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Date: 8/15/2023
HOLYOKE — The Print Shop welcomed the public on Aug. 8 for a reunion/open house, serving as a grand reopening event for the community resource for arts.
On display inside the Main Street location were new upgrades and new equipment the Print Shop had recently purchased in continuing to grow the shared tools in their community arts space. Print Shop Managing Director Jeff Bianchine spoke to Reminder Publishing and expressed excitement for the new resources and future for the shop in Holyoke.
These efforts have dated back prior to the coronavirus pandemic, according to Bianchine, asCOVID-19 halted a run of adding new equipment for the shop. Coming out of COVID-19 the Print Shop and all of its work in the arts throughout Holyoke have been picking up where they left off in an official reopening the Print Shop.
“We had never really done a ribbon cutting, we never got started because COVID got in the way, so we really wanted to announce that we were here,” Bianchine said of the reopening event.
The member-based maker space with access to shared space, tools, computers, design software and printers has continued growing as a hub for creativity and the arts in Holyoke. Their mission remains to assist Holyoke’s economic revitalization with art and design, while striving to improve access to creative career path opportunities.
“We serve as a hub/access point to Holyoke’s art scene that is diverse and inclusive and fosters a sense of belonging and social equity. This involves creating a welcoming cross-cultural vibe in the shop, where individuals and organizations forge relationships and partnerships” the Print Shop’s mission states.
One new feature to the shop includes a new wide format printer that has already and will continue to be used to help groups in the community print banners or signs for events at a more affordable price than going elsewhere.
“It’s a 65-inch-wide format printer that can do banners, vinyl signs, large posters. It’s a huge resource for the community to be able to come in last minute and sort of pump this stuff out,” Bianchine said. “We had banners done for the Rotary concert and the Patronales Festival that were being done the day and the day before because otherwise, you wouldn’t have these things, or we would have had to pay a lot of money to get them shipped here and made elsewhere. It really does just bring this sort of like more bang for your buck to our community by having access to a machine like this.”
He also added the Print Shop now owns a 3D printer and booklet makers.
The new tools available make for great resources and learning opportunities on how to print or create and then learn the business side as well. Bianchine said it was important to get access to a 3D printer in order to have the exposure of the tool available to those interested at the shop. Bianchine’s “Fisher Price 3D Printer” as he calls it, will serve as a solid introduction to the technology to artists who have not experienced it.
“I don’t know all that much about it other than how to get people into it. There are kids that use it and know way more than I do with it,” Bianchine said with a laugh.
Transitions Academy students are at the print shop taking advantage of its resources twice a week during the school year and through the summer. In the spring, there is a program for young entrepreneurs that runs four times a week. Other one-off classes throughout the week often also find Holyoke’s youth learning new skills and lessons and has grown equally with the Print Shop’s footprint in the city’s arts scene.
“We still need to reserve the main part of the shop because classes have now become an integral part of the Print Shop’s DNA, both just the culture with the kids but also financially, the schools and the different programs from the state has really been able to let us grow the shop,” Bianchine said.
As the Print Shop continues its growth, Bianchine said they are nearing completion of officially becoming their own 501c nonprofit that was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. He added the plan of starting their own 501c3 would help run not only The Print Shop but also The Artery, events like the Great Brick Race, Pride Fest and other cultural events Bianchine and his team work on within Holyoke. The 5013c will be called Holyoke Art.
“We’ve been sort of hacking it the last 10 years, it’s time to do this the right way,” Bianchine said.
Bianchine added he also hopes the Print Shop can expand its space in the future and grow their hub as a space for the arts in Holyoke.
“I think me personally I’m just riding a wave and having fun with it. We just want to have fun and make sure the fun stuff keeps happening so we’re willing to do some of the nitty gritty admin work to make that happen,” Bianchine said.
The Print Shop also offers different membership plans varying on price that offer different levels of access to the shop and its machinery. For more information on becoming a member, visit https://www.printshopholyoke.org/memberships. To enroll in future classes, visit https://www.printshopholyoke.org/enroll-now.