The Port Townsend Community Printshop LLC has officially signed the lease to our big, beautiful 2,600-square-foot new home just outside downtown Port Townsend!

WHAT IS THE PORT TOWNSEND COMMUNITY PRINTSHOP?

We will be a collectively run community art space specializing in screen printing, relief printing, intaglio, aquatint, letterpress printing, and darkroom photography. We will provide sliding-scale monthly memberships with the option to volunteer in exchange for a heavily reduced membership fee, with all members having 24-hour access to the space. Drop-in open studio hours will also be available, where community members can access space, equipment, materials, and education for a nominal fee. As we grow, we plan to support programming and education for youth and host formal classes for community members. This is just the beginning! We anticipate growing in new and unexpected ways as we get more community input.

TO MAKE THIS HAPPEN:

We will be relying on grants, fundraising efforts, classes, fees from members, and open shop attendees to cover our costs. We are looking to the wonderful, vibrant artist community of Port Townsend to help us with our start-up costs so we can get this space up and running ASAP. We have already received generous donations, including money and critical materials to get started but still have a ways to go.

Affordable community art spaces are hard to come by, and they inherently create opportunities for individuals who would otherwise not have access to this kind of education and equipment. We desire more community spaces that foster connection, education, and cross-pollination! So many artists in Jefferson county and surrounding areas could greatly benefit from this resource, and we are so excited to work together to make this community space come alive.

The money and donations from the gofundme will go towards the buildout, labor costs, and materials and equipment for the print studio and dark room.

HERE IS SOME OF WHAT WE NEED TO OPEN OUR DOORS:

We primarily seek second-hand items to keep our costs low. We are also accepting donations of these supplies!

If you have a donation of materials/equipment please contact us!

Immediate Printshop costs

-General Labor

-Building materials (plywood, beams, studs, screws)

-Water Filtration system

-Fume hood/box

-Flammables cabinet

-Washout Booth- supplies/labor to build a custom booth

-Power Washer (for screens)

-Industrial Sinks

-Flat Files (at least 4)

-Screens for screen printing

-Squeegees

-Emulsion

-Ink Rollers

-Chemicals, tools and equipment for aquatint etching

-Disposables (tape, paper towels, newsprint, gloves etc)

Dark Room

-Enlargers (4)

-****LARGE DEVELOPING SINK****

-2 Revolving Doors for darkroom and Film Developing Room

-MISC Darkroom Equipment (timers, lights, tongs, canisters, etc.)

-Chemicals

- drying rack

Misc Needs

-Couch, table, supplies for a room that will be a dedicated community meeting space

-Printer

-Internet setup

-Desktop computer

-Unexpected expense fund

About the Organizing Team:

We are three artists who came together two years ago with a shared vision. We have steadfastly committed to this project and are thrilled it’s finally coming to fruition.

Heidi Tucker is a mixed media artist, printmaker, and craftswoman (specializing in installing wall coverings) with a background in early childhood and youth education, event organizing and working in cooperatively run spaces, including helping start an art collective and restaurant In Pittsburgh. She grew up in Port Townsend and returned 5 years ago with an arsenal of experience from living, learning, educating, working and making art in Portland and Pittsburgh for the last 20 years.

Erika Ensminger is a darkroom photographer specializing in cyanotype as well as black & white, silver gelatin process. She has a background in fundraising and working in collective spaces. Born in Durham, NC, she started working in the darkroom in elementary school. Having this experience as a youth inspired her desire to offer that opportunity to other children. She attended UNCA to get a BFA in photography but chose to drop out and ride trains, which provided much more appealing visual content. In Asheville, NC, she was a part of the communal darkroom and volunteered for Book Works, a letterpress and print shop.

Claire Ragland is a printmaker, mixed media artist and tattooer who moved from New Orleans back to Port Townsend about two years ago after a decade away from the PNW. She was a volunteer member at The New Orleans Community Printshop where she learned and eventually taught screen printing and came to realize how extremely impactful community art spaces can be. From there she went on to pursue her MFA in printmaking at University of New Orleans where she also worked as an assistant teacher in intro and advanced printmaking techniques. Her current favorite printmaking techniques are aquatint etching, screen printing, and mixed media printmaking experiments

If you want to stay up to date on our progress follow us on instagram at @ptcommunityprintshop

Thank you so much!