In collaboration with Comfort Station for the international artist exchange project Close to There < > Perto de Lá, João Oliveira will be our Resident Artist during the week of August 11-18.  We are pleased to welcome João and look forward to the prints he will produce at Spudnik. On August 14 please join us for A Conversation with Spudnik Press Resident Artist João Oliveira and Jessica Cochran as they discuss João’s work.

“Little amusements: i’m going to love you, hold you, squeeze you, until you’re in tiny pieces is the result of the impression of plastic animals bodies, torn apart by the same method that I used as a child (and experimental medical coroner). After being misplaced and shredded, these animals undergo a heating process, developed by me, to turn them into two-dimensional matrices that I print with the same procedures traditionally used in engraving, resulting in a kind of graphic stain; a unique mark of violence that links the author to his act.”

–João Oliveira, 2019

João Oliveira is a visual artist with a BA in Visual Arts from the Universidade Federal da Bahia (2011), and a Master’s in Creative Process in Visual Arts from the same university (2017). He is trained in lithography and metal engraving through the Workshops at the Museum of Modern Art of Bahia (MAM-BA). He works on the encounter of metal engraving with other supports, appropriating personal experience in order to create works with a forged autobiographical nature, obtained through small rituals of self-fiction.

Close to There < > Perto de Lá is an international artist exchange project between Comfort Station (Chicago, USA) and Projeto Ativa (Salvador, Brazil), in collaboration with Harmonipan (Mexico City, Salvador), made possible by the MacArthur Foundation International Connections Fund. By bringing members of these two artistic communities in proximity with one another, this project aims to gestate long-term artistic collaborations between the participants, share arts-organizing models from their respective socio-political-artistic contexts, and encourage creative discourse around ideas such as the African Diaspora and contemporary Latinx/Latin American identities.

The exchange will begin with a multi-disciplinary group of Salvador-based artists visiting Chicago August 9th – 29th 2019, carrying out a variety of programs, performances, and research through Comfort Station and its partner spaces across the city. In February of 2020, a group of Chicago-based artists will in turn visit Salvador to engage with the city’s creative landscape via Projeto Ativa’s network of artists and cultural institutions.

Learn about all of our upcoming 2019/2020 Resident Artists

Learn about the Spudnik Press Cooperative Residency Program

Carlson has been working in the studio to create a series of screenprints during her residency at Spudnik.  The content of Carlson’s work intimately relates to her Indigenous identity. to her Indigenous identity. “I’m an Ojibwe person, and have long worked in Indigenous language revitalization efforts. Although I use language and titles in my work, I’ve never shared my ancestral language in my work before….There is also a secret joy when Native people see our languages represented widely.”

Andrea Carlson (b. 1979) is a visual artist currently living in Chicago, Illinois. Through painting and drawing, Carlson cites entangled cultural narratives and institutional authority relating to objects based on the merit of possession and display. Current research activities include Indigenous Futurism and assimilation metaphors in film. Her work has been acquired by institutions such as the British Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the National Gallery of Canada. Carlson was a 2008 McKnight Fellow and a 2017 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors grant recipient. Carlson is represented by the Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Learn about all of our upcoming 2019/2020 Resident Artists

Learn about the Spudnik Press Cooperative Residency Program

Spudnik Press is thrilled to announce our Resident Artists for Summer 2019 through Spring 2020.  These Resident Artists will bring new resources, perspectives, and professional connections to the various audiences that Spudnik Press serves, including first-time printmaking students, emerging artists, professional artists, art collectors and supporters. The Residency Program provides mid-career to established artists one to six weeks of full studio access and the support necessary for the production of new print-based artwork. The Residency Program supports a range of local, regional, and national artists with each residency adapting to the interests and needs of the individual artist.

Resident Artists 2019/2020:

Andrea Carlson, May/June 2019

Andrea Carlson (b. 1979) is a visual artist currently living in Chicago, Illinois. Through painting and drawing, Carlson cites entangled cultural narratives and institutional authority relating to objects based on the merit of possession and display. Current research activities include Indigenous Futurism and assimilation metaphors in film. Her work has been acquired by institutions such as the British Museum, the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and the National Gallery of Canada. Carlson was a 2008 McKnight Fellow and a 2017 Joan Mitchell Foundation Painters and Sculptors grant recipient. For further inquiry, please contact the Bockley Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Joao Oliveira in partnership with Comfort Station, August 2019

João Oliveira is a visual artist based in Brazil who works with techniques such as engraving and drawing, its intersections and unfoldings into other processes. Selected exhibitions include “Esquizópolis”, MAM, Salvador-BA, “Prêmio Gravura EVA Parque Lage + MUL.TI.PLO Espaço Arte”, EVA Parque Lage, Rio de Janeiro – RJ, two editions of “Salão de Abril”, Fortaleza – CE, and five editions of “Salão de Artes Visuais da Bahia”, where he was granted awards and honorable mentions. Other accomplishments include residencies at Museo Universitario Del Chopo, México, and Scuola Internazionale di Grafica, Italia.

Celeste De Luna, November, 2019

Celeste De Luna is a self-taught printmaker whose work includes large-scale woodcuts and fabric installation. Her political subject matter is social commentary with a feminine sensibility. In addition to her studio practice of creating large-scale relief prints, quilts, and installation, De Luna works in collaboration with community in Brownsville, Texas as a cofounder of the socially engaged arts collaborative Las Imaginistas.  Las Imaginistas are recipients of a 2017 Artplace America Creative Placemaking grant and 2018 A Blade of Grass Fellows.  Currently, De Luna is managing her print shop, Metzli Press, creating curriculum for a community printmaking collaborative, Taller de Permiso, (Permission Workshop,)  and a lecturer at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley  and lives with her family in Harlingen, Texas.

Benjamin Merritt, February 2020

Benjamin Merrit’s research intersects with the discussion of chronic illness.  According to Merrit, chronic illness is continually based around cure and cause, often times with a language that puts the patient at fault (stigma around weight, smoking, alcohol consumption) in situations where those are proven to not be causes for the illness.  Recently, the ways language is used in clinical settings and text have become more important in his work.  Merritt aims to bring attention to the complex relationship between the body and language in medical discourse, and to encourage the viewer to consider compassionate and affective methods of discussing illness.

Andrew Bearnot, March 2020

Andrew Bearnot (MFA, University of Chicago) is a self described “materialist”: he thinks with and through the substance of things. Informed by a background in material science (ScB, Brown University) and glass (BFA, Rhode Island School of Design), Bearnot explores moments of transcendence in the everyday. He was awarded fellowships from Fulbright and the American-Scandinavian Foundation for research on glass-making traditions in Sweden and Denmark and has been an artist-in-residence at the Hyde Park Arts Center (Chicago, IL), Museum of Arts and Design (New York, NY), Marble House Project (Dorset, VT), and Creative Glass Center of America (Millville, NJ).

Learn more about the Spudnik Press Artist Residency

2019 Chicago Print Crawl
Saturday, May 4, 2019
11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
www.chicagoprintcrawl.art

On Saturday, May 4, 2019, Spudnik Press Cooperative, in collaboration with 36 venues, presents the second annual Chicago Print Crawl, an annual, self-guided tour of printmaking production, publishing, exhibition and sales venues throughout the City of Chicago.

The Chicago Print Crawl offers a behind-the-scenes peek into Chicago’s vibrant printmaking industry. 34 eclectic printmaking venues throughout the city are inviting the public to stop by for a day of free activities including studio tours, print sales, hands-on art projects, gallery exhibitions, and printmaking demonstrations.

Chicago has been a hub for commercial printing since the late nineteenth century with dozens of mail order catalogs (Sears Roebuck and Co.), magazines (Time Magazine via RR Donnelley), and maps (Rand McNally) all produced in the area. While the printing industry has undergone tremendous change, the Third Coast continues to boast an impressive spectrum of print shops from private artist studios to commercial facilities to collectives and educational spaces. Some venues proudly house cast iron presses, tradition stone lithography, and analog processes. Other favor digital design, modern technology, or a blend of old and new. Connected to these distinctive production sites are a range of unique galleries, local businesses, and DIY spaces that bring printed items (i.e. stationary, fine art, books, posters, apparel, and more) to an audience of print-enthusiasts, art collectors, and anyone interested in craftsmanship and shopping local.

With open houses in neighborhoods from Evanston to McKinley Park and from Oak Park to Michigan Avenue, participants are invited to print their way through Chicago.

Download the Press Release

Participating Venues

2X1Y Studio
a. favorite design
All Star Press*
Anchor Graphics Archive and Chris Flynn at Columbia College Chicago*
Baker Prints*
Bert Green Fine Art
Candor Arts*
Chicago Printmakers Collaborative
Crosshair*
Current Location Press*
Dan Grzeca / Ground Up Press*
Depression Press*
Double Trip Press*
Elephant Room Gallery*
Expressions Graphics*
Fata Morgana Press
Flax Art and Frame*
free range
Galerie F
Halftone Projects*
Hoofprint*
Jeffrey Hirst Studio*
Lillstreet Art Center*
MAKE Letterpress Studio*
MANA Contemporary Chicago*
marimacha monarca press*
Matt Bodett and Megan Sterling
Neighborly
One After 909*
Renee Robbins Studio*
Rockwell Artist Collective*
Sonnenzimmer*
Spudnik Press Cooperative
Starshaped Press
Steel Petal Press
Weber Studio*

*first-time participant

Media Contact: Angee Lennard , angee@spudnikpress.org, (312) 563-0302

Spudnik Press Cooperative is excited to kick off the new year with new staff! Susannah Papish has joined the Spudnik Press team as Program Director. As an artist, a curator, and an educator, Susannah brings an abundance of experience to our organization. Please be sure to say hello the next time you visit our studio!

Our staff decided to put together a little interview to help our community get to know her:

Angee: What excites you the most about joining the Spudnik Press Cooperative family?

Susannah: Working with artists and creative people everyday!  I think of this position as part collaboration, part interaction and lots of generative thinking.

Tara: Can you talk about a specific instance when you have been significantly affected, influenced, changed by a work of art?

Jess: If you could sit down to dinner with any artist in the world – alive or not – who would it be and why?

Susannah: Tough one, but I must say Louise Bourgeois.  Why–I love the way her work takes on so many different forms and how she brings in psychological content.  For me personally, I would love to talk to her about being a woman working hard in the art world during an even more male-dominated period and juggling parenthood along with being an artist.  Her deep experience with her work and all kinds of artists is endlessly interesting to me.

Mike: If you didn’t work in the arts, what other career/job could you see yourself pursuing?

Susannah: A librarian!  I love research and libraries.  I was actually set to attend a MLIS (masters in library and information sciences) program a couple of years ago, but I deferred for various reasons and then re-thought my career path.

Jess: Do you have pets? If so, can you introduce them to us? (We are pet people here at Spudnik)

I have four cats:  Eli, king of the castle, Panda, named for the black rings around her eyes, Poppy, a long hair tortoise who looks like she’s going burst into bloom, Margaret, “Margi” (hard g), sometimes called “Sister Margaret of Sorrows”  because she cries all the time and is mostly black with a little white like a nun’s habit.

Mike: Do you have any hobbies/What do you do in you free time (assuming you have any to begin with)?

Susannah: Ha, yeah not a lot of free time!  Outside of work, I run a contemporary project space called boundary.  It’s in my garage and we opened in June 2017.  We’ve shown local, national & international artists.  I also have my own studio practice as painter.  I am also a mom–which is not a hobby, but keeps me quite busy along with everything else!

Tara: What’s your desert island album? (Stranded on a desert island, one album for the rest of your life.)

In our efforts to make Spudnik Press increasingly accessible, we’ve made some changes to the authorization process to introduce new artists and makers to our organization and facilities. As always, anyone interested in simply checking out the space is welcome to stop in and take a look around during any of our business hours or open studio sessions.

If you are an experienced printer looking to use our facilities, we ask that you attend an Authorization Session.

Authorization sessions include:

• General Studio Tour
• Overview of our programs that provide ongoing support to artists and makers
• Discussion of prior printing experiences to determine if minimum requirements for authorization are met
• Brief operational and safety demonstration on equipment and processes specific to the needs of the attendees

Once authorized, artists can take advantage of Open Studio or other Studio Access Programs. Artists may stay and print immediately upon completion of authorization. However, we recommend getting authorized well in advance of any project deadlines.

NEW 2019 Authorization Schedule:

Mondays: 7:00pm sharp
Fridays: 1:00pm sharp

You are welcome to drop in for authorization sessions, but it’s helpful if you RSVP to let us know that you are coming and what process(es) you want to be authorized for. Just email info@spudnikpress.org or call 312-563-0302.

Letterpress Authorizations requires scheduling a hands-on printing session with a Teaching Artist. This 3-hour session costs $125. Email info@spudnikpress.org to schedule an authorization.This requirement can occasionally be waived by providing a reference who can speak to the qualifications of the printer.

Hope to see you soon!

Spudnik Press Cooperative seeks a highly organized, outgoing, and collaborative individual to balance program development, education, and administrative responsibilities. The Program Director will bring leadership and strategic vision to educational and public programs by managing the following programs: Membership Program, Residency Program, Fellowship Program, Exhibitions, Education and Youth Programs. For each of these programs, the Program Director will manage budgets, orchestrate all logistics from planning through execution, create marketing materials, staff and document events, lead assessment processes, set objectives and continually push these programs to better achieve our mission and serve our constituents. The organization has intentionally made pathways through these and other programs, so the ability to formulate, organize and monitor inter-connected projects is essential.

Activities with these program areas include but are not limited portfolio reviews, private off-site tours, panel discussions, youth workshops, classes and workshops for adults, exhibitions, artist talks, and art sales. In order to successfully manage these programs and activities, the Program Director should be prepared to develop partnerships with peer organizations, curate and install exhibitions, manage member and board committees, and supervise staff and interns. The Program Director will also personally mentor participants in our Fellowship program through leading a weekly professional development seminar.

Through the various programs managed by the Program Director, they will be tasked with expanding the scope and depth of our membership program, and working closely with members to expand the breadth of community participation and diversify our cooperative.

Additionally, all staff at Spudnik Press assist with general office management, serve on fundraising committees, assist with outreach events, and cultivate relationships with potential clients, partners, and donors. Staff contributes to special projects as needed, and are involved in the planning and execution of Strategic Plans.

This is a fast-paced job that requires impeccable organization, project management skills, teamwork, and executive decision-making. Our work is guided by a shared commitment to consistency and reliability, true dedication to our ever-growing community, and bringing creative and conceptual thinking to our work. Spudnik Press staff are expected to bring passion and integrity to their work by building meaningful relationships with the artists, makers, students, teachers, and supporters that are part of the Spudnik Press community.

This leadership position will collaborate and work closely with the Executive Director to execute Spudnik Press Cooperative’s mission to provide facilities and services to anyone who wishes to be creative through print.

Key Skills & Qualifications:

• Public programming experience, from ideation through execution and assessment
• Management experience, or has served in a leadership, supervisor, and/or mentor role
• Has professional experience working with non-profit organizations in an administrative capacity (3+ years preferred)
• Has professional experience working at a print-related studio or organization (preferred)
• Familiarity with and appreciation for fine art print making (required) with hands-on experience making prints (preferred)
• Proven commitment to visual arts and Chicago artists.
• Outgoing demeanor and strong communication skills
• Outstanding organizational skills
• Strong writing skills for both internal and external audiences through grant, proposal, or press release writing
• Experience creating and maintaining budgets
• Experience using a database
• Curatorial and exhibitions experience

Working Environment:

• Shared office within high-energy print making studio
• Staff consists of two full-time and three part-time employees
• This position typically requires 9am – 5pm Monday-Friday schedule with occasional nights and weekends.    
• Occasional remote work is acceptable

Salary commensurate with experience. Benefits include three weeks paid time off, plus six paid holidays per year. Additionally, all staff receive waived tuition for all Spudnik Press classes, and unlimited access to all materials and equipment.

To Apply:

• Please send e-mail with cover letter, resume, and salary requirements to angee@spudnikpress.org.
• Application review will begin October 22.

Download the Program Director Job Description

Spudnik Press Cooperative is excited to debut many new 2018 Editions at EXPO Chicago (Navy Pier, September 27 – 30). Please visit booth #461 to see and learn about the many special projects we have completed with local and national artists throughout 2018.

Featured Artists:

Amanda Williams
Elijah Burhger
William J O’Brien
Faheem Majeed
Claire Ashley
Judith Brotman
Lilli Carré
Dana Carter
Jonathan Herrera
Richard Hull
Raeleen Kao
Chad Kouri
Judy Ledgerwood
Miller & Shellabarger
Paul Nudd
Steve Reinke
Kay Rosen
Alice Tippit
Orkideh Torabi
Brittney Leeanne Williams

EXPO Chicago will also be the first public viewing of New Printmaker Collection, a collaborative portfolio featuring Chicago Artist Coalition alumni, Benjamin Larose (Featured exhibition in CAC Booth #174), Roni Packer, and Caroline Liu.

In addition, our flat files will include select work from our Residency Program, publications, Ten x Ten collections, and additional Fine Art Editions by Jereon Nelemans, Edie Fake, David Leggett, and others.

EXPO Chicago Sneak Preview:

Brittney Leanne Williams
Untitled, 2018
Intaglio
12″ x 13″

Richard Hull
Spud, 2018
Sugarlift Aquatint
17″ x 20″

Elijah Burgher
Untitled, 2017
Unique Letterpress Pressure Print
23.5” x 18”

Judith Brotman
Life in Progress (Your favorite color is), 2018
Screenprint with blind debossment
11” x 11.75”

William J O’Brien
Untitled, 2018
6 layer screenprint
19″ x 22″

The New Printmaker Collection:

Coquille #1, Benjamin Larose
What if I don’t remember any of it?, Caroline Liu
Yellow, Again, Roni Packer

Learn more about EXPO Chicago

Our 2018 Annual Benefit: Bad Wedding is just around the corner and we are thrilled to present an art auction line-up like no other, with work by some of the most notable and rising artists of Chicago, including Spudnik Press’s very own members!

Congratulations to Julia Arredondo, Elke Claus, Ben Garbus, David Krzeminski, Lialia Kuchma, Carron Little, Dutes Miller, Yasaman Moussavi, Jill Ruzicka, Emily Shopp, Junli Song, and Tara Zanzig, whose artwork was selected by guest juror and esteemed colleague Oli Watt to be featured in the Member Section of our benefit. Member work selected for the auction on Saturday, October 20th will be professionally framed and photographed for inclusion in our online auction via Paddle8, to be released October 1st.

Don’t delay and purchase your tickets today!

The Annual Benefit Auction is our largest fundraiser of the year, which raises upwards of $20,000 to be invested in our studio and programs.  This year’s event, Bad Wedding, promises to be a light-hearted art party that incorporates campy adaptations of all the best matrimonial traditions. This carefully curated reception-style event will feature craft cocktails, live entertainment and exceptional art.

Spudnik Press Cooperative and the Chicago Artists Coalition (CAC) is thrilled to announce the second year of their project “The New Printmakers Collection: A Collaboration between Spudnik Prints Cooperative and the Chicago Artists Coalition.” The program is designed to offer collectors a portfolio of prints by three artists on the rise. The artists invited to participate are new to printmaking, and all are former residents of CAC’s BOLT or HATCH programs, which offer solo and group exhibition’s, respectively. This year’s artists include Benjamin Larose (BOLT 2017-18), Caroline Liu (HATCH 2017-18), and Roni Packer (BOLT 2017-18).

“By working with artists whom are not accustomed to printmaking, we are able to develop fresh and unique prints while providing the featured artists the opportunity to work with a master printer to produce new work otherwise beyond their means. We have truly enjoyed finding inventive ways to capture the essential elements of an artist’s practice whose work is typically in media as disparate as photography, fiber arts, and installation,” said Angee Lennard, Founder and Director of Spudnik.

This program is generously supported by collector Browne Goodwin, who began his own collection by acquiring prints. “Prints are often very affordable, easy to store, and well-suited for hanging in a home – enabling more people to share the adventure of collecting the art of their time,” explained Goodwin.

Prints may be purchased individually or as a collection packaged with a colophon and an archival portfolio. Prints are each 11×15″ on archival cotton paper. Edition of 14. Prints will be available on CAC’s and Spudnik’s websites for a reduced price during the pre-sale, running September 6-26. After September 26, prints will be for sale at full price.

The Chicago Artists Coalition is a non-profit organization that supports contemporary Chicago artists and curators by offering residency programs, exhibitions, professional development and resources that enable them to live, work and thrive in the city. CAC is deeply committed to advancing the cause of art and its importance in Chicago’s culture and economy by cultivating a wide-reaching civic, philanthropic and public support network.