July 2024 Newsletter
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Too hot to work hard
So follow our lead and relax in the AC! We are trying to maximize our summer fun while we can, so we have two quick things to put on your radar:
The studio will be CLOSED July 4th and 5th for some much-needed rest. Open Studio Sessions hosted by Key Holders are still on, though!
Sunday, July 21st: Radiator Comics 10 Year Anniversary Party hosted here at IS Projects! Get excited for a Radiator Comics pop up, jam comics and doodle opportunities, a letterpress demo, and more! This family-friendly event is open to all to attend. We’re thrilled to be able to celebrate our friends and all of the wonderful work they’ve been doing over the course of the last decade (wow!) and hope you’ll join us.
If you’re looking for some more indoor summer fun to fill out your month, we’ve got plenty more ideas for you, all outlined below.
FAST-APPROACHING DEADLINES
Okay maybe this isn’t everyone’s idea of “fun” but if you’re stuck inside anyways, we have a few applications you can do!
Are you coming? Learn more about the fair, or apply to reserve your table as an Exhibitor.
Deadlines for IS Projects and Tropic Bound:
July 31st: Tropic Bound Exhibitor application deadline
Remember Tropic Bound? Miami’s one and only international artists’ book fair? Ingrid and her collaborators, Sarah Michelle Rupert and Cristina Favretto, organized the inaugural fair for February 2023, and we are excited to find ourselves gearing up for it once more. Get ready for Tropic Bound 2025, and if you’d like to be an exhibitor, get ready fast! Whether you know and love Miami’s deep cultural arts scene or find yourself surprise to hear it has one, we strongly encourage makers and stewards of artists’ books world-wide to take a good, hard look at Feb. 6-9th, 2025 on their calendars and get this application in by July 31st. We can’t wait to see what folks will bring this year.
July 15: Internship application deadline
If you want to get into the nitty gritty of what we do here at IS Projects and get paid for it, our internship program is the answer. The diversity and complexity of the projects we work on here at the studio means that our interns spend their days working collaboratively and honing all kinds of skills — technical, creative, and interpersonal. We are especially looking for folks who are focused, detail-oriented, interested in cultivating their technical skills, and are excited to be in a highly collaborative and positive environment.
Our interns have to be over 18, but do not have to be students. This program is open to anyone who meets the eligibility requirements expressed on our website. Adults with all backgrounds, experience and education levels with print/book/paper are encouraged to apply.
July 15: Key Holder Residency application deadline
Our Key Holder residents also have an extremely important role in keeping IS Projects in motion. This program is for artists who work in print, book, and/or paper, can make their work safely and independently in this space, and can get to and from the studio on a weekly basis. Artists selected to be Key Holder residents will be given 24/7 access to the studio and a set of keys to use for the duration of their residency. In exchange, Key Holders commit to the equivalent of 4 hours of studio work per week. Most frequently, this work takes the form of hosting and monitoring our Members Only Open Studio session, making weekend and after-hours studio access possible for our studio members. Key Holders are essential stewards of this space, the equipment it contains, and the community that moves through it.
The Single sheet broadside zine of your dreams can be real if you’re ready to work with EXILE
BONUS: Deadlines from our community
July 12: Knight New Work application is due
Knight New Work 2024 provides up to $100,000 to support artists and arts organizations in South Florida, Akron and Detroit who use technology to create, disseminate and enhance the way art is experienced. The call for project proposals is open to individual artists, collectives and art organizations. Applicants must be based in or have direct ties to South Florida, Akron or Detroit and proposed works must premiere in the applicant’s community. All works must incorporate technology. Applications will be accepted from June 14 to July 12 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
July 15: EXILE Projects’ broadside zine program proposal is due
Apply to join EXILE's innovative broadsheet initiative. They will collaborate with artists, writers, illustrators, musicians, chefs, and creatives to produce one-page newspaper zines infused with your concepts and their expertise. You're invited to join this unique opportunity to showcase your ideas in an open call crafted specifically to capture the essence of Miami. What sets our city apart? This cycle, they're especially excited about ideas exploring our native flora and fauna, the underground music scene, Caribbean cuisine, and lush poetry inspired by the tropics.
A FEW WORKSHOPS YOU CAN DO
See what we’ve got planned
If you’d rather close your laptop, we have a small selection of summer workshops coming up. These intimate, super-informative classes with Sammi McLean are guaranteed to be fun, cool, and relaxed. Conveniently, they are all scheduled to keep you busy during the hottest hours of the day.
Or get exactly what you want
Not seeing what you want to learn? You can now set up a custom workshop that fits with your needs and your schedule. Built for 1-4 people, browse our selection of ready-to-go workshops, or if you want to learn something really specific, you can submit a custom inquiry here.
MEMBERSHIP
Member passes: 7-day and 30-day options
Ready to binge your dream project? (Is there anything better to binge than living your dreams?) Book yourself a studio pass and get access to all of the following.
Passes include the following:
Admission to any Open Studio Sessions (RSVP encouraged but not required)
Unassisted Studio Time during our business hours (email Brooke to make sure the equipment you want is available before you come in, but if it is, it’s yours to use!)
Assisted Studio Time at a discounted rate of $45/hour
Not a member? These passes are for studio members only (we do need to know you a little bit before we set you loose in here.) Becoming a member is really easy, and memberships start at just $150 per year. If you want flexible studio access, membership is definitely the move, and it comes with enough perks, invitations, open calls, and discounts to keep you printing all year.
If you’ve got any questions, you can compare our different membership levels here, and if you still have questions, shoot Brooke an email at brooke@isprojectsfl.com and she’ll be happy to help you out.
Artists’ Book Feature: collaborations with In Bloom Studio
If making artists’ books teaches you anything, it’s that there are few things more valuable than a great collaborator. Folks who visit the studio are often surprised by how many different things we do, but if you show an artist a limit, they will very often find a reason they need to push beyond it. In cases where the challenges artists present to us invoke a laser cutter, we are lucky to be able to tap our dear friend Luke Jenkins of In Bloom Studio for help.
The books featured here could not have been made without Luke’s skills and facilities, as our artists’ books require precise, detailed, careful, and replicable results. Much like our own, Luke’s practice is much broader than the high-end design and fabrication work he does through his studio, In Bloom. He is a sculptor and furniture designer, utilizing digital tools like CNC and laser cutting, a range of traditional woodworking skills, and in many cases, a collaborative relationship with natural elements like rain, sunbleaching, and hungry termites. He brings that level of care and creative problem solving to all of his work, and we are incredibly grateful to be able to point to those strengths of his in these books (and a number of other very exciting construction projects you can come to the studio and see in person, actually!)
You can see some of Luke’s own work now through September 7th in the exhibition Majorica Meets Art. The exhibition was curated by Miriam Kolker and features work by both Luke Jenkins and Patricia L. Cooke, both artists making work that challenges the perceived boundaries between art and design, and who’s work is thoughtfully installed amidst a careful arrangement of Majorica’s pearl jewelry displays. It’s a playful and thoughtful show, and a lovely reason to spend a little time on Lincoln Road. Be sure to check it out.
