STEAMROLLER PRINTING FESTIVAL

at CPC’s outdoor back driveway (enter from Lincoln Ave)

Chicago Printmakers Collaborative could not be more thrilled to partner up with our pals at Hoofprint Studio to host a big summer steamroller printing extravaganza! It’s been 4 whole years since our last one, so we’re practically chomping at the bit to get inky and print up some gigantic relief blocks in our back driveway.

While the steamroller may be the star of the show, the whole shop will be buzzing with activities and fun! We’ll have…

— Food and drink for sale. Vendors include Baker Miller and Tropical Smoothie Cafe. 

— Live foot-stompin’ music all day!  Featuring The Parsnip Factory and The Tuesday Night Old Time Jammers. Musicians of all ages are invited to grab an instrument and join in the jam– if you are interested in playing, contact Helen Jameson at hjamesonchicago@gmail.com. 

— Live t-shirt printing from woodblocks designed by CPC artists. T-shirts will be available for purchase, or you can bring your own and we’ll print on it for a small fee!

— For kids, PRINTABLE VEGGIES! Relief printing on paper using our favorite garden produce. Your kids will never scowl at a parsnip again.

— Check out the Artisans and Makers Market across the street in the Ainslie Arts Plaza, featuring a selection of local artists selling their wares. 

This festival is free and open to the public! We’re so excited to get together with all our communities big and small, from printmakers to Lincoln Squarites to artists and friends from all over Chicago and beyond. Check out this videofrom our 2016 event to get a peek at what it’ll be like.

An all ages, free, community festival of ink! 

Interested in getting involved? Volunteers are always welcome! Pulling this off will definitely  take a village. Volunteers will be compensated with food, beverage, and hand-printed steamroller swag. Please email info@chicagoprintmakers.com if you are interested in becoming a volunteer or sponsor.

What is a steamroller printing???? So glad you asked! It’s essentially traditional woodblock relief printing, but on a massive scale. At the festival, we’ll be inking up carved woodblocks as large as 24 square feet. Once covered in ink, large bolts of fabric will be laid on top of the blocks, and then we’ll run the whole thing over with an industrial steamroller. Think of it like a rubber stamp that you need ten people, a whole driveway, and construction equipment to print!

A huge thanks to all our artists, some of whom are spending months carving their blocks in preparation for the big day! Featured artists whose blocks will be printed at the festival include: CHema Skandal!, Melody Vaughn, Bart Longacre, Eric Bremer, Carlos Barberena, Michelle McCoy, Jill Goldstein, Rachael & Jon Keown, Móni Pizano Luna, Atlan Arceo-Witzl, Putas Kolektivo, Matthew Wead, Taylor Hokanson, Vic Barquin, Liz Born, Gabe Hoare, and Deborah Maris-Lader!

Another HUGE thanks to all our sponsors. This event would not be possible without their generous support: 40th Ward Alderman Andre Vasquez, Bigane Paving Company, Speedball Art Materials, Lincoln Square Ravenswood Chamber of Commerce.

Special thanks to Steven E. Gross for providing photography and Paul Dawidczyk for providing drone footage. Poster design by CHema Skandal!