Maine Media Workshops + College opened The Book Arts Studio in June, 2014.

It has hosted several seasons of classes and has welcomed 8 book artists in residence. Through that process of use, it has become clear that the space could be further utilized during a large portion of the year. To accomplish this and to make the book arts program more accessible to aspiring as well as accomplished artists and printers, Maine Media now offers – through membership or rental fee – use of the space and equipment during the times when there are not classes or artists in residence. 

Eligibility

All studio members must have taken a 2-Day Letterpress class (or have proven experience operating the Vandercooks and photopolymer plate maker) and attend a studio rental training session to be eligible to rent studio time. 

Studio Rental Training

This will cover how to use the guillotine and board shear safely, how to register for time in the studio, how to purchase materials (book cloth, etc), go over studio policies and show standards for clean up, how to properly clean the presses. *this framework taken from Center for Book Arts @ https://centerforbookarts.org/event/printshop-renter-training. All members must sign a non-liability waiver. 

Available Time The studio will be available for rental time predominately in this six month period: 

  • November 1-December 20
  • Closed for Holiday Dec 21 – January 6
  • January 6-June 5 (minus a few weeks and weekends in the spring for workshops.)

Workshops will be programmed from June-September. The Book Artist in Residence will use the studio for the month of October. The studio may be rented during the summer when there is not a class running. Each month,  there will be a mentorship for book artists to reserve time to work with a designated mentor as well as work in a learning/demo environment.

Generally, studio hours will be 8:30 am – 10:00 pm. The studio must be locked up by 10pm for security and maintenance reasons. 

Sign-ups for time and equipment will happen through a Google calendar. Enforcement of the sign-up calendar will be crucial so that we have a record of who is on campus using the space when there isn’t a “supervisor.” 

A signed waiver of liability will be necessary for the college to have on file. 

Á la Carte Rental

Limited availability after members have been scheduled.
Supervisor needs to be present unless previously vetted. 

  • Hourly $25.00
  • Weekly $125.00
  • Monthly $350.00 

Membership Levels 

$600 – Year-Round, Limited Hours 

  • 80 hours of studio time anytime throughout the year so long as the studio is available for rental use and must be during supervised hours (i.e. studio manager or keyholder is present) 
  • Fee can be paid monthly at $50/month 

Keyholder/Volunteer/Supervisor
$1000 – Year Round, Unlimited Hours 

  • Unlimited rental hours, year round when the studio is available for rental use. Does not need to be during supervised hours 
  • Fee can be paid monthly at $80/month 
  • 10% discount on workshop tuition 

$2500 – Support 

  • Same benefits as year-round unlimited membership 
  • Free 2-day mentor class during the winter/spring 
  • Special event participation or special gift from book artist in residence or the studio 

$5000-Collector 

  • Same benefits as year-round unlimited membership 
  • Free 1-week mentor class during the winter/spring 
  • Special event participation or special gift from book artist in residence or the studio 

Custom Projects: based on Mentor rate ($50/hr) or Apprentice ($25/hr)

  • Letterpress Printing, Chapbooks, Bound Books, Boxes, or Decorative Papers 

Image Credit © Walker Bankson

Studio Rental Schedule (Closed on Holidays) 

Daily rentals (by prior arrangement, supervised)

  • Monday & Friday 9am – 4pm 

Mentorship/Special Projects Time (by prior arrangement)

  • Saturday & Sunday 9-5 (Nov – May) 

Evening rentals (exclusive unsupervised time)

  • Sunday Evenings, 5-9 pm (Nov – May)
  • Monday Evenings, 5-9 pm (Nov – May)
  • Wednesday Evenings 5-9 pm (Nov-May) 

Evening rentals (supervised time if volunteer is available)

  • Tuesday Evenings 5-9 pm (Nov- May)
  • Thursday Evenings, 5- 9 (Nov – May) 

Friday and Saturday evenings available by appointment or for unsupervised time. 

Image Credit: Valerie Carrigan

Rental Policies 

1. A person who needs supervision can only rent during daytime supervised hours. (Monday or Friday or as arranged with keyholder/manager)

2. A person who does NOT need supervision can rent 8am-10pm depending on whether they have signed up for hourly, weekly or monthly access.

3. There is no rental available on days when workshops are running

4. For those wishing to rent time in the Studio, Letterpress I, or equivalent experience is required as well as a mandatory three-hour class, Book Arts Studio Renter Training.

5. For your first time using the Studio, you must rent during supervised time. You can rent during unsupervised time after the Studio Manager signs off on your abilities. 

When using our studios: 

  • Consider others who are using the space
  • Respect our equipment
  • Keep the equipment and space clean
  • Clean up after yourself! 

No food or beverages are allowed in the studio. Renters will need to supply their own materials. Cleaning supplies and certain other materials will be provided. Permanent storage and temporary storage space will be available per renting level. Space TBD. 

Auto-deduct payments can be arranged through the registrar or in the studio using Square. 

To sign up, please contact the studio manager at: Richard Reitz Smith: [email protected] or [email protected]