fellows, Rebecca Lothan, Robert Kelsey, Matthew Wead, and Randi Stella, as they pass on the (inky) torch to our new Winter/Spring Studio Fellows, Betsy Stout, Mary Climes, Carolina Martinez, and Yasaman Moussavi.

With two cohorts each year and over 20 alumni , the Spudnik Press Fellowship Program has proven to be a critical resource for Chicago artist and printmakers:

“I found this program to be unique because it allowed me to work in several different modes: as an artist, a studio monitor, and a curator.”

“The experience strengthened my teaching skills and my artistic practice, as well as my applications to graduate MFA programs.”

“The program not only immersed me in Chicago’s print culture and broadened my professional network, but also gave me much needed access to a printmaking facility and the sustained time to develop a body of work.”

We invite our community to join one or all of our fall Fellowship events to celebrate and support these talented artists.

Support the Fellowship Program

The Spudnik Press Exhibitions Committee is member-driven and provides a platform for our members to take the lead in the curatorial process for all Spudnik Press Exhibitions. Only in its second year, the Exhibitions Committee is a constantly evolving committee composed of members who are committed to advancing exhibitions at Spudnik Press Cooperative. It acts as a steering committee for all Exhibitions-related opportunities, assists with execution of all components of the Exhibitions Program and, to the extent of its ability, acts as an advocate for exhibitions within and beyond Spudnik Press.

More specifically, the committee reviews all exhibition proposals, selecting which proposals will be offered as part of the annual Exhibition Calendar, and contributes to the development of additional programs offered in conjunction with each show, such as artist talks, workshops and opportunities for our members. Each year the committee coordinates the Annual Member Exhibition, bringing energy and innovation to this group exhibition opportunity.  In addition, committee members have the opportunity to develop an additional exhibition of their choosing, which could take the form of a portfolio exchange, an invitational exhibition, bringing a traveling exhibition to our gallery, or jurying a thematic exhibition.

The Exhibitions Committee is fully backed by Spudnik Press staff who lead meetings, manages all exhibitions, handles budgets, etc. Committee members are asked to volunteer with various stages of each exhibition, including installation, photography and event assistance, approximately 6-8 hours per year.

By joining the committee, members are committing to a one-year positions with the option to renew each calendar year.

2017 Meeting Dates

• January 18, 2017, 6:30 – 8:30
• April 19, 2017, 6:30 – 8:30
• July 19, 2017, 6:30 – 8:30
• October 18, 2017, 6:30 – 8:30

Requirements:

• Must maintain a current membership at Spudnik Press Cooperative throughout 2017.
• Must be able to commit to attending the majority of quarterly Exhibitions Committee Meetings.
• Strongly encouraged to volunteer for 6-8 hours in the production of exhibition programs. Members can select volunteer activities that best suit their skills, interests and availability.

To Apply:

• Email angee@spudnikpress.org with the subject line “Exhibition Committee”.
• Please include your name and phone number.
• The exhibition committee is first come, first serve. If response exceeds our capacity, a wait list will be formed.

Deadline to Apply: January 8, 2017

Download the 2017 Call for Exhibition Proposals

The Spudnik Press Exhibitions Program invites exhibition proposals from artists and curators. This is our annual opportunity for individuals or collaborators to submit unsolicited proposals for solo or small group exhibitions. Proposals may be for existing or new work. Membership at Spudnik Press is not required to submit proposals.

Exhibitions are selected by a committee of Spudnik Press members using the curatorial statement (below) as a guidepost for all curatorial decisions. Strong proposals will resonate with the curatorial priorities of Spudnik Press Cooperative.

While exhibitions may feature artwork in any media, 2-D or wall-mounted artwork is typically best suited for the gallery, which functions as a multi-purpose space. While we welcome proposals from beyond Chicago, applicants should be aware that there is a very limited budget per exhibition. Applicants may be responsible for much of the shipping costs and travel to and from Chicago.

Spudnik Press Cooperative Curatorial Statement:

Spudnik Press exhibitions amplify the impact of resources at Spudnik Press by providing opportunities for artists and audiences to move through a variety of creative roles: from making to experiencing, from learning to teaching.

Spudnik Press showcases work that has ongoing relevance to our mission and vision, while also encouraging a breadth of community participation.  Exhibitions create an active platform to expand and diversify our cooperative.

To achieve these goals, Spudnik Press exhibitions:

• Are selected by a curatorial committee of active members.
• Emphasize printmaking and print-based projects within contemporary art practices.
• Showcase the creative, analytical or technical process of art making.
• Feature exceptional projects, whether produced at Spudnik Press or beyond.
• Engage diverse levels of professional experience.

Spudnik Press exhibitions offer exhibiting artists opportunities to:

• Produce new fine art prints.
• Present corresponding educational programming.
• Present Artist Talks.

Timeline:

• Proposals due: Sunday, January 8, 2017
• Applicants will be notified by March 1, 2017
• Exhibitions will occur between May 15, 2017 and February 28, 2018.
• Exhibitions typically run between 5 and 8 weeks.

Additional Exhibition Resources:

Archive of Past Exhibitions
Guide for Curators
Download the 2017 Call for Exhibition Proposals

To Apply:

E-mail the following to angee@spudnikpress.org with “Exhibition Proposal” in the subject line:

1) PDF including the following documents in the following order:

• Working title of the exhibition
• Exhibition Narrative: Description of the exhibition, both conceptually and visually. 150 – 250 words.
• Artist Statement(s) and Bio(s): Brief statement for each artist and bio for each artist. Include websites, blogs, notable artistic achievements, other relevant material.
• Resume or CV: No longer than two pages. Please only submit a resume for the curator, solo artist or main contact for group shows, not each individual artist.
• Three professional references for the curator, solo artist or main contact
• Image list including medium, year of completion, dimensions, and name of file

2) Work Samples:

• For solo exhibitions, include up to 10 images of work that will be included in the exhibition. Group exhibition proposals may include up to 3 images per artist. Sketches may be included for forthcoming work. Please include an image list. Images need not exceed 1 MB each.
• Work samples files should be titled LASTNAME_01.jpg, LASTNAME_02.jpg, etc.

Please direct any questions to nicolette@spudnikpress.org.

Above photo by Robert Chase Heisman.

This summer, we invited Edra Soto to be one of five women artists to visit Spudnik Press and collaboratively produce a new edition of prints as part of our Oct. 1 Suffragette Social Benefit Auction. Edra’s most recent projects have taken the form of installation, performance, and curation, so we were unsure what form her print would take. We settled on producing a handful of one-of-a-kind garments, reminiscent of simple house dresses, featuring golden panthers and shaded palm leaves.

While we didn’t realize that this is officially “Edra Soto’s Really Good Year,” we have long known that Chicago is lucky to have this amazing woman as part of our community! She is thoughtful, smart and enthusiastic, and perhaps best of all, she cannot help but pass along her positive energy to those around her. As we gear up for our October 1 auction, we are excited to share this short conversation between Edra and Spudnik Founder & Executive Director, Angee Lennard:

Angee Lennard (AL): Spudnik Press just finished publishing your newest print project, a printed one-of-a-kind garment. What was most surprising about the collaboration or how the project unfolded?

Edra Soto (ES): I have been overwhelmed by this organizations professionalism and generous approach to the artists they select to collaborate with. Having your work reproduced and being able to keep few editions in exchange for a piece of your work is a remarkable, fair but very generous as well.

AL: You have lots of projects going on this fall (The Annual at CAC, The Chicago Arts Club Centennial Celebration, RenBen 2016), plus you are curating a booth featuring 25 SAIC alumni. Will people find any of your personal artwork at EXPO? 

ES: Not precisely at EXPO, but at Silent Funny. I am a part of a very cool group exhibition titled Minimum Requirement. This exhibition revolves around the ethos of accessibility and an interdisciplinary school of thought and is curated by Amir George and Anansi Knowbody. I am recreating a cardboard tent that was made by a guy named Tyler Tyclark I’ve met in Downtown Chicago. His tent was titled Let’s Stop the Violence and has avery democratic way of gathering signatures and any information people want to disclaim about their experience with violence. I found his gesture to be so effective because it almost functioned as a collective public letter.  On top of this humbly made out of cardboard piece, he placed lolly pops and sharpies for people to write. I found myself cut up in the moment and talk to him for a little bit. I congratulated him for doing something. I thought I can use this exhibition opportunity to pay forward Tyler’s kind gesture against our city’s violence.

AL: When I visited The Franklin, in addition to Mike Rea’s exhibition, I was struck by your amazing collection of art. How or why did you start collecting art? And do you consider yourself an Art Collector? 

ES: An accidental collector! I started collecting by trading work with other artists or buying work at non profit organizations for affordable prices. Years later my husband and I found ourselves with a significant collection that is a true reflection of my relationship with the artist run culture here in Chicago. Our goal is to archive and document this collection and eventually create a publication accessible to the public.

What I love about our collection is that is private, but having THE FRANKLIN in proximity allowed us to turn the private unto a public situation. The work being available for public viewing perpetuates the life of the collected work that once was intended to be enjoyed privately.

AL: You are both an artist and a curator. Do you see these as two different roles that you switch between or are they fluid/inseparable?

ES: Yes. I attribute my affinity for curation to my affinity for installation art and how satisfying is for me to transform spaces for public viewing. Also, I am a raving art fanatic, so it is a very pleasurable exercise to bring together work from different artist.  I did my first official installation when I was a student at SAIC. I was looking at artists studios, curious about what they were making and I had an incredible urge to combine a series of them and create an installation…which I did. It was a group of woman artists and the exhibition was analogous to a hair salon.

AL: What piece from our auction would you be most excited to take home from The Suffragette Social?

ES: I would love to take home one of each of the three letter press pieces of Cheryl Pope Truth As Evidence: Voices of Incarcerated Youth.

AL: What women artists are you most excited about these days? 

ES: Donna Huanca, Juana Valdes, Leslie Hewitt and Ad Minolti are some of my favorites.

Get Your Tickets:

The Suffragette Social:

A Benefit for Spudnik Press Cooperative

United We Print!

Saturday, October 1, 2016
7:00 pm – 10:00 pm
6:00 pm Artists Reception
$75 VIP Admission
$35 General Admission

Featured Artists:

Vice Versa Press | Julia Arredondo
Josh Epstein
Margaret Hitch
Dana M Johnson
Erick Jurado
Logan Kruidenier
Viraj Mithani
Catherine Norcott
Nicolette Ross
Current Location Press | Raychel Steinbach Lauen
Jake Saunders
Matthew Wead
Tara Zanzig

Dates:

10/14/2016 – 11/16/2016

Location:

The Annex @ Spudnik Press

Corresponding Events:

Hubbard Street Lofts Annual Open House
Friday, October 14, 2016
6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Homecoming: Closing Reception & Artist Talk
Wednesday, November 16, 2016
7:00-9:00pm

Press Release:

Let’s hear it for the home team! At Spudnik Press, this fall Homecoming highlights recent work by our very own varsity team: 2016 Members!

Whether they rally for relief, shout for screen printing, get loud for letterpress, idolize intaglio, or revel in riso,  Spudnik Press is a second home for printmakers from all corners of Chicago.  Year ‘round, hundreds of artists come to Spudnik Press for space to grow their practice and produce fine art prints.  Work produced here goes back into the community, to activate and inspire.  

Each fall, Spudnik Press welcomes back a selection of artwork made right here for our Member Exhibition.  Representing the diverse themes and media active in our studio, Homecoming highlights the exceptional work being created by our Members day-in and day-out.  It opens space for dialogue between images, and between people: our members, alumni, and guests.  Just steps away from the presses where they were made, these prints showcase the processes and prodigies of Spudnik Press.      

Come celebrate our supportive, vibrant community at events including an Open House, a Print Sale, and a Closing Party.  Plus, for the nostalgic, a self-serve photo booth (complete with printerly props) invites Homecoming guests to make memories that will last a lifetime!

As Chicago artist, writer and activist (and auction contributor), Jessica Caponigro said in her essay A Very Condensed History of Women Printmakers In America,

“The sense of community that exists in both printmaking and feminist communities can serve as a rallying and protective force.”

This remark gives insight to why and how our Annual Benefit celebrates and promotes BOTH dozens of women artists AND printmaking’s roots as an agent for social and political change.

Spudnik Press is a women-run organization. Over 70% of the artists we support identify as women, including students, Teaching Artists, Resident Artists, Interns and the 200+ artists that logged over 3000 Open Studio hours. We have never had difficultly finding talented women artists, which is why we are surprised when we hear statistics like only 28% of museum solo exhibitions spotlighted women in eight selected museums throughout the 2000s (Published on the National Museum of Women in the Arts website).

While our country has made some progress, it’s too early to celebrate. In fact, new exposé and advocacy projects like Gallery Tally, Cultural ReProducers and The Feminist Art Project continue to pop up. And we haven’t even mentioned gender issues in politics recently emphasized by Hillary’s bout with pneumonia!

The Suffragette Social is an opportunity not only to show your support of equality in the arts, but to join a rabble-rousing party (yes, feminism can be fun) and to lend support to those who are actively creating space and place for women and queer artists!

Get Your Tickets!
Browse Online Art Preview
Share the Event

Help Spudnik Press put on our best Annual Benefit yet! This year’s benefit, The Suffragette Social: A Benefit for Spudnik Press is on October 1, 2016 (6pm-10pm) and it needs 25+ volunteers. Shifts are available the week of September 26 and the day of the event.

Help us get the space pretty, install our beautiful silent auction art, and make the event run smoothly!

If you volunteer before the event, you receive a complimentary General Admission ticket as a thank you for your hard work.

If you volunteer during the event, you’ll be able to enjoy the festivities with built-in breaks (even if your shift spans the duration of the event, we will have people to relieve you so you can enjoy the festivities).

Sign Up to Volunteer

Not interested in volunteering, but would love to enjoy the evening as our guest?

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