This June, Spudnik Press Cooperative turned 7. Those of us who have been around since the beginning find it hard to believe how far we have come and how much we have grown. Our mission, our values, and core programming, and even our prices have remained consistent. However, our studio has 10x the space we started with in our original work/live studio. We’ve added a Residency Program, Youth Programming, Exhibitions, Fellowships, and in 2013 alone, we served 2864 people through these programs.

As we grow and deepen our programs, we also need to grown and deepen the support we receive from the community. We are incredibly proud to announce that this year we have received support through both a CityArts Program Grant and the Arts Work Fund. We also hosted our 7th Annual Benefit that raised over $7000 towards our $10,000 end-of-year goal.

Between now and December 31, we hope to raise the final $2,600. In the coming weeks, we’ll be announcing more ways that people can contribute to this goal and more gifts that we’ll share with those that do. To begin with, anyone who contributes a minimum of $25 will enter a raffle with many great prizes, including an invitation to a Symposium Dinner host by The Perch and a suite of posters donated by Chicago Design Museum.

Support Spudnik Press with and End-Of-Year Donation!

Spudnik Press is announcing our 3rd annual holiday sale and potluck– Prints from Paradise: A Holiday Shopping Getaway! 

We are inviting members to participate in the sale and sell their handmade wares at our studio on Friday December 5th, 2014, 6-10pm. We are accepting artwork in any medium, including but not limited to prints.

We have 17 six-foot wide wall spaces and six tables available for crafts, publications, and prints. Those using a wall space can fill their space with as much work as they like and are also welcome to bring a folding table to place in front of their wall. Keep in mind that smaller, inexpensive, and giftable pieces tend to sell more frequently. We will serve beer and cocktails and as for the potluck, any contributions from our featured artists will be greatly appreciated!

Submission fee is $15 to participate. This fee is waived for members! The deadline to apply is Monday November 10th, 2014 and is first come first serve so hurry up!

To Apply:

1. E-mail info@spudnikpress.org 2-3 jpegs of your artwork that can be used for promotional purposes. Use the subject line “Holiday Sale”.
2. Either complete this form and attach it to the email to info@spudnikpress.org OR complete this online survey with the same information.
3. Submit the $15 participation fee online. If you are a current member, this fee is waived.

Questions? Interested in volunteering?
E-mail Holiday Yasmin or Michelle, Studio Assistant Interns and Art Sale Coordinators, with the subject “Holiday Sale” at info@spudnikpress.org.

A lot has happened since beginning Spudnik’s Printing Apprenticeship in February.

Through the Publishing Program I’ve been able to hone my screen printing, letterpress and relief printing skills. I’ve printed work for some talented artists and designers, including Nate Beaty, Alex Fuller, Keith Herzik, and Strand Design, as well as for some great local organizations, such as the Dill Pickle Food Co-op, the Center for Conflict Resolution, and the Read/Write Library.

I came into Spudnik a novice printer, lacking confidence about working through the process of screen printing, but have since learned how to problem solve and think on my feet to produce consistent, successful prints. These new skills truly reinforce my belief that all work should have a high level of craftsmanship and intentionality. The only thing I enjoy more than the work is the people I interact with on a regular basis. Whether it’s in the studio printing, or helping out at a community event, the Spudnik staff and the local printing community have never ceased to amaze me with their level of support and encouragement.

Throughout the past eight months, in addition to Publishing work, I’ve been researching, sketching, concepting, testing, printing, and producing a personal project that works to bridge my formal education in communication design and my personal passion for printmaking into something that utilizes and compliments one another. The final project will be a series of prints inspired by Chicago’s graphic design and typographic history. The content of the pieces includes found and reappropriated imagery, illustrations inspired by my research, and quoted text from relevant figures. I hope the project, having originated in a historical design setting, will prompt discussions of history’s influence, permanence, and relevance in our current culture.

Ultimately, I will be displaying the completed print series in a gallery show next year. Following my apprenticeship, I hope to catalog this completed work, my process materials, and contextual historical information in a book format. All in all, through this project I’m looking to add my personal and professional voice to the evolving narrative of Chicago’s art and design community.

If you’re interested to see more of what I’m working on, please stop by the studio and say hi!

As we ramp up to our benefit this weekend, we continue to share more details that make this an event not to miss.

For those who are looking for a great date night, we’ll have movie and popcorn packages from the best spots in the city to catch a great film, Logan Theatre and Music Box. If you prefer a live performance, we’ll also have tickets available for Writers Theatre and Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Or take a class at Eataly!

For those who prefer the exclusive, bid on a private West Loop Artist Tour led by Jessica Cochran, an urban tour led by Chicago Detours, or a distillery tour at Koval. We’ll also have items from our local institutions, both old and new: The Museum of Contemporary Art and Chicago Design Museum.

For the coffee lover, we have a tour and tasting at Dark Matter Coffee and a flight of freshly roasted Bow Truss Coffee. For those who need to spruce up their apartment, Sprout Home is providing a beautiful terrarium. Quimby’s Bookstore is part of the auction for those who want to spruce up their bookshelf. and Unison is curating a full table of housewares! We’re also auctioning off haircuts from The Circle Salon, Neuromuscular Therapy from Somivida Bodywork.

Ready to purchase tickets?

With help from our 5 Guest Curators, Jessica Cochran, La Keisha Leek, Ruslana Lichtzier, Joe Tallarico, and Roman Titus, the 7th Annual Spudnik Press Benefit boasts a full line up of renowned artists.

Framed artwork from the following artists will be available with bids starting at $35 at the Spudnik Press Benefit on Saturday, October 4. Tickets are $15-50.

2014 Roster of Artists:

Adebukola Bodunrin
Anya Davidson
avery r young
ayanah moor
B. Ingrid Olson
Carrie Vinarsky
Chad Kouri
Chrissi Cowhey
Cody Hudson
Daniel Luedtke
David Alvarado
Doug Fogelson
Edra Soto
Eric Rivera
Erin Borreson
James Goggin
Jase Flannery
Jason White
Jeremy Lundquist
Jeremy Tinder
John-Paul Wolforth
Keith Herzik
Kendall Babl
Kimberly Kim
Kyle Louis Fletcher
Laurel F. Foglia
Lauren Anderson
Lilli Carré
Lior Modan
Lyra Hill
Maria Gaspar
Marieke McClendon
Matt Austin
Matthew Hoffman
Matthew Terdich
Milad Hosseini-Mozari
Miller & Shellabarger
Nate Beaty
Onsmith
Paul Nudd
Philip Hanson
Rashayla Marie Brown
Robyn Paprocki
Rodrigo Level & Gabriel Kieling
Ryan Thompson
Sacha Ingber
Sofia Leiby
Tanner Woodford
Victoria Martinez

Purchase Tickets

1000
Doug Fogelson

Photograph
Framed, 12×16″
Curated by Jessica Cochran
Starting bid: $55

Available at the 7th Annual Spudnik Press Benefit. Purchase Tickets

Scraps of Space
Matthew Hoffman

Birch Plywood, Paint
Framed, 11×14″
Curated by Roman Titus
Starting bid: $55

Available at the 7th Annual Spudnik Press Benefit. Purchase Tickets

Spudnik Press Cooperative is accepting proposals for our next Fellowship session. Our Fellowship Program is our flagship opportunity for young artists, emerging artists, and artists in a transitional point in their career, and artists who are unable to utilize our fee-based Studio Access Programs to gain access unrestricted access to our studios.

What is a Studio Fellow? Fellows act as Studio Monitor for one Open Studio session per week, and will also take on leadership roles at special events, member meetings, and outreach efforts. Fellows will meet regularly to share artwork and support each others projects. The program creates accountability for each fellow as they set personal goals, create healthy studio habits, and develop their portfolio, and culminates in an exhibition in the Printshop, featuring new work by each fellow.

Ready to apply? 

For all the details please download our Call for Studio Fellowships 2014/2015.
To apply, download and return our Studio Fellow Proposal 2014/2015 and return to veronica@spudnikpress.org.

Important Dates:

Deadline to Apply: October 13, 2014
Required Fellowship Orientation: November 13 and 14
Monitor Training: November 15-30, 2014
Fellowship Begins: December 1, 2014
Fellowship Ends: May 31, 2015

Pictured Above: Studio Fellow, Brad Rohloff, at home at Spudnik Press

Old Friend?
Lilli Carré

Thread, Handmade Paper
Framed, 11×14″
Curated by Jessica Cochran
Starting bid: $55

Available at the 7th Annual Spudnik Press Benefit. Purchase Tickets

Monday AM Wave Test
Cody Hudson

Watercolor
Framed, 12×16″
Curated by Roman Titus
Starting bid: $55

Available at the 7th Annual Spudnik Press Benefit. Purchase Tickets

Cat Tongue Cat Tests
Lyra Hill

Ink and vellum
Framed, 12×16″
Curated by Joe Tallarico
Starting bid: $55

Lyra Hill is a filmmaker, cartoonist, performer, and organizer based in Chicago. She is perhaps best known as the creator of Brain Frame, the performative comix reading series. In addition, she has curated, juried, and organized in association with the Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago, the Museum of Contemporary Art Detroit, Brooklyn Historical Society, the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, Columbia College, the Chicago Alternative Comics Expo, the Chicago Underground Film Festival, and more.

Available at the 7th Annual Spudnik Press Benefit. Purchase Tickets

Make Way for Our 7th Annual Benefit! The day of our big fundraiser, we’re closing shop early to transform the studio into an auction house and party headquarters.

Don’t worry! We’ll be here early so you can still get in a full day of printing. Doors open at 10:30am, and the Open Studio session will still the normal 4.5 hours long.