Book, Paper, and Printmaking Facilities
623 S. Wabash Ave. and 1104 S. Wabash Ave.
We have everything you’ll need to explore book arts, hand papermaking, letterpress, and printmaking. With four distinct studios spread across two buildings, you’ll have plenty of space to experiment.
Book, Paper, and Printmaking Facilities Contact
Nate Carder, Assistant Director: Makerspace Facilities, ncarder@colum.edu
Printmaking Facility
623 S. Wabash Ave.
Explore traditional and contemporary printmaking techniques in our state-of-the-art printmaking facility.
Open to students who complete the Printmaking 1 course or the five-week, print-focused Skills course, the printmaking studio offers a variety of printmaking techniques in one space. Screen print your designs and artwork, experiment with photo-lithography, carve and print relief blocks, investigate a variety of etching techniques and learn the ropes of Risograph printing. Learn how to use the laser cutter in the Fabrication Facility to manipulate wood, rubber, and acrylic as part of your unique studio practice.
Bring your own materials, or purchase them at-cost in the studio. We provide a wide range of open studio hours and always have staff on-hand to answer questions and help you improve your techniques.
Letterpress Studio
1104 S. Wabash Ave.
Learn to handset type and translate digital files into photopolymer plates for relief printing on the letterpress machines. We house an extensive collection of wood and metal type, ornaments, borders, and cuts. The studio is open to students enrolled in a letterpress course, as well as graduate students and artists-in-residence. You’ll have the opportunity to interact with artists from across the college as well as nationally and internationally acclaimed artists.
Papermaking Studio
1104 S. Wabash Ave.
Open to students enrolled in or who have successfully completed a course in papermaking, our studio provides everything you’ll need to create your own paper from a variety of materials including cotton, abaca, flax, kozo, and even recycled clothing. Learn various sheet-forming techniques using both Eastern and Western practices. You’ll be encouraged to experiment with sculptural paper, pulp painting techniques, and non-standard fibers.
Grow your own plants to make paper in the Papermaker’s Garden. The garden supports hands-on engagement with the process of fiber production as well contemporary ideas in interdisciplinary practice related to art, science, the environment, and social practice.
Bookbinding Studio
1104 S. Wabash Ave.
Our dedicated space for bookbinding is a sunlit studio where you can create professional volumes by hand. Using traditional and contemporary bookbinding methods, you can create artist books (and boxes in which the book can be held) to create a story or become a sculptural object. The studio contains a robust set of equipment and materials, including a wide variety of book presses and binding tools that can handle various papers, book cloth, and materials.
