Coming soon: Proof Public
I am extremely lucky to do what I love. When I started learning graphic design and letterpress printing 9 years ago, I realized that telling stories and creating messages in a graphic, visual way has a lot of power. I've kind of been fumbling around ever since, just trying to spend my time creating and making with people that are doing good work for our community.
But ever since the rise of Trump, and with it, the increase in attacks on our friends and neighbors, I have felt compelled to use my resources to both resist and build resiliency.
Late last year I put a call out to my friends, both printers and non-printers, who are artists and community leaders with an idea -- create a community print shop that both celebrates the historic role of printers to be part of social movements, and shares the tools and skills of letterpress printing so communities can create their own visible messages in support of their campaigns and movements.
I've been so excited by the response. Over the last months, a group of printers and artists have been meeting to develop a nonprofit organization to fulfill this mission. And we're getting ready to launch this summer.
Proof Public will be a project of Fontlove Studio. We will partner with community organizations for classes and workshops, host public events, and provide a space for a conversation about the intersection of print, message, history, and justice. We especially want to listen to and amplify marginalized voices. If, as has been famously stated, that freedom of the press is guaranteed only to those who own one — we want to return some of that power to the people, and intersect with and raise up issues that are important to, in particular, the immigrant, refugee, native, black, brown, trans/glbt, and youth communities.
We also have fiscal sponsorship from Springboard for the Arts, so we will be able to accept tax-deductible donations and apply for grants.
I will continue to run my for-profit business as well. Proof Public will be starting out with a relatively small footprint, operating as a a doing-business-as entity of Fontlove Studio, with myself as Director and an awesome Advisory Board, which is still in formation. However, it is our intention that if the organization proves to meet a need and be able to find sustainable funding, that it could evolve into its own nonprofit organization.
Please sign up at http://proofpublic.org to learn more as our programming and events develop, and to be part of this work!