Contractor's UNITE

CONTRACTOR'S UNITE

Zygote has  had a whirlwind time  since our last post. We recently were in no-man's-land as far as zoning with a local retail district not sure that "print shop" didn't mean a Jak Prints or KINKOS.  Thankfully, after a 49 day waiting period, we forge ahead. Our permits are approved and we are just letting the contractors forge ahead. Our demo party and some post stripping (the wall paper-not our clothes) ensued and we have already opened up the back porch and they have installed some of the plumbing and some electrical. 

We have been meeting for Merchant meetings so we are all squared away and there has been spoke really great press regarding the neighborhood street scape and activities.  We participated in the August 1st Walk on Waterloo and developed some Waterloo Posters we can use for takeaways. 

These photos are courtesy of Karin McKenna who  even makes the  fugly spaces beautiful. 

Zygote INK House demolition party a huge success

THANK YOU SO MUCH...
 to all the amazing peoplewho volunteered their time demoing the INK House in Collinwood  on such a lovely weekend... stripping wallpaper, sledge-hammerimg, hack-sawing, shoveling, filling dumpsters, landscaping and generally getting the house ready for the contractors. Special thanks to Christi Birchfield, INK House Project Manager for coordinating such a crew. A commemorative INK House print created by Liz Maugans and Christi Birchfield will be coming your way once our dust settles.

view towards new entry

 Cameron and Mrs. B

Wall paper strippers

Meeting new friends

pre dumpster view

DEMO-LITION PARTY at the INK House

Join us this weekend for the INK HOUSE DEMO PARTY, SATURDAY + SUNDAY from 9AM-4PM both days. Lots of light tasks on the list, and refreshments provided; any amount of time and assistance is welcome! Contact Christi Birchfield for more information christi@zygotepress.org

Inkhouse Preview Party at Beachland Ballroom

Inkhouse Preview Party at Beachland Ballroom  ($20 suggested donation)

JUNE 12, 2014  |  6-8:30 PM

Here is a Beachland/tickets link:

http://www.songkick.com/concerts/20506688-zygote-press-ink-house-preview-benefit-concert-and-party-at-beachland-tavern?utm_source=15529&utm_medium=partner

Join Zygote Press for a preview party of the INK House. The night includes music by OLD BOY as well as Todd Allen. Tours of INK House will also be provided. Suggested $20 donations at the door will receive a two-color screenprinted poster.

The INK HOUSE, formerly a vacant home in North Collinwood, is being fully redesigned and rehabbed to become Zygote's new satellite location to be used exclusively as our new contract printing studio for creating fine art editions. The garage behind INK House will also serve as Zygote’s home base for our mobile printmaking endeavors, so we can keep on bringing printmaking to the streets of Cleveland beyond the two neighborhoods in which we reside.

http://zygoteinkhouse.blogspot.com/

May Updates-Permission to Break Ground!

Christi Birchfield, INK HOUSE Project Manager, David Craun architect (from Bialosky+Partners), Jen Craun (Associate Director of Zygote), Bellamy Printz (Co-founder and prez. of Board) and myself met for a visioning meeting for needs of the INK HOUSE. We wanted to get a few bids on costs once we got a chance to see the project with the new scope of drawings. Jeff Robinson of Modern Contractors was awarded the bid (he has worked with us before). Last week, he began the permit process acquiring permits and staged the build-out schedule.   

To alleviate costs, Zygote has decided to host a "demolition party weekend". This is scheduled for the weekend of May 30th and June 1st. We are asking volunteers to join in on easy surface demo of the house.  Things like pulling up carpet, stripping wallpaper, and removing cabinets and fixtures are the tasks we will take on.  Northeast Shores will assist us however they can to expedite the permit process.

We have been busy in the neighborhood...

•           hosting a FLUXUS launch party in collaboration with Spring Issue of CAN launch at Waterloo Arts as one of the Vibrancy Grant 
•      met with NESCDC for their site visit with the NEA’s  ARTPLACE second round funding cycle as one of their three primary partners
•      prepped another Vibrancy grant for September for the Walk on Waterloo
•       meeting with other merchants and participating in the merchant’s association
•       arranged the purchase of a press
•       Donald Black filmed and developed KickStarter campaign (plan to launch in late June) (stay tuned)
•      Scheduled the Preview Benefit party at Beachland for June 12^th from 6-8:30 featuring OLD BOY
•      Hosted two cultivation events for collectors (CMA’s young collectors Column and Stripe) and Marous Brothers (Builders for project at Westin
•      planning another cultivation event for artists in August and a friend-raiser event in mid June
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Ink House drawings ready for contractor's eyeballs

This past Friday, March 7th, the Spring issue of the Collective Arts Network journal was launched at Waterloo Arts. Zygote received a Collinwood Rising Vibrancy Grant to cross promote our new Arts Advocacy Fluxus Project with staffers from the neighborhood development corporations, and artists from across Cleveland. It was the perfect trifecta of visual arts energies, cultural and neighborhood networking and good spirits were all up and down Waterloo.
That morning after our monthly Zygote staff meeting, we got to see the drawings for the first time drawn up by Bialosky's + Partners, Dave Craun. Next steps is consults with contractors and we can forge ahead through the permit process.

Making a Mark

Today was a good day for Zygote's INK HOUSE.  Dave Craun and associate Hallie of Bialosky + Partners were by the house finalizing measurements for the drawings to be handed over to the contractor later this week. It's incredibly exciting to hone in on the vision for the space, decide where equipment will be placed, imagine the space with walls opened up, and boards off the windows.  Dave and his team are amazingly gifted architects who are cleverly and carefully considering all the needs for this new tight-ship of a printshop.    We installed a banner on the front porch to let passers-by know about what is to come on Lotus Street.  

Soon contractors will be hard at work to make this house a fully operational etching and silkscreen contract shop.   As I was attaching the banner to the porch,  our next door neighbor came by and introduced herself to us and asked about the plans.  She seemed excited to be gaining us as new neighbors and was very welcoming. The Print Garage will be the second stage of this project where it will provide the community with open air printing and engagement.