Spudnik Press

Chicago Graphic Designers Club Meetup
2025-03-20 18:00 - 21:00 (America/Chicago) | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Join the Chicago Graphic Design Club for a social hour and studio tour at Spudnik Press on Thursday, March 20th from 6pm until close.

Hubbard Street Lofts Open House
2025-05-02 18:30 - 21:30 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Join us on Friday, May 2nd for the Hubbard Street Lofts Open House!
Spudnik Press will be open from 6:30pm to 9:30pm for a:

Screenprinting demo by Teaching Artist Rob Kelsey
Letterpress printing demo by Teaching Artist Riesling Dong
Merch and print sale

Come hang out with us and get your hands inky. Oh, and don’t be a stranger – say hi to our awesome neighbors in the building too! 👋 Make sure to visit:

Fulton Street Collective
It’s Oksana
Platform Studios
Salon Hex
Studio 306
Filter Photo, and more!

Get a behind-the-scenes look at a collection of some of Chicago’s most talented artists, designers, organizations and galleries — all under the 1821 roof.
Each tenant will be opening their doors for the annual night of community delight. “Huge Art Show and Open Studios” event presents our established art collectives as we foster, develop and promote the growth of over 300 artists through our shared and community studio spaces. See you there!
Want to help us make this Open House a success, sign up as a volunteer!
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Graphic design courtesy of Fulton Street Collective

Member Event: DIY Paper Flowers
2025-05-16 12:00 - 14:00 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
We are delighted to offer Creative Volunteer Sessions for current Spudnik Members! These sessions are centered around creative collaboration and just having a great time in a social setting!
For this month, we are looking for members to volunteer for our upcoming Paper Flower-Making Session on May 16th at 12pm. Members will be learning and helping staff create small handmade paper flowers to build our RISO photo booth backdrop for our upcoming Birthday Fundraiser and Print Battle.
SIGN UP HERE
Aside from verifying your membership, signing up is required to manage headcount and help us prepare materials for the session. Thank you!

Art as Activisim: Speaker Event and Linocut Printing with Advancing Justice Chicago
2025-05-21 18:00 - 20:30 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
In line with Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Spudnik Press invites our community and warmly welcomes Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago into the studio for “Art as Activism,” a speaker event and linocut printing activity on May 21, 2025 (Wednesday) at 6pm.
The event features Gregory Jue, a participant of the 1969 Berkeley Third World Liberation Front and a member of the Asian American Political Alliance. Jue will share about the role of campuses in community organizing, the anti-war movement on campuses in 1971, and the role of art in movement work. A linocut printing and collage making activity will also take place led by Midwest Organizing Director and artist Andrea “Chuey” Chu.
RSVP For this event
Event Schedule:
6:00pm to 3:30pm | Arrival and check-in
6:30pm to 7:30pm | Gregory Jue interview (role of art in resistance movements)
7:30pm to 8:30pm | Linocut printing and collage making led by AAAJ Chicago’s Andrea “Chuey” Chu

About the Organization:
Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago builds power through collective advocacy and organizing to achieve racial equity.
For over 25 years, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | Chicago has worked to bring together the Asian American community, and empower them to create change in their communities. In 2017 they adopted a new racial equity mission that allows them to extend beyond their community, forge new relationships, and win on issues that affect all marginalized communities.
Advancing Justice | Chicago is an affiliate of Asian Americans Advancing Justice. Their national affiliation allows them to raise a more powerful voice to better serve our communities and become more effective in addressing the civil rights issues faced by Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other vulnerable and underserved communities. Other Advancing Justice affiliates are located in Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C
For ways to support their mission or to get involved, please visit this link.
RSVP For this event

Dine at Barcocina in Support of Spudnik Press!
2025-05-26 17:00 - 23:30 | Barcocina West Town, 1814 West Chicago Avenue, Chicago, 60622, United States
On Monday, May 26th, your dining experience at Barcocina in West Town directly supports Spudnik Press!
A percentage of their sales that day will benefit Spudnik Press to help us keep our doors open and our programming ongoing. Please mention Spudnik Press to your server! Their West Town location is at 1814 West Chicago Avenue and is open from 5pm until 12am during this “Dine to Donate” Day on May 26th.
Thank you for your support and generosity!
About our Partner:

Barcocina fuses traditional Mexican cuisine and various multicultural cooking techniques into modern Mexican fare. Our fresh ingredients and three distinct beverage categories will let out your sweet, smoky, and spicy side while you drink to the joys of life.
Come gather with friends in walls lined with open-air garage doors among rustic reclaimed wood and sensual fireplaces. You will feel the warmth of relaxing on a sunny beach and the coziness of a mountain cabin in the comfort of Chicago.

18th Birthday Party and Print Battle
2025-06-06 18:00 - 22:00 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Spudnik Press is celebrating our 18th birthday with a fundraiser to support our mission of providing an affordable and approachable community print studio in Chicago. The evening will include cake, drinks, a Risograph photo booth, dancing, and our main event—a Print Battle!
Guests are encouraged to break out their best coveralls and sunglasses and revel in our Print Battle!
DJ catieo!
This fundraiser is a love letter to our community of printmakers. We’re constantly blown away by the work you do, and we can’t wait to celebrate many more years of supporting your creative process.
Buy Tickets
What is a Print Battle?
Using the process of trace monotype, the team at Spudnik Press invented an exciting game where players use Hot Wheels cars to attack their opponent’s goal. The game is not only thrilling and laughter-inducing but also results in a unique print that records the event.
Advertise in the Arena
Each battle will take place in a handmade arena over a 30-second period. The arena isn’t complete without your advertising. You can promote your project, organization, or the name of your favorite cat in a one-color printed ad that we will design and lovingly attach to our arena.
Ads come in three sizes:

Race Flag – Triangular, no less than 4 square inches, $20
Arena Sign – Rectangular, no less than 8 square inches, $30
Arena Banner – Rectangular, no less than 12 square inches, $40

For your ad, we’ll need a 1-color logo and minimal text (no more than 80 characters).

Proceeds from the fundraiser will go to support our operations for the press, including staff, supplies, and rent costs. Your donation is vital to our work and allows us to continue our mission. Each year, we provide more than 3,000 hours of open studio access, dozens of classes, and free workshops. We plan to bring our residency program back at the end of 2025. The studio costs $1,100 a day to run, so every dollar we raise counts.
Buy Tickets

Full speed supporter tickets $50 (includes 1 print battle)
The economy really hurts right now tickets: $35 (each Print Battle is $10)
Can’t make the event, but love us anyway donate here
Buy Print Battle Arena Advertising
Join us as a corporate sponsor

Thank you to all who help:

We have profound appreciation for our Host Committee:
Holly Cahill, Nicholas D’Alessandro, Sara Dennis, Adele Henning, Jaclyn Jacunski, Julia Klein, Quincey Kras, Sarah Lentz, Duncan MacKenzie, and Dutes Miller
A huge thanks to our Print Battle Test Committee:
Percy, Ezra, Frida, Thomas, Francisco, and Micah
Enormous gratitude to our Sponsors:
Hallagan’s, Speedball Art, Marz Brewing, Revolution Brewing, and Will’s Place
Loud applause for our Individual Donors and Annual Supporters:
Illinois Arts Council, Driehaus Foundation, Gaylord and Dorothy Donnelley Foundation, Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, Vermont Community Foundation, and numerous individual donors
We’re endlessly thankful for the support and passion of our Staff and Board:
Meg Duguid, Avery Johnson, Yang Pulongbarit-Cuevo (Staff), Kristen Campos, Amira Hegazy, Patti Swanson, and Michelle Savoy (Board of Directors)
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Badass car graphic design by Adele Henning!

Screenprinting Demo at Fulton Market Design Days
2025-06-09 09:00 - 2025-06-11 17:00 | Fulton Market, 954 W Fulton, Chicago
Spudnik Press is excited to be at Fulton Market Design Days, happening on Monday, June 9 until Wednesday, June 11 courtesy of Oetee!

June 9 (Monday) 9am to 5pm
June 10 (Tuesday) 9am to 5pm
June 11 (Wednesday) 9am to 5pm

Visit the screenprinting demonstrations led by Spudnik Press teaching artists Rob Kelsey and Anders Zanichkowsky under the pink pergola, as the global design community celebrates the latest in design and architecture. Take home a screenprinted tote bag with a unique design for each day of the 3-day event courtesy of Material Bank!

Drink & Draw
2025-08-13 18:00 - 20:00 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Come have a drink with us!
As part of our fundraising efforts to stay Inky, we are re-launching Drink & Draw on August 13. There will be beer, paper, pencils, conversations, and commiseration.
Pay what you can — suggested donation: $10-20
RSVP here or just come
Drink and Draw is a low-key, drop-in social workshop devoted to drawing practices. There are no pretensions, no prerequisites, and newcomers are always welcome. Bring a sketchbook and basic drawing materials, and invite your friends! Drink & Draw occurs on the first Wednesday of every other month and features a special theme and a guest artist. Admission is a suggested donation of $10-20. We provide the beer — you just bring yourself (and your friends, and your family; children are always welcome).
This event will be hosted by Meg Duguid, Spudnik Press’s Interim Executive Director.

Drink & Draw: Botanical Readiness with EC Brown
2025-09-10 18:00 - 20:00 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Come have a drink with us!

As part of our fundraising efforts to stay inky, join us for Drink & Draw on September 10. There will be beer, paper, pencils, conversations, and commiseration.
This event will be hosted by EC Brown, who will introduce an online magazine, Botanical Readiness. This gardening publication is going rogue: open to straightforward horticultural contributions while extending into occult, psychedelic, and genre territories. For Spudnik’s Drink & Draw, artists will be invited to push botanical drawing into otherworldly places—and submit their work to Volume 4 of Botanical Readiness.
Pay what you can — suggested donation: $10–$20
Drink & Draw is a low-key, drop-in social workshop devoted to drawing practices. There are no pretensions, no prerequisites, and newcomers are always welcome. Bring a sketchbook and basic drawing materials—and invite your friends! Drink & Draw occurs on the second Wednesday of every month and features a special theme and a guest artist. Admission is a suggested donation of $10–$20. We provide the beer — you just bring yourself (and your friends, and your family; children are always welcome).
About Botanical Readiness, Vol. 4
Deadline: Sept. 22 (Autumn Equinox)
https://www.archeospiritist.com
This project is meant to run the gamut between gardening matters, related research and writings, botanical documentation, occultist enigmas, pure abstractions, and tawdry genre influences (psych, horror, etc.).
Wish list of contributions:

Reflections on gardening, cultivation, and botany
Documentation of this summer’s gardening work or horticultural encounters
Excerpts of related reading/research
Supernatural/paranormal material, even with a tenuous connection to gardening
Minimalist psychedelia
Pure color experiments, with or without a clear connection to the project
Pure signal/pattern abstractions — audio or visual

EC Brown is an artist and exhibition organizer who teaches art and design at SAIC, Columbia, and Lillstreet. He became active in the domestic artspace network starting in the mid-2000s with COMA (2006–08), Floor Length and Tux (2009–2014), ASCII (2011–2022), and Tascam (2015–2023). Recent facilitations have been online, including Record of the Month Club, Hemiboreal (for Krampusnacht), and — most recently — Botanical Readiness.

See You at Our Annual Community Meeting!
2025-09-14 13:00 - 15:00 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
We’re excited to invite you to our Annual Community Meeting on Sunday, September 14, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. As a member-driven organization, your involvement is vital to the health and direction of Spudnik Press. This gathering is one of the key ways we stay accountable, transparent, and connected with the community we serve.
At this year’s meeting, you’ll have the opportunity to meet nominees for our Board of Directors, including new candidates and current board members up for re-election. Voting will take place during the meeting.
In addition to board voting, we’ll share important organizational updates, preview our newest potato-themed merchandise, and offer pre-orders for our hot metal tees coming to an e-shop near you this Halloween. This is also a space for you to share your ideas, questions, and ideas for the future of Spudnik Press. We encourage you to let us know in advance if there’s something specific you’d like to discuss.
2025 Board Nominees:

Amira Hegazy (she/her) – Artist, Educator
Angela Runge (she/they) – Senior User Researcher, IBM Cloud

While only members are eligible to vote, we warmly welcome non-members to attend. We’re deeply grateful for your continued support. Spudnik has navigated many changes, and thanks to your engagement, we remain open, active, and committed to our mission.

October 8 | Drink & Draw: Drawing Games! with Lya Finston
2025-10-08 18:00 - 20:00 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Come have a drink with us!

As part of our fundraising efforts to stay inky, join us for Drink & Draw on October 8. There will be beer, paper, pencils, conversations, and commiseration.
In this Drink & Draw, artist and educator Lya Finston will guide attendees through a series of collaborative drawing games. These games will be tweaked and derived from those of comic artists Lynda Barry and Cathy G. Johnson. In the spirit of redefining what a “good” drawing is and minimizing over-thinking, many of these exercises will be timed.
Lya is always devastated to encounter folks who are scared to draw, especially when they are her own students. In her previous classes at Harold Washington College and the University of Iowa, Lya has centered fun, fast-paced, and collaborative drawing games as a means of mitigating this fear. As Cathy G. Johnson says, “a drawing is good if you had fun while you were making it,” so come have fun making drawings with us at Spudnik!
Pay what you can — suggested donation: $10–$20

RSVP (or just show up)
Drink & Draw is a low-key, drop-in social workshop devoted to drawing practices. There are no pretensions, no prerequisites, and newcomers are always welcome. Bring a sketchbook and basic drawing materials—and invite your friends! Drink & Draw occurs on the second Wednesday of every month and features a special theme and a guest artist. Admission is a suggested donation of $10–$20. We provide the beer — you just bring yourself (and your friends, and your family; children are always welcome).

Lya Finston ​is an artist, printmaker, and educator based in Chicago, IL. Born in Brooklyn, NY and raised in Cranford, NJ, Lya has since made the midwest her home. In 2018 she received a BA in Studio Art and German Language from Oberlin College, and in 2025, an MFA in Printmaking from the University of Iowa.

​Lya has formerly served as a Lecturer at Harold Washington College, a Printmaking TA and Shop Technician at Bucknell University, and an Access Services Assistant at the Ryerson & Burnham Library of the Art Institute of Chicago.

The Devil’s Proof
2025-10-29 18:00 - 22:00
Join us for an evening of spooky printmaking and mysterious fortunes. Make a palm print and have your future revealed by our guest palm reader, Mister Vibe, while your fortune is told with the assistance of our Riso machine. Browse a curated selection of spooky prints and snag our brand-new metal T-shirt featuring Titivillus, the infamous devil of typos. Costumes are encouraged, and admission is sliding scale ($10–30).

Get Tickets

Mister Vibe has a passion for palmistry and has examined over 15,000 palms. This vast knowledge base allows him to give deep, insightful readings that reveal the truth within each hand he sees. His decades-long study and practice of biofeedback led him to explore palmistry and other forms of the mind/body connection, including handwriting analysis (graphology) and hypnosis, for which he is board-certified.
To learn more about Mister Vibe, visit mistervibe.com and chicagopalmreader.com

November 12 | Drink & Draw: Letter Writing with Amir Badri
2025-11-12 18:00 - 20:00 | Spudnik Press, 1821 W Hubbard St, Suite 302, Chicago, IL, 60622, United States
Come have a drink with us!

Join us for Drink & Draw on November 12.
In this session, artist and leather crafter Amir Badri will present his practice of letter writing.
Writing letters—whether by hand, on a typewriter, or through the steady clack of a keyboard—is an artistic act disguised as correspondence. It’s both personal and performative: an exchange, a gesture, and sometimes, a protest.
A well-written letter is a tiny stage for wit, satire, and sincerity. At this Drink & Draw, Amir will not only walk us through his practice, but there will also be time, paper, and stamps available for you to write and send your own letters.

Pay what you can — suggested donation: $10–$20
RSVP or just show up
Drink & Draw is a low-key, drop-in social workshop devoted to drawing practices. There are no pretensions, no prerequisites, and newcomers are always welcome. Bring a sketchbook and basic drawing materials—and invite your friends! Drink & Draw occurs on the second Wednesday of every month and features a special theme and a guest artist. Admission is a suggested donation of $10–$20. We provide the beer — you just bring yourself (and your friends, and your family; children are always welcome).
Amir Badri is a Chicago native, leather crafter, and artist. A product of Chicago Public Schools, the Chicago Park District, the Chicago Public Library, and Marwen, his philosophy is that knowledge is power and the most powerful thing one can do is to give that knowledge away. Equipped with a love of antiquated and feral technologies, he believes that old ways of doing things have become overlooked back-channels of communication that can be used for change in this instant digital age. Rejecting the societal messaging of “finding his passion,” he believes that curiosity leads and passion follows.

MadMade Print Fair
2025-11-15 12:00 - 16:30 | Access Living, 115 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL, 60654, United States
MadMade Print Fair
November 15, 2025 from 12-4:30PM
Access Living, Chicago: 115 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60654
Free to the public
Join us for MadMade, a one-day event uplifting the creative work of artists living with psychiatric disabilities and mental health challenges. This community-centered fair brings together artists, organizers, and visitors to celebrate art that resists stigma, builds connection, and honors lived experience.
MadMade is more than a marketplace — it’s a gathering built on inclusion, care, and cultural empowerment. Visitors are invited to explore and purchase artwork from printmakers, illustrators, designers, and zine makers working across screenprinting, linocut, risograph, etching, digital processes, and more.
This mad-positive, disability-affirming event centers the artists themselves rather than diagnoses or treatments. MadMade offers a counter-narrative to both clinical and romanticized depictions of mental illness, instead highlighting real people making real work — art that is beautiful, messy, joyful, angry, and thoughtful — work that sparks conversation and fosters community.
Participants: 47pennys, Alyse Ruriani, Ani Johnson, ANKLEGLUE, Anna Strzepek, chana goldbloom, Crossing Raindrops, Cuatro Huevos, Darya Foroohar, Degenerates Collective, Demah, Dylan Sturdy, Esme, Indiana Mokey, Mimisdreamies, Nicholas Waguespack, Nocturne Best, OOO Press, Open Lid Collective, Reclaym, Sami Shuman, Sky Zhang, Support Ho(s)e, Tamara Harris, The Center for Mad Culture, Todd Evans, Via Mortola, Zio/Poen
Panel Discussions
The fair will feature two panel discussions highlighting the intersections of mad identity, artmaking, and community. “Mad and Disability Culture Building” will take place from 12:15-1:00 PM, bringing together Reclaym, Degenerates Collective, Dandy of the Underworld, and OOO Press to discuss collective organizing, mutual support, and creative collaboration across mad and disabled communities. Later, from 3:15–4:00 PM, “Mad Artmaking” will feature Alyse Ruriani, Sky Zhang, 47pennys, and Darya Foroohar in conversation about artistic process, lived experience, and reclaiming madness as a site of creativity and cultural expression. Both panels will be moderated by Matt Bodett, the Director of the Center for Mad Culture, and are free and open to the public.
MadMade is organized by Dylan Sturdy in collaboration with Spudnik Press Cooperative, The Center for Mad Culture, and Access Living.
Dylan Sturdy is a proudly neurodivergent artist specializing in printmaking and wheel-thrown ceramics. With deep personal experience of mental illness and professional experience as a mental health counselor, she creates academically informed artwork that supports those struggling with mental illness, educates the public about psychiatric conditions, and works to destigmatize and reframe how society understands mental health. Dylan is uniquely qualified to lead this fair and unite its participants.
Access Living is a national leader in disability rights and advocacy. It combats stereotypes, protects civil rights, and drives social change, ensuring that people with disabilities can live independently and with dignity.
Spudnik Press is a community-based printmaking studio committed to accessibility, equity, anti-racism, and creative collaboration. It offers professional equipment, education, and an inclusive space welcoming artists from all backgrounds.
The Center for Mad Culture challenges traditional medical models of mental health, offering new ways to understand the human experience of madness. They host exhibitions, readings, workshops, and maintain a mad/disability research library, fostering cultural conversations around mental difference.
