The Soapbox

Hello beloved community! We have some exciting updates to share! 📋️BOARD UPDATE! Much of the work that keeps the Soapbox operating is done by a volunteer board of directors. This board has elected a new executive committee! Serving alongside the full board, they are: Peri Law & Erica Honson, Co-Presidents Ren Lowry, Secretary Erin Robin, Treasurer Jessica Peterson, Vice Treasurer Dre Grigoropol Cory Kram Basil Lee The co-presidents extend their heartfelt thanks to Ren and Erin for their extraordinary service — 4 and 7 years, respectively. Their dedication has kept Soapbox running, growing, and true to its values. We're grateful they’ll be with us a little longer through this transition. We're honored to step into the role of Co-Presidents and continue building the community that means so much to all of us. 🚛MOVING UPDATE! Construction at our new home at 4542 Baltimore Ave is expected to begin in June, with a hopeful reopening in August or September. While permitting delays have shifted our timeline, we're so close to being able to start the renovations. We know many of you have questions — many of which we've been working hard to answer ourselves. We appreciate your patience as the details continue to come together. See slide 5 for a picture of the space mid-transition. The zine library will still be cozy! It'll be through a wide opening on the left side. To the right, studios with varying wall heights surround the central printing space like buildings around a town square. There will be 14 private studios available to rent! Email us at info [at] phillysoapbox [dot] org to inquire. 🎨UNTIL THEN UPDATE! There is still so much going on at the 4700 Kingsessing location! In fact, this Spring is a great time to take a workshop or visit the studio--doing so supports our moving effort and you can see the studio "before" and "after"! Want to donate your time to teach a workshop? Email us! June is likely our final month at the current location. Stay tuned for a farewell party and volunteer opportunities to help us pack up. 💓THANK YOU! We're so very thankful for your support and energized by the future we see for The Soapbox on Baltimore Ave.

The Soapbox is moving and we need your help! We were lucky to find a location on Baltimore Ave so that we can continue to serve our West Philly Community. 🖤 We are a volunteer-run space providing affordable membership options with a focus on accessibility. We could use some financial support to aid in our big move. Check out the links in our bio to donate to our fundraiser or to sign up for one of our upcoming classes to support us! Thank you to our fellow @ava.hai for making this flyer! Each month our fellows will design a new flyer to help us spread the word. #printmaking #phillyprinting #printshop #phillyprintmakers

📦The Soapbox Community Print Shop & Zine Library @phillysoapbox is moving to our new home on Baltimore Ave! 🪐In this new space, The Soapbox will be able to triple the number of independent artist studios it offers, offer more workshops to our community, and build a robust dream studio space that will house letterpress printing, screen-printing, risography, papermaking, our gigantic zine library, which contains about 4000 zines, and a whole lot more!

💪The Soapbox is a volunteer-powered, collaboratively run studio that empowers artists and makers to tell their stories through book and paper arts. This is possible thanks to our vibrant community of supporters. If you can, consider donating to the moving fund! Link in bio or go to PhillySoapbox.org  💖 The Soapbox  💖 #Zines #Zinelibrary #DreamStudio #Printmaking #WestPhillyArtists

🌸 Join our drop-in printing session this Saturday! Learn a new skill, connect with creatives, and support our upcoming move 🎨 Print Your Own Poster with Wood type! $20 in advance -$25 at the door 11 am to 3 pm. Make your mark! #letterpress #letterpressworkshop #communityprintshop #makerspace #craftworkshop #artworkshop #thingstodoinphiladelphia #phillysoapbox

May is here! 🌞️ Join us for a workshop or drop-in printing session this month! 🎨 By taking a workshop, you'll not only learn a new skill and connect with fellow Philadelphians, but you'll also be supporting our moving fundraiser! 🙏️ It's a win-win! Workshop highlight 🙌 Thu, May 14, 6:30-9:30pm - Riso buttons! 📋️ Discover the magic of Risograph printing and create your own 2-color pinback buttons! More info on our Eventbrite or link in bio! Let's come together and create something amazing! 💥 #risograph #letterpress #bookarts #printmaking

It's finally May! Feeling creative now that the peonies are blooming? Join us for a workshop or a drop-in printing session this month! Taking a workshop this May is an amazing way to support our moving fundraiser while learning a new skill and connecting with other creative Philadelphians! ⁠ ⁠ Thu, May 14 630-930pm - Riso buttons! Learn to print using the scanner bed of our Risograph while designing, printing, and assembling 2-color pinback buttons! $76⁠ ⁠ Sat, May 16 11am-3pm - Print Your Own Poster with Wood type! Print your own poster using wood type from the studio collection! Each participant will get to compose up to 6 words using moveable wood type, and print 5 copies of their poster to take home. You can do a lot with 6 words, and wood type letters are big, expressive, and gorgeous! Walk-in registrations welcome! $20-25⁠ ⁠ Thu, May 28 630-930pm - Riso Animation! Calling all animators, filmmakers, content creators, or anyone curious about merging digital and analog techniques! In this hands-on Risograph class, you'll learn how to transform your digital video or animation into vibrant, two-tone animations using the unique analog Risograph process. $76⁠ ⁠ Sat, May 30 1-5pm - Pressure Printed Print Exchange! Repurpose paper and cardboard scraps to build up collaged surfaces used as a matrix for pressure printing on a Vandercook. Everyone will leave with a portfolio including a print from each participant!⁠ ⁠ More info on our website! Let's get together and make some art! #risograph #letterpress #bookarts #printmaking

we love the studio 📚 ✂️ here are a few views as a document of what will, someday soon, be our former space! we are still working on fundraising to renovate our new studio. our exact move date is still TBD, and depends very much on our community’s support! do you love the Soapbox? are you book arts-curious? maybe a faraway fan? no matter if you’re a regular or first timer, we are SO grateful you’re here! donations of any size make a big difference. we’re still pushing towards our goal of 50k—and we know we can get there with the support of our amazing Philly community! donate through the 🔗 in our bio 📖! and please help us get the word out—comment and tell us your favorite printmaking method! take an upcoming workshop! share our posts, spread the word! tell your friends, or come by and visit us next open hours — we’re open Wednesdays 6-10 and Sundays 1-5. There’s still tons going on in the Kingsessing Ave studio—come join the fun.

WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT! Are you interested in Riso printing? Longing to create a wearable piece of art or propaganda? Introducing: Riso Buttons! Learn the basics of two-color Risograph printing on a small scale and make Riso-printed pin-back buttons! You’ll use collage and drawing materials on a template to draft a one or two-color one-inch button. Then, you’ll print your composition using the scanner bed of our beloved Risograph machine, Theresa! Finally, you’ll use a button-maker to put it all together. Working on a small, circular scale makes you think about composition in a new and exciting way. We’ll think intentionally about details, opacity, texture, legibility, and color layering. Collage materials provided, but if you have photos, text, etc you want to see in button form, bring it! Make a wearable piece of art (or propaganda!) while learning the basics of Riso! Details: 📅 May 14 (Thurs) 🕰️ 6:30-9:30pm 🗺️ 4700 Kingsessing (the soapbox’s studio) 🧍 taught by new volunteer board member Basil @whagever 🔗 in bio to see our calendar 😊 taking a workshop helps support us as we fundraise to move!

Join us for our Riso workshops! We have tickets available for our Friday night workshop right now!

Hi All! We are having our members artwork up in the walls at Loco Pez in West Philly starting Sunday the 19th until the 26th! Join us at the opening reception in April 19th from 5 pm to 7 pm!

🌞 spring is springing 🥵 in an intense way, and we are OPEN for wednesday open hours tonight, 6-10pm! come visit our cozy zine library and check out the ever-shifting wall of prints! see you soon :) 🌷 for extra clarity: while YES we are moving later in the year, we currently are very much still in the 4700 Kingsessing Ave location! come visit us here—so you can say you remember when! our entrance is around the side of the building down the ramp! our door is (literally) open (till it cools off)

Soapbox will be closed tomorrow April 5th, we hope you enjoy the warm weather today, and stay dry in the rain tomorrow! Have a great weekend! Thanks for your ongoing support of the Soapbox! Check out the link in our bio for our moving fundraiser; any amount really helps! Check out our eventbrite for upcoming workshops in Risograph Printing and Screenprinting on Fabric; make sure not to miss these wonderful workshops!