Housed within a 3,000 square foot shared workspace and community printshop, our private studios are ideal for active printmakers, as well as book artists, and artists who work with a variety of 2-D media or small scale 3-D media.

Please note that the studio is NOT furnished with shelving and furniture.

Status:

Available November May 1, 2026

Rent:

Amenities:

Drawn to the visual language of early 20th century pseudosciences — including Rorschach ink blot tests and Thought Forms — her prints take on a nebulous, expressive quality that mirrors the uncertainty and wonder embedded in those early attempts to make the invisible visible. The resulting work is at once intuitive and investigative, evoking the turbulent, shapeshifting conditions of our early universe and inviting viewers to sit with ambiguity, pattern, and the limits of human perception. A public event will be announced in conjunction with the residency.

Lees will be in residence through May 13, 2026.

Kacie Lees is a Chicago-based neon artist, printmaker, and metalworker whose interdisciplinary practice explores nature and history through the phenomenon of light. Grounded in craft and informed by research into optics and chaos theory, she fuses time into matter, using light as both subject and medium to reveal shared atomic origins and ideas of universal interconnection. Fire and electricity are central to her process — from molten glass to radiant plasma, Lees creates sculptures that glow, existing somewhere between natural phenomena and human perception.

Lees teaches neon fabrication nationally at institutions including New York University and the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and strengthens the voice of glass craft through public workshops in Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, Corning, and Seattle. She is the author and illustrator of Neon Primer: A Handbook on Light Construction, a 200-page, hand silk-screened technical manual that serves as a crucial resource to preserve material and fabrication history, define a contemporary visual language for neon, and expand its interdisciplinary reach.

Programs at Spudnik Press are partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Driehaus Foundation, and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.

Lotería takes its name and structure from the iconic Mexican card game, repurposing its symbolic imagery as a framework for deeply personal storytelling. Each piece in the series functions like a card drawn from the deck — a moment, a symbol, a feeling — mapping Santana’s relationship to her own cultural identity across the full arc of her life. That relationship, as the work makes clear, is not a simple one. The exhibition holds space for the embarrassment and shame that can accompany cultural identity, particularly across generations and geographies, alongside the profound love, gratitude, and pride that run just as deep and just as true.

Through this series, Santana revisits pivotal stages of her life, pairing personal memory with the cultural symbols that have traveled with her family across generations. The result is a body of work that is at once a family portrait, a self-portrait, and an act of reclamation — a chance to look back at inherited culture not with the eyes of a child who wanted to fit in, but with the clarity and appreciation of an adult who understands what she was given.

Karla Santana is a first generation Mexican-American designer and illustrator from Chicago. As a self-proclaimed “serial-hobbyist,” she enjoys exploring a variety of mediums from Risograph printing, screenprinting, sewing, and crochet, and more. She often combines multiple mediums to create whimsical pieces that integrate nostalgic elements of her childhood with playful characters and a vibrant, character-driven visual language.

Lotería is on view at Spudnik Press, 1821 W. Hubbard St., Chicago, IL 60622. Gallery hours are Monday-Saturday 10am-6pm.

Programs at Spudnik Press are partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Driehaus Foundation, and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.

Whether you are a longtime member or brand new to our studio, we want to hear from you. Please take a few minutes to complete this short survey — your responses are invaluable to us.

As a thank you for your participation, we will be awarding free open studio credits to four respondents. Simply include your email at the end of the survey to be entered. Winners will be announced following the survey’s close on May 1st.

Take the 2026 Spudnik Press Survey → https://forms.gle/UYJrf3UbYnpgM1Ev7

Santana works across a wide range of mediums, including Risograph printing, screenprinting, sewing, and crochet, often combining multiple processes within a single piece. Her practice draws from formative childhood experiences, integrating character-based imagery and vibrant visual language as a means of examining memory and identity. Beneath their bright palettes and approachable forms, her works carry layered reflections on belonging, family, inheritance, and cultural pride.

Loteria draws inspiration from the iconic Mexican card game of the same name, using its symbolic structure as a framework for personal storytelling. Santana outlines the complex  relationships to culture that can be shaped by periods of embarrassment and shame, as well as deep love, gratitude, and pride. Through this series, she revisits pivotal stages of her life, pairing each with cultural symbols that have followed her family across generations.The project offers a space to reconsider family narratives with appreciation and to arrive at a powerful realization: “wow, de verdad gané la lotería” (“wow, I really won the lottery”).

Throughout her residency, Santana will utilize Spudnik Press’s print facilities to expand the scale and technical complexity of the series. A public event will be announced in conjunction with the residency.

Santana will be in residcence through April 13, 2026

Karla Santana is a first generation Mexican-American designer and illustrator from Chicago. As a self proclaimed “serial-hobbyist,” Karla enjoys exploring a variety of mediums from Risograph printing, screenprinting, sewing, crochet and more. Karla often combines multiple mediums to create whimsical pieces that integrate nostalgic elements of her childhood with silly characters and cutesy styles.

Programs at Spudnik Press are partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Driehaus Foundation, and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.

The Chicago and Vicinity Riso Biennial is a regional exhibition celebrating risograph printing as it is being made right now across the Midwest. The show brings together artists from Chicago and Illinois along with the surrounding states — Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, and Indiana — working in a medium defined by experimentation, accessibility, and the particular beauty of ink on paper.

Risograph printing occupies a unique space — rooted in zine culture and independent publishing, but increasingly embraced by artists pushing at the edges of what the process can do. Its layered spot colors, soy-based inks, and analog unpredictability make it a medium that rewards curiosity and collaboration.

This biennial is both a survey and a celebration, and a cheeky nod to the Art Institute of Chicago’s now defunct Chicago and Vicinity exhibition. This show is a chance to bring Midwest riso work into conversation with itself and honor a tradition of showing regional art, grounded in the independent, artist-driven print culture of the Midwest.

Eligibility: Artists residing in Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Wisconsin, or Indiana are invited to submit.

Submissions: Artists may submit up to 3 existing works made using risograph. Submissions are free and open via this link.

Key Dates: 

Submission deadline: March 30, 2026 

Artist notification: April 6 

Work due at Spudnik Press (1821 W Hubbard St, #302, Chicago, IL 60622): April 20, 2026 

Opening Reception: Sunday, May 3, 2–5pm
Epiphany Center for the Arts: 201 S Ashland Ave, Chicago, IL 60607

Show closing Jul 4, 2026

Work can be shipped or dropped off at Spudnik Press at the expense of the sender (we recommend that out-of-town artists work together to ship their prints in one package). The work will be retained at the end of the show as part of a permanent archive (or as permanent as Riso can be).

Programs at Spudnik Press are partially supported by grants from the Illinois Arts Council Agency, the Driehaus Foundation, and the Gaylord & Dorothy Donnelley Foundation.

Volunteer at Spudnik Press as a weekly Studio Monitor!

Our Volunteer Studio Monitor Open Call provides interested artists with printmaking experience 6 months of 24/7 access to our professional facilities, a flat file, and opportunities to expand their printmaking and studio tech skills. Through a weekly 4-hour commitment, Volunteer Studio Monitors support our Open Studio Hours while becoming more familiar with the Spudnik Press community. 

Open Studio at Spudnik Press provides studio access at a reduced price and is available to all who can print independently. You can learn more about the Open Studio sessions that we offer here. Each Volunteer Studio Monitor leads an Open Studio session each week. Their responsibilities include:

• Welcoming and supporting all guests
• Providing basic troubleshooting and printing assistance
• Collecting payments
• Restocking supplies, cleaning, and organizing the studio
• Seeking opportunities to improve the facilities at Spudnik Press

To fulfill these duties, all Volunteer Studio Monitors receive:

• 24/7 Keyholder access for the duration of their monitoring
• Authorization on all Spudnik Press facilities
• A flat file drawer to store work
• General orientation about the organization and their role
• Technical training on the various printmaking equipment at Spudnik Press

Important Dates:

• Deadline to Apply: March 9, 2026
• orientations and trainings scheduled the week of March 23.
• Monitoring schedule: starts March 30, 2026

SUBMIT INTEREST TO VOLUNTEER

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Programs at Spudnik Press are partially supported by a grant from the Illinois Arts Council Agency and Builder’s Initiative.

This project is partially supported by a Chicago Arts Recovery Program grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events.

We are expanding our Free Space program. Alongside free Monday open studio time, we now offer free one-color Riso prints for resistance pamphlets, posters, and flyers.

We can produce up to 100 copies per project. Send files to info@spudnikpress.org. Turnaround will be as fast as our tiny staff allows. 

Once a week, our studio is open to printers creating movement posters, pamphlets, and other materials for community sharing. We provide one screen-printing station and one Vandercook press at no cost. This time is reserved for producing materials intended for free distribution. Mondays, 10 am–2 pm. To book, email director@spudnikpress.org.

Know Your Rights flyers, protest signs, ICE-Free signs, and other organizing materials are available to anyone who wants them. We can also help distribute materials you provide—let us know if you’d like us to print a small run for sharing.

Free materials are available at Spudnik Press during open studio hours: Monday–Thursday, 10 am–10 pm, and Friday–Sunday, 10 am–6 pm.

We know that this offer may not fit all projects, so if you have something else in mind or have another need, reach out to us and we will do what we can, when we can.

This project began in October. We have been awed by the response from our community and inspired by the work of our colleagues. Below is a very incomplete list of other printers offering free materials.

In solidarity,

Meg Duguid

Meg Duguid, Executive Director
With Avery Johnson, Studio Manager
And Amira Hegazy, Michelle Savoy, Kristen Campos, & Angela Runge (Board of Directors)

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We’re inspired by our community and in solidarity with printers everywhere making prints available.

Empress Editions (Cleveland, OH)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTlT9xgDsrQ/

Highpoint Prints (Minnesota)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT_W8XREu02/

Madison Print & Resist Zinefest (Madison, WI)
https://madisonprintandresist.wordpress.com/

Matiz Press (Chicago)
https://matizpress.com/pages/free-protest-printing

Melon Press (St. Louis, MO)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT01kGxCZBy/?img_index=1

Outlet (Portland, OR)
https://www.outletpdx.com/protest-posters

Paper Press Punch (Seattle, WA)
https://www.paperpresspunch.com/print-for-the-people

San Francisco Poster Syndicate (San Francisco, CA)
https://sfpostersyndicate.com/

Signal Return (Detroit, MI)
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTi-zRyAUHj/

Also if you don;t know where to start Just Seeds Artist Collective has made a ton of graphics available for you to print 

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A Brief Note on Sustainability

We launched this program in October not knowing how we were going to make it work. Since then, we’ve figured out how to stretch our staff and budget to keep it going.

We’re stepping out again, even without fully knowing how this will impact our bottom line. Quite simply, we can’t exist as a print shop without being committed to free expression and our collective humanity.

If you have any ideas, please share them. And if you have extra paper you’d like to donate to support this project, please drop it by.

NOTE: THE APPLICATION PERIOD FOR THIS POSITION HAS CLOSED

We are accepted applications through January 28, 2026

Spudnik Press is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit located in Chicago, Illinois. Focused on the art & craft of printmaking, Spudnik provides local artists with affordable access to studio facilities, equipment, and professional development opportunities. Open studio hours, residency & fellowship programs, exhibitions, and other initiatives are offered to foster community, encourage collaboration, and serve our diverse network of creatives.

Thanksgiving Week: November 24–30, 2025

Winter Break: December 21, 2025 – January 4, 2026

Keyholders will continue to have access to the studio during these weeks. However, staff will be unavailable, and we will not be responding to emails or inquiries until we return.

Today, we at Spudnik Press want to make clear what our priorities are.

Spudnik Press is an ICE‑Free Zone and does not cooperate with federal immigration enforcement, in alignment with the City of Chicago’s ICE‑Free policies.

We are making Know Your Rights flyers, a selection of protest signs, ICE‑Free signs, and other printed organizing materials available to anyone who wants them. We are also happy to distribute information you provide. These items will be available for pick-up at Spudnik Press starting the morning of 10/9 during our open studio hours: Monday–Thursday, 10 am–10 pm, and Friday–Sunday, 10 am–6 pm.

Additionally, we are opening our studio once a week for printers who want to create movement posters, pamphlets, and other materials for community sharing. We will provide one screen printing station and one Vandercook press free of charge for this purpose. You can use this time to make posters and pamphlets for free distribution in the Chicagoland area. Mondays from 10 am–2 pm will be available for booking by emailing director@spudnikpress.org.

This is just the beginning. Over the coming weeks, we hope to build more connections, find new ways to help people express their ideas, and provide a space to pick up and drop off information. Please share your thoughts and suggestions—we will do our best to make them happen.

In solidarity,

Meg Duguid

Meg Duguid, Executive Director
With Avery Johnson, Studio Manager
And Amira Hegazy, Michelle Savoy, Kristen Campos, & Angela Runge (Board of Directors)

You are invited to apply to Mad Made

MadMade is a one-day, community-centered event designed to celebrate, support, and showcase the creative work of artists living with psychiatric disabilities and mental health challenges. This is not just another craft fair—it’s a space built on inclusion, care, and cultural empowerment.

MadMade is open to printmakers, Illustrators, artists, designers, and zine makers working across a wide variety of print including prints, screenprinting, lino cut, risograph, etching, digital print processes, or other print techniques. MadMade is open to individuals and collectives with a focus on first person experience.

This fair is a mad-positive, disability-affirming event focusing on individuals themselves, rather than their involvement in diagnosis or treatment, highlighting first-person experience regardless of formal diagnosis. It offers a counter-narrative to both the clinical and romanticized depictions of mental illness. Instead, it centers real people making real work that is beautiful, messy, joyful, angry, thoughtful work that opens conversation and creates community experience.

Apply here

MadMade is organized by Dylan Sturdy in conjunction with Spudnik Press, The Center for Mad Culture, and Access Living

If you have any questions, feel free to contact us at madmade@spudnikpress.org

Important Dates
Fair Date: Saturday, November 15, 2025
Location: Access Living: 115 W Chicago Ave, Chicago, IL 60654
Public Hours: Saturday, November 15, 12 PM – 4:30PM

Vendor Hours / Load-In / Load-Out
Load-in & Check-in: Saturday, November 15, 10:15 AM – 11:45 AM
Load-out: Saturday, November 15, 4:30 – 6 PM