Prints & Inks Silkscreening Show

Calling all silkscreen ♥-ers! Ottawa’s favourite DIY craft and DJ duo, Spins & Needles, is putting together an art exhibition at Fall Down Gallery, opening this Friday, March 2. Prints & Inks will house all types of graphic works – from clothing, to posters, to prints – and Jason Skilz will be on hand to provide beats. Bring a blank t-shirt or tote bag and you can try the process out for yourself at a mini silkscreening station (pre-made screens are being provided).

Two years in the making, Prints & Inks is a collection of work from over 40 artists, including Tetsuro Takara, Annabel Dubuc, Guillermo Trejo, and Montreal-based collective En Masse. It’s an opportunity, according to Spins & Needles co-founder Melanie Yugo, for people to be exposed to all kinds of artistic styles and perspectives.

“We’ll have a mix of people who create work casually, people who do it for other purposes, as merchandise, and people who are starting their own businesses – so they’re still developing,” Yugo says. “We have other artists, from Ottawa-Gatineau, and a whole bunch from Montreal, known mainly for their graffiti and design work.”

Spins & Needles has been hosting alternative DIY workshops and events for more than 7 years – but this will be their first curated exhibition in the city. Fall Down Gallery, the venue they’re working with this time around, is getting more and more recognition as an alternative creative space where collaborations like Prints & Inks can happen.

“There are a lot of different voices out there – that’s what I really love about Fall Down Gallery,” continues Yugo. “They’ve become a community hub for a younger generation. It’s crazy how many people know about this gallery and they just opened last May. They do a lot of cutting-edge stuff that might not necessarily happen in another space. I think Ottawa needs more places like that, more places where people can experiment – places that are more nimble and can express ideas more quickly. ”

You can still sign up for silkscreen workshops, led by Yugo, coming up in March or May. You’ll learn the entire silkscreening process, from building a screen to printing on a variety of surfaces (fabric, leather, paper, etcetera). In the meantime, stop by the party on Friday night – and have a drink with the artists and creative minds behind Spins & Needles.

Prints & Inks opens on Friday, March 2 (8PM) and runs until Friday, March 9.