Today we introduce Comfort Station, a community-focused art space located in the heart of Logan Square.

What is the most comforting thing about Comfort Station?

I’m pleased to report that the hot air trapped in our space by storm windows and insulation is the most comfortable thing about our space, in the winter at least. We’re all very excited to be able to live up to our name when we re-open our programs this winter.

In what ways does your chili recipe embody your organization?

It’s got a lot going on, is somewhat thrown together, but everything resolves to a richly layered experience in the end.

Which celebrity would you most like to share a bowl a chili with and why?

Peter Falk (RIP). There are numerous Columbo episodes where he is obsessed with chili, either at a french restaurant as a way of unsettling his fancy-pants suspect, or as part of some convoluted story that implies a folksy aloofness while (once again) unsettling the culprit. Plus, Peter Faulk is the chili of actors, with his perfect balance of comfort and seasoning.

Do you have any words of warning to your competitors?

THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE. Or three I guess, if you count the runner up prizes.

What does Spudnik Press love about Comfort Station?

In no time at all, Comfort Station has become a cornerstone of Logan Square. The unique architecture and history of what is often referred to as the gnome house contributes to the community-focused vibe of every event they host. Some of our favorite events have been art exhibitions in the spring and summer. Galleries tend to err on the formal side and be windowless rooms with strong lighting. So we find it rejuvenating to look and artwork in a space that has its doors wide open, a refreshing breeze, and green grass just a few feet away. Read more about Comfort Station!

Planning for the 10th Anniversary Printers Ball is now under way! As we gear up for the event, we are excited to offer one internship position devoted entirely to the festival.

The Printers Ball Intern will work closely with the Programming Team to plan and implement the 2014 event, supporting staff through each stage of development. Beginning the internship during the early stages of planning will provide the opportunity for the intern to creatively contribute to the event, and take a lead role in translating the visions of the programming team into a successful large-scale free public program. We will begin reviewing applications on February 28 with the internship beginning shortly after.

This is a great opportunity to build practical arts administration experience with an established Chicago festival. For more information about The Printers Ball visit printersball.org.

Download Job Description and How to Apply: Printers Ball Call for Intern

One of our six private studios has just become available. Private studios provide long-term space for artists to develop their artistic practice at Spudnik Press Cooperative.  The current studio available is housed within the Annex, a 600 square foot shared workspace, classroom, and gallery, the studio includes access to self-publishing resources and a small library (pictured above). Our fully equipped community printshop is one door away (24/7 access available for additional $100/month).

Annex East:
8×13’; 100 sq. feet
Hot water heat in corner of studio
$265/month

To schedule a visit, call the studio (312-563-0302) or e-mail angee@spudnikpress.org.

Meet the third competitor in this year’s Hashbrown: Read/Write Library. The Read/Write Library is a new model for open, location-specific archiving of independent and small press media.

In what ways does your chili recipe embody your organization?

Like the Read/Write Library’s highly inclusive collection, this chili collects a diverse array of ingredients, from the simple bean to the sophisticated red pepper, from home-grown oregano to specialty mushrooms and blends them all into a spicy and delicious resource on Chicago history, literature, and culture.

Which celebrity would you most like to share a bowl a chili with and why?

Studs Terkel! You just know he’d get around to telling some great stories over a bowl of chili.

If you were going to catalog pot of chili, what would be your methodology?

Well, following the Read/Write Library cataloging conventions, I’d not only note the author, subject, and add some keywords, but I’d be sure to note the location and any other contributors associated with the chili, to better map its connections to the Chicago literary community.

Do you have any words of warning for your competitors?

I know how to boil a mean bean!

What does Spudnik Press love about the Read/Write Library?

One of my absolutely favorite aspects of the Read/Write Library is the work they do out in the community. While their brick and mortar location serves as an amazing archive of local talent and histories, through collaboration with events like Printers Ball and The Chicago Zine Fest bring their work to a larger audience. Their currently raising funds on IndieGoGo to increase this type of work by replacing a stolen library on wheels.

Learn more about Read/Write Library!

Today’s Spotlight is Soup & Bread, a community meal project and hunger-relief fundraiser that serves donated soup and bread to all comers from their location at Chicago’s Hideout.

Soup is like Chili, but not. With this in mind, do you feel your organization has an advantage or disadvantage in competing in this year’s Hashbrown?

Chili is a totally legitimate subcategory of soup. Both are hearty, filling, cheap, and often prepared over low heat in large quantities. So, yes, I think we may have an edge on the competition. There is even a chapter on chili in the Soup & Bread Cookbook — and we’re going to adapt one of the recipes from that chapter for the Hashbrown.

In what ways does your chili recipe embody your organization?

Our chili recipe was originally prepared for a Soup & Bread we staged in Seattle in 2011, by an artist friend named Sarah Kavage. Sarah and I met in the summer of 2010 in Chicago, when she was in town working on an art project involving commodities trading and wheat futures. For that project she had 1000 bushels of wheat milled into flour and then gave it away to people all over Chicago with the request that they cook something with it and let her know the result. In other words, we were two people ridiculously obsessed with giving away food to nourish others and tracking the connections created by that act, so we bonded. Sarah’s recipe also scales up or down easily and is basically idiot proof. All of these are key elements of Soup & Bread.

Which celebrity would you most like to share a bowl a chili with and why?

Ummm. Willie Nelson? He’s from Texas and for some reason I have a hunch he knows something about chili.

Do you have any words of warning to your competitors?

No. We love them all and are just sorry that of course they will not win.

What does Spudnik Press love about Soup & Bread?

Soup & Bread wows Spudnik with the way they embrace the role of fun in hunger-relief. They remind us that food serves more purposes than filling our bellies, and plays a key role in community and camaraderie. Plus, the cross over with what we do here at Spudnik! They’ve got a great cookbook and sales support their work. Learn more about Soup & Bread!

Over the next two weeks, we’ll be presenting our incredible line of local organizations competing in The Hashbrown on February 22. Although small in size, they all have big ideas about how to improve our community, and they are putting their ideas to action! Today we introduce Urban Sandbox,  an all ages multi-canvassed open mic event that features poets, emcees, musicians, comedians, solo-artists, puppeteers and more.

What can you tell us about the long lost art of chili poetry?

There are rumors of an ancient library that held the world’s greatest chili poems but they were sadly lost in long-forgotten wars. No poet has ever recreated such greatness, but we guarantee that our chili will be a work of art.

With what celebrity would you most like to share a bowl a chili?

We would like to share a bowl of chili with Dr. Suess or Shel Silverstein. And then we could all write silly, rhyming poems about the dinner.

How does your chili recipe embody your organization?

Urban Sandbox prides itself on being an all-ages multi-canvassed open mic that supports and encourages the voices of Chicago. We’re gonna mix some 312 beer and spices in our chili and consider that representing.

Do you have any words of warning to your competitors?

We will write battle-haikus about how our chili is better than your chili.

What does Spudnik Press love about Urban Sandbox?

Urban Sandbox has been bringing talented poets, emcees, musicians and comedians together for the past twelve years through their open mic events. From the get go, they have been dedicating to bringing  young and veteran performers together to present work alongside each other. Creative circles that usually run parallel intersect. The diversity of the event is impressive, but more importantly, they are dedicated to creating pathways for young artists to meet and work with established artists outside of the teacher/student paradigm.

Read more about Urban Sandbox!

Members at Spunik Press enable us to be our best. Our members bring stability to our organization and continually support us through participating in our programs, sharing ideas, volunteering at our fundraisers, and spreading the word about all we do. We’ve always treated our members well with every day benefits within our studio (including 15% of classes and a listing in our member directory).

In 2014, we have partnered with six local businesses to offer perks to every member that joins Spudnik Press betweeen Jan. 1 and Dec. 31, 2014. The perks are valid as long as the membership is current!

Comrade Cycles is a full-service neighborhood bicycle shop offering expert repair; sales of bicycles, parts, and accessories; custom bike builds; and more. Comrade Cycles is dedicated to worker ownership opportunities. In their own words, “We’re so pleasant and helpful in part because we’re working for ourselves and all take part in the decisions that affect us as workers.”

Frames Graphics Studio is tucked away on Grand Ave. This gem of a frame shop owned and operated ran by Jamie. Jamie takes pride in offering his clients wholesale prices every day.

Genesis Art Supply is  has roots that go back to the 1940’s when Sheldon Goldman established his chain of stores names Sheldons in Chicago. Genesis Art Supplies remains family owned. Their store is full stocked, and they are always happy to place a custom order for anything not on their shelves.

Paperish Mess opened in 2012 and features the work of over 75 artists, including many Spudnik Press printers. In addition to paper goods, like notecards and posters, they coordinate rotating gallery installations.

Study Hall  is a little shop in Chicago’s Ukrainian Village that carries clothes and accessories for men and women, jewelry, books, stationery, housewares, and assorted ephemera for the discerning consumer. Their inventory is always changing as each season they focus on a new idea and curate their selection around that theme.

Quimby’s Bookstore is an independently owned bookstore that sells independently-published and small press books, comics, zines and ephemera. They favor the unusual, the aberrant, the saucy and the lowbrow. Anyone who spends a few minutes perusing their impressive collection is bound to find work printed at Spudnik Press.

Member or not, we encourage everyone to support these amazing businesses who are more than willing to support their community!

Classes at Spudnik Press are a hub where individuals with diverse disciplines, backgrounds, and artistic goals can engage together and push each others creative practice. In our community art studio, we offer classes that introduce traditional making skills as well as experimental and cross-disciplinary artistic approaches. From printmaking to illustration, book binding, or self-publishing, our team of amazing teaching artists each bring their unique perspective to our classes and workshops. Would you like to join this team?

Proposals for Spring/Summer Community Workshops and Special Topics Classes are due Sunday, February 16 at midnight.

For all the details please download our Call for 2014 Class Proposals.
To apply, download and return our 2014 Class Proposal Form and our 2014 Class Supply Request. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

Featuring 10 outstanding organizations and their secret chili recipes

Saturday Feb. 22, 2014
6-10pm
$10 for 5 tasting tickets / $20 for VIP Package

Spudnik Press Cooperative
1821 W Hubbard, Suite 302

Spudnik Press Cooperative is thrilled to host our 4th annual chili cook-off on February 22, 2014, 6-10pm. This year’s battle features ten of Chicago’s most unique and promising arts organizations, each vying for the Grand Prize—$250 to support their programming plus a commemorative Golden Ladle!

Approaching the cook-off with new vigor, Spudnik Press is raising awareness of the unique projects and spaces that keep Chicago’s cultural landscape diverse, innovative, and supportive. The ten highlighted organizations represent a broad range of disciplines and approaches. From CAKE, an annual festival of independent comics that represents and advocates the work of many underground and alternative comics artists, to Urban Sandbox, an all ages open mic event that provides young artists a safe creative place to take stage and interact with established artists, each invited organization approaches their line of work with distinction and verve.

Soup & Bread is a community meal project and a fun, grassroots way to raise money for hunger-relief organizations and other good causes. The Read/Write Library is a new model for open, location-specific archiving of independent and small press media. The Hashbrown makes tangible that small independent organizations like Soup & Bread and Read/Write Library, directly and indirectly, depend on each others work and serve the same greater community.

Additional organizations represented in The Hashbrown Chili Cook-Off include North Branch Projects, Sixty Inches From Center, Homeroom Chicago, Nightingale Cinema, Corner Farm, and Comfort Station, supporting book arts, journalism, farming, creative programming, and time based arts. “In selecting who we would invite, we looked to organizations that inspire us, are bringing ingenuity to their field, whose work is often under celebrated, and who are consistently advocating for their community,” says Founder and Director, Angee Lennard. As Spudnik Press transitions from a DIY space to an established Chicago organization, we relish this opportunity to highlight the artists and organizers that make our city and our artistic community so rich.

In addition to abundant chili, The Hashbrown will include cornbread and baked goods, live printing, and an exhibition featuring new work by Spudnik’s fall Artist in Residence, Hannah Ireland. Signature cocktails will feature CH Distillery spirits and local artisan beer.

Admission to The Hashbrown is by donation, but to cast a ballot, attendees can purchase five tasting tickets for $10. VIP tickets are $20 and include larger chili portions, a complimentary drink, a commemorative golden spoon, and a raffle ticket. Tickets are available in advance or at the door. Cook-off winners announced at 9:30 pm or when chili runs dry.

Purchase Tickets
RSVP on Facebook

Press contact: Angee Lennard

The Hashbrown 2014 is sponsored in part by:

Dear Friends,

As 2013 comes to a close, we asked our dedicated Board of Directors to reflect on how Spudnik Press is unique in serving our community and support the arts, and why you should consider supporting Spudnik. Here is what they had to say:

We bring people together

From the free artist talks and lectures we offer, to our collaborations with larger organizations like Homeroom for Ten x Ten, and the Poetry Foundation for The Printers Ball, engaging with our Chicago community is at the core of who we are.

We welcome everyone

Spudnik Press Cooperative supports artists and students from all backgrounds through field trips, internships, publishing projects, group classes, and private lessons. We collaborate with high school poets, nursing home residents, public school teachers, musicians, graphic designers, and established artists.This cross-pollination provides a unique context for individuals to connect to their communities through visual art.

We meet people where they are at

Whether you need to print a single t-shirt, develop a full product line, or learn a traditional printmaking process, Spudnik has something to offer you. However, Spudnik Press isn’t just a place to take classes and make art. We offer creative programming to support artists and aspiring artists at any stage of their career including professional development, internships, residencies, and apprenticeships. These services are often offered at low or no cost to the artists.

We are committed to being affordable

Accessibility and affordability are key parts of Spudnik’s missionm so we aim to keep our fees and tuitions low, and offer avenues to those who cannot afford studio access through subsidized apprenticeships, youth field trips, community workshops and more. Your support will increase opportunities we are able to offer to those who cannot afford Spudnik.

We invest your donations wisely

Each dollar contributed to our mission is spent judiciously, and all earned income is completely reinvested in our programming. An average of $33 per day is spent on art supplies, which adds up to over $12,000 each year. $150 covers one month of insurance. $750 pays for one Artist Residency. Even a small donation can help fund an exhibition or youth field trip, and ensures that we can keep costs low for all that use our studio.

Studio fees, tuition, and earned income only cover a portion of our operating expenses. The rest comes from people like you. Please consider making a donation to support our work. 

Make Your Tax-Deductible Donation

This apprenticeship is a ten-month position that combines professional experience working with clients through our Publishing Program with entrepreneurial guidance. Artists apply with a substantial personal project they would like to work on throughout the apprenticeship. Over the course of the year, the apprentice will work with an advisor to develop their project.

Spudnik Press Apprentices are paid employees of Spudnik Press. Additionally, Apprentices receive complimentary keyholder access to the print studio. Read more details and the history of the program.

Review of applications will begin on Jan. 10, 2014. The 2014 Apprenticeship Program will tentatively run from Feb 15 – December 15, 2013. Please contact angee@spudnikpress.org with questions.

Applications Due January 17, 2014

We are pleased to announce our open call for applications to our residency program for the Spring of 2014. Printmakers, bookmakers, writers, and artists working in multiple disciplines are encouraged to apply.

Download Residency Description and How to Apply: Spring 2014 Residency Call

About Our Residency Program

Spudnik Press’ Residency Program provides the resources, equipment, and space for one artist per season to develop a body of print-based work. We hope to encourage and enable the production of innovative, high-quality, print-based artwork, and to contribute to the development of an emerging Chicago artist.

Spudnik Press will provide the Residents a $250 allowance for project-specific materials and unlimited general supplies (full list is available on our website) and access to the studio. At the conclusion of the residency, Spudnik Press organizes an exhibition of the work created during the 3 month period. The program is open to any artist comfortable working independently in his or her medium. Spudnik Press does not have the ability to assist with travel and housing, and encourages only Chicago residents to apply. One Residency position is awarded per season.

We aim to provide a residency that is catered to the individual artist. Proposals may be for a residency which works towards creating an edition of prints, artist books, chapbooks, zines, or a multi-disciplinary project. Artists that wish to work collaboratively may apply together.