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It’s been a whole lot of work, and mostly by our Book Arts Shop Steward, Mitchel Ahern, but we’re finally able to announce our Book Arts Studio is OPEN!  We’re kicking it off with FOUR classes – 3 working with Letterpress and one very special class teaching Intaglio, using our revered Intaglio press.

In case you missed it, this is the only Letterpress and Book Arts studio available on a co-operative access basis in the entire Northeast!  Sure, you can take classes at several other facilities, but what do you do when the class is done and you can’t get into the studio anymore?  Simple.  Come to The Brickyard.  So yeah, this is a pretty special studio, and a pretty exciting opening, especially if you’re an itinerant printer looking for a press.

We’re starting off with three Letterpress classes:

Introduction to Letterpress

This one-day 5-hour course will provide participants with the basic knowledge and hands-on experience to start them on the path to letterpress proficiency. We will briefly cover all the bits, pieces and nomenclature of this hundreds-of-years-old printing tradition, including type, spacing and the styles of  presses. Students will then design, prepare and print their own small letterpress project, and conclude by distributing their type and tidying the shop.

More here, along with scheduling and price information: Introduction to Letterpress

Intermediate Letterpress

This one-day 5-hour course will provide participants with additional knowledge of and practical experience with, letterpress printing. After a brief review of basic principals this class will review printing on the platen press, including the tabletop platen and the small floor model press as well as the roller presses. Two-color techniques will be discussed, including techniques for hand-inking. We will also briefly touch on letterpress printing on fabric and linoleum block cutting.

The complete description is here: Intermediate Letterpress

…and

Letterpress Printing on Fabric

Letterpress is not just for paper!

This course will review different techniques and materials for letterpress printing on fabric, including fabric options, ink options, plusses and minuses of different presses, methods of printing without a press, as well as linoleum block printing and cutting.

The whole story is here: Letterpress Printing on Fabric

 

Finally…  Our Intaglio Class:

Introduction to Intaglio Printing

Intaglio printing is a way of making marks by incising into the printing blocks rather than carving away areas in relief. Artists can get almost molecular-level detail with this process. The students will learn to draw a drypoint image on Plexiglass sheet, proper wiping of the printing plate, how to dampen and handle paper for the process, and how to set an intaglio press for printing.

More information along with registration is here: Introduction to Intaglio Printing

Whether you’re ready to take a class or not, come down to see the studio at work at one of our Saturday morning Open House tours…  Contact us for a date, or sign up for our email news to get the latest…

…as always: “Keep making stuff. Take care of people, play nice and clean up after yourselves.”

 

Wondering what to do with the kids the day before Easter Sunday? Come to The Brickyard for a special double-header EGGSSTRAVAGANZA!

First up is Basic Circuits: Electronic Eggs, where we create our own Easter egg design that uses electronics to incorporate light, sound, and more! You’ll play with some basic circuit concepts using BBC Micro:Bit, Circuit Playground, and Makey-Makey. It’s a 2-hour class on Saturday, 12-2, ages 6-up, for $30 with a special Lynn Resident discount.

Read more about it and register here: Basic Circuits: Electronic Eggs

After we’re done with that, don’t go away! You can learn to modify a little Python code and Raspberry Pi to give someone a little surprise in our Easter Eggs: Surprises in Code! That’s only an hour-long class for a mere $15 – check it out here, and we’ll see you this weekend: Easter Eggs: Surprises in Code

It’s an afternoon of fun for kids of all ages, and totally approved of by your favorite dentist… Happy Easter!

You asked for it, you got it! We’re now offering a new membership package – Makers-to-Go. For a mere $60/month, you get 24-7 access to everything in The Brickyard – the Digital Studio, Letterpress, Electronics/Robotics, Wood and Metal shop and more – along with a lockable cubbie and warehouse shelf storage!

This is a perfect package for people who don’t need fixed studio or shop space, and just want to print/edit/tinker/solder/test/cut/clamp and weld – bring your project in, work on it in the shared spaces, put it on the shelf, and come back another day.

Take a look at the Membership packages, and never hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have!

Thats right! We’re officially starting up our workshops, and we’re leading with some fun stuff playing with programming Python and paper crafts and circuits… cool stuff for sure, and great for any age. On top of that, we’re offering the classes on a donation basis – the suggested donation is $25, but pay what you can afford, drop in, have some fun and see what it’s all about.

The first workshop is Sunday, March 31, and the info is here: Python: Programming Punchlines. The next one is here: Paper Circuit Madness!!!, and is on Saturday, April 6th. Register, donate what you can, and come on by for all-ages fun!

Keep an eye on your inbox, we’re putting together the schedules for the other classes coming up soon… It’s going to be a great Summer at The Brickyard!