April 23, 2020 update:
Hello members, artists, and supporters of Martha Street Studio,
The board and staff have made the difficult but prudent decision to suspend all in-person activities until July 1st. Unfortunately, this means all of our current courses and workshops will be cancelled, the physical gallery and shop will remain closed to the public, public, and the studio will not be open to individual artists. Staff will be in contact with anyone who requires a refund in the coming days.
In the interim we will continue to operate to the best of our abilities. We have begun featuring member artists’ work on our social media platforms and can deliver any works purchased within the city. We have also added a number of items to our webstore that can also be delivered within the city (or mailed further afield). Michael Dumontier and Neil Farber graciously allowed us to re-use their timely and eerily prescient design from our BYOT fundraiser as well; orders for shirts can be placed until May 30th, check out the design here.
Over the coming weeks we will begin cautiously re-offering digital printing services to artists. Although the suite itself will remain closed, files can be submitted digitally to our technicians and orders for printing can be arranged via email. This will be a slower process than normal, involving more communication through email and delivery time, but we are confident that your patience will be rewarded by our outstanding service. Additional technical services for traditional print-media will also be made available on a case-by-case basis as our capacity and access to the space increases.
Exhibitions, artists talks and residencies will all be postponed with the expectation that normal programming will recommence on a shifted timeline as soon as it is safe to do so. We remain committed to all of the artists that have agreed to be a part of our upcoming programming and are eager to show their work to you. The process of rescheduling will be no easy task, but we will keep everyone informed of changes and new opportunities as they arise. This years Youth Outreach Program participants will be the first to have a virtual gallery of work that will be brought online soon. Education is also core to our existence and we will endeavour to re-offer all of the cancelled courses once the current threat has passed. The new reality for our courses and workshops will undoubtedly require significant changes, but rest assured, we remain committed to an exemplary and safe experience for all course participants. Studio access will be reintroduced on a similar timeline to our educational offerings. We will be in touch with key-holders and long-term renters with details once they are available.
With the emerging abundance of online demands from work and school we recognize a potential for renewed interest in handmade slow-art that does not exist solely on our connected devices. The irony of a webstore offering tangible work and a virtual gallery is not lost on us. In an effort to give back to our community we have decided to start a poster campaign that will begin this weekend, with a new design appearing weekly. Keep your eyes open for our work on telephone poles and notice boards near you.
We will reassess the health and safety risks on an ongoing basis, and will notify you of any changes as soon as possible. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the studio.
Be safe and take care of one another.
Jamie Wright
Executive Director
director@printmakers.mb.ca
April 15, 2020 post:
Hello members, artists, and supporters of Martha Street Studio,
The Manitoba government has extended the public health order to close all non-critical businesses to April 28, 2020. Martha Street Studio remains closed in accordance with the provincial mandate.
This means key holders and studio renters are still not allowed access to the studio. The public health order details that business may “continue to sell goods to customers where those goods can be picked up ‘curbside’ or delivered to customers.” Our Webstore continues to be in operation and we can arrange for curbside pickup or delivery of purchases.
We will continue to assess government directives and will notify you of updates. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the studio.
Be safe and take care of one another.
March 18, 2020 post:
Hello members, artists and supporters of Martha Street Studio,
We take our responsibility to our community very seriously. In light of the recent and evolving threat from COVID-19 we will be suspending all of our public programming and educational offerings at the studio. Public events, courses, workshops and youth programming will be cancelled until April 20th. A refund or credit towards upcoming courses/workshops will be available to anyone who has already paid. Students currently enrolled in a cancelled course will have their fee reimbursed on a pro-rated basis.
The following courses will be cancelled:
- Youth Outreach Printmaking (YOP) and INKubator
- Etching
- Introduction to Coptic Bookbinding 2
- Screen Printing Basics
- Digital Darkroom
- Intro to Screen Printing
- Advanced Screen Printing
- Stone Lithography
In addition to the cancelled courses and workshops, the gallery and shop will also be closed to the public. For now we will endeavour to keep the studio open to keyholders. We would ask that anyone feeling unwell refrain from coming to the space. We also encourage those that do use the space to be mindful of current health recommendations, such as social distancing and enhanced hygiene practices.
We will reassess the health and safety risks after April 20th and notify you of any changes. Our hope is to re-offer all of the cancelled courses at a later date once the current threat has passed. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the studio.
Be safe and take care of one another.
Jamie Wright
Executive Director
director@printmakers.mb.ca