Take a break from the summer heat and visit our Pop-Up Art Market! Our talented and passionate studio members will be displaying a variety of unique, hand-made prints in the Hubbard Loft hallways (between the outdoor fun and the indoor print shop tours). All work is priced affordable and ready to take home on the day of the Picnik. Don’t miss this opportunity to treat yourself and your friends, while directly supporting our community of artists!

Featured Artists include:
Elke Claus
Elise Forer
Margaret Hitch
Angelika Piwowarczyk
Randi Stella

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Members: It’s not too late! Sign up to Participate!

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Support Spudnik Press by eating homemade treats! Dozens of Spudnik members are whipping up their favorite baked goods to help raise much-needed funds to maintain, improve and expand the risography equipment at Spudnik Press.

Why Risography? Risography is a little-known type of printmaking that combines the best of a copy machine with high-volume offset printing. The risograph is a quirky machine that creates lush prints in bold colors, quickly and cost-effectively. The main set back? Each new color requires a special pricey drum. We’re currently limited to just four colors, but have our eyes the full spectrum of hues, including the coveted white, gold, and fluorescent pink!

Proceeds from every cookie, cupcake and pie sold will help our studio provide top-notch self-publishing resources to hundreds of artists each year. What could be sweeter?

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Members: Sign up to bake your favorite sweet!

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As we gear up for The Spudnik Picnik, we are excited to introduce our musical guests, DJ Pickled Beets and Ian Dinsmor. This dynamic duo is excited to contribute to the festivities an eclectic collection of funk, soul, boogie, early house and more. Here are a few quick facts to help wet your appetite before we all gather on July 9….

Excerpts from an interview with DJ Pickled Beets:

I am all over the place, anything you can shake your butt to. I have a pretty wide aesthetic. The common thread, for me, is always a good beat. So anything from Talking Heads to BT Express,The Slits, Marcos Valle, Grace Jones, Liquid Liquid, ESG. I love it all really. Ian and I play music you can dance, party, feel good to. I feel the more I am exposed to, the more music I love. I am very lucky to have worked at Dusty Groove. It introduced me to so much music, whole new genres and sub genres. I feel immense gratitude for my experience there. How many jobs have you worked where you get to jam out to great music all day?

Want to hear DJ Pickled Beets and Ian Dinsmor? Come by Spudnik Press on Saturday, July 9!

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Hot Dog Fiend will be serving up their elevated picnic favorites including The Fiend with grilled onions and peppers, and, of course, The Chicago Fiend, an expertly crafted jumbo dog topped in classic Chicago style. Don’t fret vegetarians, Hot Dog Fiend has you covered with veggie dogs too!

Metropolitan Brewing will bring the suds to quench your mid-day thirst. The much-loved Chicago micro-brew will be serving their German-inspired beers and are the perfect pairing for the picnic fare! Suggested donations benefit Spudnik Press.

Dark Matter Coffee will supply your caffeine buzz for the day! If a beer isn’t your thing, we have another brew for you! With their roaster just a hop and skip from Spudnik Press, we always find ourselves sipping on Dark Matter’s rich, savory coffee.

On the sweet side…

Root beer Floats: Sip on a little nostalgia with a float! A cool and sweet treat that reminds us of the grass between our toes and bathing suit tan lines—Root beer floats make it summer.

Sample the hidden talents of Spudnik Press members at the Bake Sale! You know their talent in the print shop, but wait ‘til you taste their savory scones.

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Follow the leader as we guide you through a hands-on tour of the Spudnik Printshop and all our inky presses!

Hosted by Spudnik printmakers, participants will learn about the inner workings of our community printshop and walk away with a collection of their very own hand-printed “Summer Fun” swag. Tour activities include perfecting the “letterpress two-step” on the Vandercook, rolling on through with a linocut relief print, creating an all-telling “cootie catcher” on the Risograph, and stuffing the goods into a screenprinted tote bag. Both Spudnik newbies and Spudnik alums will not want to miss it!

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This July, Eye Spy Optical is headed to The Spudnik Picnik with “Iris the Airstream”, a vintage motorhome packed with unique eye wear you can’t find anywhere else in the city. So after you grab a hotdog, a rootbeer float and try your hand at running a letterpress, you can try on some new shades. Plus, if you find a pair you love, you can feel great taking them home with you:

A portion of every purchase will support Spudnik Press Cooperative!

This is just one more reason why this is not going to be your typical picnic….

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What if you could make art simply by basking in the summer sunshine? We will be doing just that, creating impromptu portraits on large-scale cyanotype banners! Cyanotype is a light-sensitive process that yields areas of white amidst a deep blue background. Throughout the afternoon, Picnik-goers are encouraged to come and lay on Spudnik’s special light-sensitive “Picnik Blankets.” Participants will use their bodies and provided props to contact print unique vignettes. All ages are welcomed and encouraged to participate!

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Hands-on Printmaking Tours / Community Cyanotype Portraits / Member Print Sale / Delicious Eats / Sweet Treats & Root Beer Floats / Metropolitan Beer / Dark Matter Coffee / & More

$5 Suggested Donation / Open to the Public

Join Spudnik Press printmakers on Saturday, July 9, 12pm – 5pm at the Hubbard Street Lofts for a gathering with food, friends and art. Grab your blanket and a friend (or three) for an afternoon that combines the best of Chicago’s neighborhood festivals with a hearty side of hands-on printmaking.

This is not your typical picnic! The Hubbard Street Lofts outdoor parking lot will transform into our printmaking and picnic paradise. Bask in the summer sunshine to help Spudnik create large-scale cyanotype banners with an interactive all-ages community art project. Plus, a $10 Tour Pass gets you an all-access pass to the Spudnik Press studios, an introduction to a variety of unique printing presses, and you’ll print your own swag with the hands-on guidance of expert printers.

When you are done making art, don’t miss the Spudnik Press member pop-up art sale. Their affordable and diverse artworks make unique housewarming gifts and brighten any corner of your apartment.

These unexpected artistic treats will be balanced by casual, conventional picnic fare: hotdogs, root beer floats, a bake sale, coffee from Dark Matter, and beer from Chicago’s own Metropolitan Brewery. Jennifer Greene (DJ Pickled Beets) and Ian Dinsmor will be spinning vinyl, showcasing her unbeatable collection of funk, soul, disco and boogie records.

The Spudnik Picnik is presented by Spudnik Press with support from Metropolitan Brewing and Dark Matter Coffee:

View The Spudnik Picnik Press Release.