10 Gift Ideas from Pyramid Atlantic Art Center

     In December, words like introspection, preparation, holidays, and buckling down for winter come to mind. As you shop and get used to the idea of drones today, consider that if you purchase something cozy from Pyramid Atlantic, you also help support our mission to bring art to the people. And since we think that's a great idea for artists and for the world, we thought we'd list our top ten. Are you ready? Here are our very best:

1.

Letterpress calendar: Updated every year with new art by our volunteers, support this ongoing project chronicling our artists' printmaking. Click on Letterpress calendar for more information and to purchase the calendar via our paypal button. $35.00.

2.

The Bite Me book: a whimsical cookbook by our volunteers. This hand bound creation contains appetizer and main dish recipes, or "bite me firsts" and "bite me laters." Click on Bite Me for more details and to purchase the cookbook via our paypal button. $55.00.

3.

Much better for a clean escape than that little tree in your last snowball fight, our 2012 book arts fair commemorative apron (now a collector's item) will keep messes off your clothes while you work. Click on apron for more details and to purchase this item via our paypal button. $20.00.

4.

Use our gift card instead of cash to pay for classes, studio rentals, one-on-one tutorials, and memberships. Put $300.00 on the card we'll add $50.00 more for free! Email our director Jose Dominguez at jdominguez@pyramid-atlantic.org to buy yours.

5.

Our prints are by artists in residence. Click on prints for more details. To purchase them, email Jose Dominguez at jdominguez@pyramid-atlantic.org.

6.

There are several membership possibilities at Pyramid Atlantic. A basic membership gives you discounts on studio time, workshops, and gallery rentals; access to members only activities; and other perks. Click on membership for more details and to purchase yours via paypal. Starting at $40.00.

7.

Looking for some extra guidance from a mentor or just savor tutorials when it comes to art? Consider our One-on-one workshop: For information on private tutorials, click on one-on-one and email your interest to hello@pyramid-atlantic.org. $150.00 for a 3-hour session.

8.

Most of our friends start out by taking classes here. Click on classes to see a complete listing, and to register and pay for yours via paypal. Starting at $120.00.

9.

T-shirt: The Pyramid Atlantic t-shirt is not just any t-shirt. Come on, everybody's doing it. To purchase, come by Pyramid Atlantic and any of our staff will be happy to assist you. We accept cash, check, and credit card. $20.00.

10.

Our holiday pulp and paper mill package is a pound of pulp and three hours of studio time. Though not a hybrid car, you may feel like you're driving one when you get such absurdly excellent paper making mileage. To purchase, see any staff member or email Gretchen Schermerhorn at gschermerhorn@pyramid-atlantic.org. $100.00.

Letterpress Calendar is Here!

The time is now to get your copy of Pyramid Atlantic's coveted Letterpress Calendar. This limited edition collaboration, now in its 5th year, features gorgeous original designs and the tactile feel found from letterpress printing. Makes a unique and thoughtful gift, with the added bonus of supporting Pyramid's programs.

2014 Pyramid Atlantic Letterpress Calendar

• 4.25" x 11", printed on Pyramid Atlantic's Vandercook Presses on 100% cotton paper
• Each month is designed and printed by a different artist
• $35 each plus shipping, purchase here.
• Or purchase in person at 8230 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring MD
• All proceeds go directly to Pyramid Atlantic's programs
• More information and photos here.

Look at that Lockup!

Our studios will be brimming with activities at tonite's Make + Take, including the letterpress antique type packed poster and screen printed "Pie Lady" paper bags. Tickets are available online, or at the door.

The Letterpress Lockup

Easy-as-pie screenprinted bags

MAKE + TAKE
Friday, Nov. 22, 2014
6:00 - 9:00 pm

Admission: $10
Children under 12: $5
Eventbrite Tickets
8230 Georgia Ave.
Silver Spring MD 20910

Cozy up and join us for a festive evening of art activities such as screenprinting, letterpress printing, book binding, and more! Peruse and purchase a variety of handmade gifts, like our famous annual letterpress printed calendar, handmade books and prints. To get you even more in the spirit, spicy cocktails and savory treats will be on hand. Kids are welcome, and we will have an activity planned just for them.

Make + Take Fun!

Buy your ticket now! Friday, November 22 from 6 to 9 p.m. is our next Make + Take experience. Come for a chance to explore screenprinting, letterpress binding, book binding, and more! No prior experience is necessary, just your creative interest.

Children are encouraged to attend, and children under 12 are half price! There will be special activities for them, also.

To avoid the line and help us get started on time (and the line can get awfully cold this time of year!) register in advance on our website or at eventbrite.

This is an excellent chance to get started on your holiday gift making and buying. We'll have our annual letterpress calendar, handmade books, and prints available for sale. Zesty cocktails and sweets are included in the price of admission, which is only $10.00 for adults.

But most of all come out and have some fun, because it's time to get into the holiday spirit. We hope to see you there!

BIG GLOVE

Glory be, those are some BIG GLOVES. Helene Baribeau's installation steals the show Autumn Colors, now on view in Takoma Park. Helene created the large sheets of handmade paper for her pieces at Pyramid during her 2012 keyholder residency.  She then hand carved each insect, and printed the dots on one of our large presses. Handprinting the bugs and sewing the gloves together were done in her home studio. Helene recently moved back to Colorado, but promises to visit often. At least to take off the gloves. Congratulations, Helene!

Helene Baribeau at the opening of Autumn Colors

Autumn Colors
November 8 – January 5 2014
The Galleries at The Takoma Park Community Center
7500 Maple Ave
Takoma Park, MD

October Denbo Fellow: Torukpa Agbegha

"Doodles" is not a word that Torukpa Agbegha shies away from. While doodles might bring to mind schoolbook marginalia and comics for some, Torukpa transforms the idea of doodling in her artwork. For Torukpa  doodling reflects a sense of humanity--any person can relate to the freedom of line drawing and coloring. Pyramid Atlantic is proud to host Torukpa Agbegha as our first Denbo fellow for the month of October.

Torukpa is a resident of Silver Spring, but she was born in Cleveland, OH and studied at University of North Carolina. Her works ranges from drawing to collage to textile design. Torukpa often focuses on the transformational quality of different materials--she enjoys incorporating recycled materials into her work. Taking inspiration from artists like El Anatsui and Judy Pfaff, she has worked with weaving together materials and using them as a canvas. Torupka works with the idea of taking "unprofessional" materials and repurposing them into art.

One of Torukpa's ongoing projects has involved doing drawings on the DC Metro-- not literally on the Metro, because that's rude, but in a very beautiful sketchbook. Her drawings are influenced by the environment, people, and sounds of the Metro. Torukpa often listens to music while she draws, which gives her work a very rhythmic feel. She's interested in translating movement and rhythm into visual patterns and ornamentation. Her work displays a beautiful sense of spontaneity and emotion.

While at Pyramid, Torukpa hopes to create larger works from her drawings and collages. She's excited to experiment with screen printing and etching in order to build up layers and incorporate her doodles and patterns into a large-scale work. Additionally, she has been working in the papermaking studio. While playing with materials, Torukpa looks forward to letting process run its course. We're excited to see the results!

For more information on Torukpa's work, she will be giving an artist's talk at Pyramid on October 30, from 6 - 7 PM.

Visiting Artist Sean Harris

Sean Harris is fascinated by many things. Among them are: Welsh folklore, topography, mythology, wild boars, Goya's black paintings, songlines, pantomimes, and, most recently, Pyramid Atlantic Art Center. Lucky for him--and even luckier for us--Sean is working in the studio for the next five weeks.

Sean is the recipient of the Creative Wales Ambassabor Award--an honor which he described by stating, "I feel like I should be sweeping around in a cloak." Sean does not, however, wear a cloak. A cloak would be extremely impractical for the beautiful work Sean does in collagraphy. Based in Wales, Sean has created his own unique hybrid of printmaking and animation. Using fragments of collagraph prints, Sean constructs stop-animation style films which incorporate the landscape and history of Wales.

The titles that Sean has been given over the years range from "animator" to "printmaker" to "archeologist." Sean feels that he inhabits a more liminal space as an artist--constantly drawing from these different studies and titles, but never necessarily being just a "printmaker" or "animator." One of the reasons Sean is so fascinated with Pyramid is the mixture of different processes and media. He likes the idea of different art forms brushing up against each other in the studio.

In the same way that Sean combines different media of art, he combines ideas spanning over different disciplines and places. In particular, Sean has always been drawn to the Mabinogion, a collection of Welsch tales that draw on Celtic mythology. Of the many figures in Welsh mythology, the wild boar appears most frequently in Sean's own work. For Sean, the mythology of Wales is closely linked with the physical landscape through the idea of "songlines"--that is, using traditional song lyrics to map out a landscape. Sean's work explores the relationships between mythological figures, the spaces they inhabit, and their impact on national identity.

Sean last came to the US to study Native American reservations in North Dakota. With a lack of wild boar, he became fascinated with herds of bison and buffalo. While at Pyramid, he hopes to further examine the ties between cultures, creatures, and myths. We're excited to see what he's working on!

Check out Sean's work and films at wildboarpress.com