Facilities
SPARE residents are provided a private room in our apartment and use of our tiny print shop. We provide space and tools plus some meals at no cost to residents. We are in the Pilsen neighborhood of Chicago with quick access to downtown, art venues, tacos, and a playground.
Working:
Since SPARE is a venue for realising print-based work we will expect a tangible project at the end each residency. SPARE can provide design services and publishing through Healthy Mgmt Publishing (of which Kyle is a founding member), but we are open to more individually driven projects too. Please see the application section for specifics regarding your project and it’s execution.
The Printer:
The feature of the residency is our Risograph GR3750 stencil printer. The Risograph is a little like an automated screenprinting machine. It prints one color at a time. The color bar at the top of the page shows our current color availability. More specific information about the Risograph can be seen here. This machine is an older model and comes with a host of quirks and imperfections (which we think is part of its charm but may not make it appropriate for all types of work). The printer sits in a semi-dedicated printing room which also has: a small table, a bunch of shelves for storing and organizing prints, a window, another old and less useful stencil printer, a few plants, a long-arm stapler, hole punches, sewing machine, paper awl, bone folder, a few other typical tools useful in book-making, wireless internet, a cheap desktop all-in-one printer, a desktop scanner, a select variety of paper, a manual typewriter, and a mess of other supplies from tape and pencils to wood and power saws. The room is clad in cheap wood paneling and has some posters which other artists and designers have made. This residency is still young so there isn't much to show yet, but as things are printed you'll be able to see the results on the blog.
There is work space in the bedroom (see living), but please do not count on doing work that requires large amounts of space.
Living:
The bedroom has white walls, is about 90 square feet, has a south-facing window and 12 linear feet of desk space. You’ll get a wardrobe with a hanging rod and couple of shelves. The bed is lofted so you’ll have to climb a ladder to get in each night.
You’ll be sharing the rest of the apartment with Kyle and Shannon (married to each other), our baby boy (as of April 2012), and our little dog. You’ll have access to a full kitchen. Towels, bedsheets, dishes and cooking equipment are provided. You’ll have the option of sharing a home-cooked meal with us at breakfast and some nights for dinner. Other items you may enjoy include but are not limited to a tv, dvd player, vhs player, record player, digital and analog cameras, running water, a bicycle, hand soap, chairs, sunlight (weather permitting), golf clubs, our zine library, heat, radio, and a shower.
