FOUNDER

Krista is a book artist, printer, and poet. She works primarily with letterpress, bookbinding, papermaking, natural dyes, and text to create artist bookwork and installation work that explores the interconnectedness of place, land, body, lineage, and healing.

She is a professor of book arts, printmaking, and drawing, currently teaching at the Hartford Art School and Eastern Connecticut State University. She holds and MFA in Book Arts from the University of Iowa Center for the Book, a Graduate Certificate in College Teaching, and a BFA in Printmaking from the Hartford School. Along the way she has worked in arts administration at several non-profits, including galleries, a museum, and an arts council.

Krista arrived to printmaking through drawing, in the spring of her first year as an undergrad at Hartford Art School. Her drawing teacher, Jenni Friedman, said “your drawings look like they should be prints,” so she enrolled in her first printmaking course the following semester and never looked back.

Why I started the HPC:

There were really two motivators for me behind this project. First, I saw a need in the community — my students would ask me where they could go to continue making their work after graduation, and I didn’t really have a good answer for them. I understood their dilemma first hand, having faced the same thing when I first graduated from art school. Printmaking requires access to equipment and presses that are expensive, heavy, and just generally not very accessible to the average person. The communal aspect of printmaking — the need to share presses, etc. is something that often draws people to the craft. We needed a space for this in our community outside of the University setting.

Then, this got me thinking — I was lucky enough to discover printmaking as a first generation college student. (Shoutout to my parents for allowing me to pursue this despite the fear I’m sure they had, not every first-gen gets the privilege to study art.) Printmaking is so often referred to as a democratic medium because of the concept of the multiple, but if only select people have access to it — whether that be because it is only taught and/or practiced in a University setting or because it is nearly impossible for an individual to afford their own press — then it really isn’t democratic at all. The goal of the HPC is to make printmaking accessible and affordable to anyone who wants to practice or learn it. Whether that be the recent art school grad, the lifelong printmaker looking seeking a community, the artist wanting to try something new, or the hobbyist looking to learn a new skill. Everyone is welcome here, and I hope that you will join us!

EDUCATION COORDINATOR

Brandon is a painter and draughtsman whose current work explores ideas of idols, altars, and spiritual practice through unseen objects, assemblages, and spaces. He holds an MFA in painting from the New York Academy of Art, a BFA in Illustration from the Hartford Art School and an AFA from Manchester Community College. Brandon is an educator who has worked with students of all ages and abilities. He is currently a professor of painting and drawing at the Hartford Art School and Naugatuck Valley Community College. He has previously taught at Quinebaug Community College, Manchester Community College, and various art leagues throughout the state.

Why Brandon is excited about the Hartford Press Co-op:

I absolutely love teaching, learning, and watching others gain new skills they didn’t think were attainable, from beginners to experts. The Press Co-op will be a place to teach, learn, and play. HPC will make high quality arts education more accessible and that means the world to me. Historically, access to this kind of education has been excruciatingly expensive and I’m eager to work toward reducing that burden. I’ve loved teaching at both colleges and art leagues – they really are special communities. I’m excited to start building our own community and to put an exclamation point on it.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER,
Jenni makes prints, books, drawings and all kinds of work on and of paper in her backyard studio (and sometimes on her couch). For most of her career, her work has depicted various forms found in nature. She continues to be inspired by this subject matter and more recently has found she is also drawn to pattern, color, sweets and treats. The mood and rhythm of her work has shifted from a quiet mediation to a playful bounce.

In addition to making her own work, Jenni is always a huge fan of supporting other artists on their journeys. She has worked as a Professor, Printer, Picture Framer, Admissions Director, Education Director and is currently working as an Assistant to Artist Amy Genser.  West Hartford has been her home for the last 15 years and she resides there with her hubby, child and pup.

Why Jenni is so excited for HPC to open:

My favorite part of teaching printmaking and book arts was always the sense of community that would develop throughout each course. That spirit of belonging and collaboration was such an inherent and necessary part of the process and medium and it was lovely to see artists working together and lifting each other up. Being in this kind of physical and emotional space was always so essential for my practice as well as many of the young artists I would work with. Many artists would tell me this is what they always miss so much after leaving college. 

The most exciting thing about the development of a community studio is that now artists craving this kind of space and the use of this special equipment will have a place to go and work.  As an amazing added bonus,  the folks who have always wondered what printmaking was all about will be welcomed to learn and experience the magic of collaboration, community and support that is bound into the DNA of a printmaking and book arts studio. 

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Alexis is an Interdisciplinary Artist whose practice has been based in Hartford since receiving her BFA in Printmaking from the Hartford Art School in 2015. Since then she has engaged in diy art spaces and art institutions in Hartford in many ways, facilitating shows and community events, showing her own work, teaching, working as an art handler, collaborating with other artists, being a founding or active member in new diy spaces. In her work she likes to explore the quirkiness, sweetness and silliness that can be found in the midst of intense despair, maybe as a way to cope. she views her work - both as an Artist and as a community member - as a way to connect and collectively cope with others despite any despair she or anybody else may or may not be dealing with.

Why she’s excited about the Hartford press co-op:

Anytime there is a space whose goal is to be shared and be as accessible as possible within the limits of capitalism and human ability it’s a good thing. I wanna see what people make when they have access to otherwise locally inaccessible tools and methods (without having to go to college). I wanna see what me and other printmaking alumnis make when we’re able to revisit skills we learned and never got to use again since college. I wanna see more grassroots art and mutual aid based/adjacent spaces in Hartford. I have felt isolated since covid and I wanna be a part of a shared studio environment to get back into making and collaborating, and I KNOW I’m not the only one.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Though I don't have experience in printmaking and book pressing specifically, I grew up in a creative family with generational roots in Hartford. I was a creative writing major at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts for high school, and returned to Hartford to live and work after graduating from Smith College. I recently received my Master's in Community Development and Planning from Clark University, and aim to bring both an arts and community-conscious lens to the steering committee. Artistically, I've been a singer/songwriter for two bands: Bandshes, and an all-women's brass band called You're Not Listening! However, music has fallen to the wayside for me the past few years. More recently, I've put my creative energy into gardening and floral design. I dabble in macro and telephoto photography, to capture upclose, intimate images of nature. The photos I've shared were both taken in my garden, but the bee was taken with my macro lens and the hummingbird and butterfly shot was with my telephoto lens. 

Why Zoe is excited about HPC:

I have always appreciated being able to physically hold a book, and am excited to be able to bring my love of writing, photography, and flowers to a new creative outlet. At the broader level, I also am just generally excited by the rise in grassroots arts initiatives and organizations that are implementing mutual aid and cooperative models to make the arts more accessible and participation in an organization more collaborative. Hartford has so many talented people across all kinds of mediums, but there's currently limited opportunities in the city to engage with the kind of resources the Press Co-op will offer. My hope is that it becomes a space within a growing constellation of accessible community arts spaces.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

For the past two decades, Katie has channeled her creativity into printmaking, embracing a diverse array of printing techniques. While having a full-time career in commercial real estate, and being a mother of two children,  she has unwaveringly upheld her dedication to cultivating her artistic spirit—seizing every available opportunity to do so. In 2013 she established Woodward Paper Co.  and started sharing her love for Letterpress through wedding invitations, personal stationary and fine art prints. In 2015 she acquired her own Golding printing press and began building a letterpress studio at her home in Windsor, CT. Over the years the studio has evolved into a full print workshop where she bounces between letterpress machines, screen printing presses, and carving stations, opening her space to fellow artists and creatives to converge and exchange ideas, techniques, and inspiration.

 Why Katie is excited about the HPC:

I am thrilled about the prospect of the community that will flourish alongside the Press Co-op. The environment of a collaborative space nurtures creativity, fosters new ideas, and facilitates meaningful connections. The combined wealth of knowledge and experience within a community of artists, all eager to exchange, learn, and evolve together, is truly invaluable. For me, the most profound aspect of the Co-op is its capacity to provide newfound opportunities to emerging artists, printmakers, and those lacking essential equipment. The emergence of a long-awaited print community in Hartford is something I eagerly anticipate.

STEERING COMMITTEE MEMBER

Chris is an interdisciplinary artist whose work investigates the juxtaposition of the seen and unseen ideas of naturalism and romanticism in conjunction with open dialogue through narrative, and a Haiku writer who illustrates the universal themes of time, emotions, space, and the insignificant through words. He has arts degrees from Manchester Community College and the University of Hartford. He has worked as an art handler and is currently an educator at the Greater Hartford Academy of the Arts. Chris is a Hartford artist and community change maker, focused on building the importance of the arts within the Hartford and larger Connecticut educational system. Chris hosts Hartford’s Monday Night Figure Drawing in partnership with Gentle Bull Studios, bringing an affordable space for young aspiring artists and veterans to continue their educational studies and appreciation of the human figure. 

Why Chris is excited about the Hartford Press Co-op:

Being a creator is a primal experience we all go through at some point in our lives. Having to learn to navigate this world without feeling jaded or a broken spirit is almost impossible these days. I believe that the arts can provide great success for so many people both intrinsically and emotionally. I am excited to be a part of a co-op that has the opportunity to serve young aspiring artists to develop and chase goals both small and big while at the same time helping those who have spent time away from the arts for whatever reasons to revisit, revise, and reimagine a dream once deferred.

INTERN

Rachel is a senior at the Hartford Art School, majoring in Illustration and minoring in Printmaking and Art History. Rachel was first introduced to printmaking in her first year of high school and has loved it ever since. Being at the Hartford Art School allowed her to continue to explore and play in printmaking and book arts. Rachel’s work explores themes of nature, animals, femininity, memories, and nostalgia.

Why Rachel is excited about the Hartford Press Co-op:

What excites me about the Press Co-op is making printmaking accessible. As a student who is coming to the end of my undergrad career, I am excited that there will be a space for me and others like me; those who have loved printmaking but no longer have access to a studio themselves. The Press Co-op can reignite the printmaking passion in people who haven’t touched a carving tool or brayer in months, years, or even decades due to the lack of access to a press. I am also excited about the possibility of sharing our joy with those who have never heard of printmaking. Teaching those who would have never known about the vast world of printmaking because it was previously inaccessible.