Deep Breath Press

“𝐃𝐨 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭. 𝐖𝐞 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐬.” — 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐚 𝐏𝐢𝐧𝐤𝐨𝐥𝐚 𝐄𝐬𝐭é𝐬 We know the weight of this moment. Across the world and in our own country, rights are under attack, people are suffering, violence and cruelty persist. It feels impossible to hold it all. And still, we can act, in small ways and large ways. 

The quote above is from Clarissa Pinkola Estés’ essay from 2020 titled “Letters To A Young Activist.” I came upon the essay last night while doomscrolling. And then of course I felt like printing. 
Below are some excerpts from the essay. Link to the full essay is in my bio if you’d like to read it. —————————————- “I urge you, ask you, gentle you, to please not spend your spirit dry by bewailing these difficult times. Especially do not lose hope. … I would like to take your hands for a moment and assure you that you are built well for these times. Despite your stints of doubt, your frustrations in arighting all that needs change right now, or even feeling you have lost the map entirely, you are not without resource, you are not alone. … Look out over the prow; there are millions of boats of righteous souls on the waters with you.  …In any dark time, there is a tendency to veer toward fainting over how much is wrong or unmended in the world. … 𝐎𝐮𝐫𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐚𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐟𝐢𝐱𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐛𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐞𝐭𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡. … In that spirit, I hope you will write this on your wall: When a great ship is in harbor and moored, it is safe, there can be no doubt. But … that is not what great ships are built for.” #clarisspinkolaestes #letterpress #donotloseheart #weweremadeforthesetimes #keepgoing

“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” - Jane Goodall (1934 - 2025) #janegoodall #restinpeace #letterpress #nightprinting #testprint #quote #janegoodallinstitute

Stand, speak up, even if your voice shakes. #maggiekuhn Keeping my hands and fingers moving today. Workin’ on test prints. #letterpress #letterpresscommunity #nolanproofpress #woodtype #letterpressprinting #quotes

We’ve all been waiting for clarity on the outcome with Hamilton and the Windgate deadline. The Hamilton Board chose not to comply with the clear non-negotiable terms and as a result, they allowed the endowment to slip through their fingers. It’s done. Will Hamilton survive this loss? Who knows, BUT what’s most important is that we, the people, the letterpress community will survive. - We know this feels like a loss and in some ways it absolutely is. But in other ways, it’s also a win. We did everything that we could and we acted with integrity throughout. We didn’t have to embellish or vilify. The actions taken by Hamilton Board members and now the new Hamilton ED, spoke for themselves: cancelling funded BIWOC residencies without cause, restricting access, deflecting responsibility for internal issues, blaming staff, failing to respond to IBe Crawley’s request for repair, distancing themselves from the letterpress community, refusing to meet with community members, and, most recently, the new ED firing two staff members @abslovesmuseums @jenannetastic_outthere for not signing a staff handbook acknowledgment they still had unresolved/unanswered questions about. And these are only the things that have been public. Now we see more clearly who we’re dealing with and what they value, and with that clarity comes freedom. We are no longer investing, our time, energy or trust in an institution that chooses pride or self preservation over ethics, stewardship, and community. We fought a good fight, we did and will continue to do Good Work! We are community. wearehamfam.info - #letterpress #community #wearehamfam #biwocresidency #hamiltondebacle #hamiltonwoodtypemuseum #jenngraves #powerofthepress

On November 18, my “Ham Time” was ended. Although my MFA was in sculpture, I always crushed on printmaking. I couldn’t have made up such a fulfilling job as wood type cutting: making tiny wood sculptures in the shapes of letters to be inked up and printed! And getting to use my corporate-honed marketing skills to share Hamilton’s story (and run around photographing or just ogling everything in such a Palace of Printing Delights) was the sawdust on top. I was beyond honored to become a link in the chain of Hamilton wood type cutting knowledge. But I assumed I would be only the latest link, not the last. I—NOT a people person—genuinely delighted in welcoming visitors to the museum, sharing the HWT&PM origin story, and seeing their eyes light up as they took it all in. Even better was working with people who got to get inky, whether at workshops in the museum or during community-based printing events. I have seen first-hand how inspiring Hamilton’s holdings are to such a wide variety of people. It feels like we were just beginning to really widen the “welcome mat” for more people to learn about, appreciate, and be electrified by the possibilities of the collection and hands-on activities. What an abominable shame and absolute waste that this momentum is now lost, just because a few people with enough power and money decided so. The pain of this loss is heartbreaking; as deep as the joy it brought. Thankfully, the pain will dim while the joy and memories live on, untouchable even by people with enough money and power. 
 —Caption is continued in the Comments

I was fired from the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum last night. I refused to sign a new employee handbook that further reduced benefits, contained inequitable policies & was written without any staff input. But the handbook was just another product of an institution & its leadership who refused to cede power & share authority with anyone outside of their own privileged echo chamber. The recent hire of a new Executive Director was an opportunity many of us were hopeful for. Instead, the all-white, all-board hiring committee selected someone in their image & of their mindset. This commitment to upholding white supremacy is rotting away the soul of the museum, as surely as the collection is decaying in storage. In my head, there was a tipping point. Publicly & professionally, I tried to use my privilege & platform for the betterment of Hamilton. But eventually, the emotional & physical labor I was putting into Hamilton stopped contributing to change & started solely contributing to the sustainability of an institution entrenched in principles I find abhorrent. So I didn’t sign the handbook. Two of us made that choice & lost our jobs. We both have support networks & side hustles that enabled us to be able to draw that line. That decision in itself was a privilege that not everyone on staff had. I knew it was coming. It was even a bit of a relief. But I still cried in the car after it happened. I really loved it here. Thank you for welcoming me into your community. Thank you for supporting staff during the last few months. Thank you for continuing to fight for Hamilton - for what’s right. We did good, important work together. This isn’t what I wanted for me, for our community or for the museum. I’m not sure what comes next. It’s hard to see a path forward for a place that is now unrecognizable. The future of Hamilton must be anti-racist. It must be accessible, queer and radically inclusive. If it is not those things, there is no future for Hamilton. — For a full picture of what’s been happening at Hamilton & learn how you can help, you can follow #WeAreHamFam or visit WeAreHamFam.info.

Last week on Nov. 6th, when we should have been excitedly preparing for presenting and traveling to attend the boycotted-now-cancelled Wayzgoose at @hamiltonwoodtype , instead, @jenngraves , @beingblount , and I participated in a different kind of gathering. During this “Pressing Matters in Letterpress” panel discussion, we shared how the BIWOC Residency programming at Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum was abruptly ended, and how community access to Hamilton’s resources was inexplicably withdrawn.
 🎥 The full recording of this event is now live. 
Hosted by @sgcinternational , and moderated by Special Collections Librarian and Printmaking Historian Sarah Finn, this conversation dives into what happened, why it matters, and what it means to practice and defend equitable access. 🔗 LINK IN BIO TO WATCH 👆🏽 🙌🏽 Please share/tag/repost 
📬 Learn more and take action: wearehamfam.info ✨We thank @sgcinternational for hosting this event. This event complements the November issue of SGCI’s Graphic Impressions Journal which focuses on cancellation and censorship. More details in comments and at #WeAreHamFam #letterpress #sgcinternational #printmaking #PressingMatters #access #legacy #PrintmakingCommunity #hamiltonwoodtype #hamiltonwoodtypemuseum

What even are these BIWOC residencies everyone is talking about? From Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum’s website: “𝙒𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙞𝙧𝙨𝙩 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙩 𝙃𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙤𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙡𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙚𝙧 𝙤𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙣𝙞𝙩𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝘽𝙄𝙋𝙊𝘾 𝙬𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙒𝙖𝙮𝙯𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚, 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙖𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙃𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙩𝙤𝙣, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙩𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮.” 
“𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮… 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙥 𝙚𝙢𝙥𝙤𝙬𝙚𝙧 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙙 𝙫𝙤𝙞𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙣𝙜𝙖𝙜𝙚 𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙞𝙙𝙪𝙖𝙡𝙨 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙙𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙨𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙𝙨.” These residencies weren’t separate from Hamilton’s mission to “𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙧𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮.” They were a living enactment of it. The BIWOC residences at Hamilton brought women of color into direct relationship with the presses, wood type, and each other. Participants printed, researched, led workshops, and built relationships, with the tools, history, and community around them. ✨A forward-looking museum leader with vision knows that this is what preservation includes:
 - 𝗡𝗲𝘄 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗵𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘁𝗼𝗼𝗹𝘀. 
- 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗮𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀. 
- 𝗘𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘄𝗵𝗶𝗰𝗵 𝗲𝘅𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗲𝗱. Some say we must “forge ahead.” 
But in a “working museum” space dedicated to preserving history, looking back is not a distraction.
It’s a responsibility. It’s how we make sure the future is better than the past. This is the program people are asking about. . . . Stay tuned for another post coming soon. #wearehamfam #letterpress #biwocresidencies #hamiltonwoodtype #theboardmustRESIGN

The status quo benefits when we remain quiet. Let us 𝑲𝑬𝑬𝑷 𝑴𝑨𝑲𝑰𝑵𝑮 𝑵𝑶𝑰𝑺𝑬! #letterpress #wearehamfam #keepmakingnoise #speak #cryout #mourn #shout 👇🏽👇🏽👇🏽 REMINDER: Our virtual event with @sgcinternational is TOMORROW/THURSDAY! Pressing Matters in Letterpress 🕑 8PM EST, Thursday, November 6 2025 ☑️ Pre-register at the link in bio! This members only event is for letterpress printers, book artists, and other print people. Not a member? Join!🙌🏽 Join letterpress artists Jenn Graves, Melissa Blount, and Desirée Aspiras in a wide ranging discussion of current events and the importance of press access. Letterpress has had a vital role in getting the word out and challenging institutions since its inception. How does it assert itself in the age of algorithms? ✨This event complements features in the November 2025 edition of Graphic Impressions: Out now! See below for more info. ・・・ “Cancelled”, the November edition of Graphic Impressions is out now at graphic-impressions.org The issue will be a terrific primer for the Pressing Matters in Letterpress virtual event on Thursday, November 6. Don’t forget to preregister at the link in bio! Cancelled intro essay by Desirée Aspiras, Jennifer Graves, and Melissa Blount who will be leading the virtual event! Monumental interview with book artist and sculptor, IBé Crawley. You can watch the full interview, too! Altered interview with Eddy López & Carlos Barberena Hold the Door: Radical Contemporary Women Printers exhibition with Sarah Matthews, Lauren Emeritz, Jun Lee, Desirée Aspiras, Julie Chen, Rachel Simmons, Elaisha Hilliard Bien-Aime, Stephanie Carpenter, Melissa Blount, Sharon Jue, Veronica Jackson, Jennifer Graves, Vida Sačić, and ebond Body Politic exhibition by Christa Carleton & Tonja Torgerson . . . . . #letterpress #wearehamfam #hamiltonwoodtype #graphicimpressions #sgcinternational

On November 1st, Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum Executive Director Beth Kowalski sent a letter to members via email. The full letter is available on their website, but this excerpt demonstrates how Kowalski appears to view accountability as dismissing community concerns and leaving critical issues unresolved. Kowalski writes to the community, "Please know we are aware of others’ efforts to look back and, while we respect those individuals’ and groups’ rights to voice their opinions, we also need to forge ahead in our important work for the future of the Museum. " We believe museums must be responsive, transparent, and willing to engage with the communities they serve—otherwise, they're just buildings full of old things that fail to be useful. By alienating the community, diminishing their concerns, and failing to meet the financial requirements of the Windgate foundation, Hamilton's leadership is gambling with its future. (Visit @jenngraves for details on the Windgate letter). In addition, their support of their team (the museum staff) falls very short of the glowing description in the letter. See @abslovesmuseums for her perspective as a staffer. For more info and find ways to support the letterpress community, visit wearehamfam.info. #hamiltontypemuseum #wearehamfam

A Staff Response In January, the Hamilton Wood Type & Printing Museum’s Board Executive Committee took over day-to-day operations of the museum. This was after years of negligent leadership, & only led to further mismanagement, poor communication, stagnant fundraising, cancelled programming & inequitable policies. Our community had enough. #WeAreHamFam was born. The Board has released several of their own statements without communicating or consulting with staff. The blame was placed on us & valid outrage was labeled a misunderstanding. We were told to not talk to our own community. We were given scripts & our emails were edited & monitored. Instead, here’s my response to our Board President’s latest public statement to @sgcinternational . — Like all of the recent statements and emails and calls to action, these criticisms stem from a deep love and respect for a place, community and history that deserve better. I found a home in Hamilton long before I worked here and that’s why this post was hard to write but so necessary. This was written based on my personal experience at Hamilton. My viewpoints should not be taken as representing all staff or the institution itself. The only thing I can say for all of us is that we are still here and are ready to do the work alongside new leadership. — For a full picture of what’s been happening at Hamilton and learn how you can help, you can follow #WeAreHamFam or visit WeAreHamFam.info.

UPDATE! Petition Delivered to the Logan Foundation Board of Directors The community’s petition and the first set of 407 signatures was sent via certified mail to the Board of Directors of the Reva and David Logan Foundation, and has been delivered. This Foundation is one of Hamilton Wood Type Museum’s major funders. The petition calls for the immediate resignation of Hamilton’s current Executive Board of Directors and the appointment of new, diverse leadership committed to accountability and care. A letter accompanying the petition urges the Logan Foundation to uphold its own mission—to “challenge the status quo” and support organizations that embody social justice, transparency, and creative integrity. A cc/copy of this letter and the petition has also been sent and delivered via certified mail to Hamilton’s Board of Directors. May they all hear our concerns. Read the letter and petition at wearehamfam.info You can also still sign the petition on the website or at link in bio 👆🏽🙌🏽 ✨ #wearehamfam #hamiltonwoodtype